Walking into school on Fridays, students walking from the bus ramp can hear the soft melody of One Voice Music’s “More Like Jesus” coming from the old gym. Following the sound, students find themselves greeted by coach Chandel Coffie’s smile and signature loudspeaker.
Coffie is the sponsor for Inside Out, a Christian-based club that meets on Friday mornings to hear testimonies from peers and pastors, as well as worship.
“Inside Out is a place where young people can get together on a Friday morning in the old gym to experience a religious time together, which leads to a positive day and a clear mind,” Coffie said.
Inside Out started nine years ago, with the purpose of giving a religious outlet to youth who do not have access to it anywhere else. Many students have been invited to Inside Out by Coffie himself or from peers who heard it elsewhere.
“I was talking to Coach Coffie, and he told me I should go because it would be a really good experience for me,” junior Juana Gomez said.
These religious experiences can have a positive impact on students’ mental health and wellbeing not only in their present, but their future as well.
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health have found that youth who attended weekly religious services or practiced daily prayer reported greater life satisfaction and positivity. Many students who attend Inside Out on a weekly basis noted that their mood is generally better after club meetings.
“It definitely affects my mindset in a positive way, because throughout those Fridays, whenever I start to feel down or stressed out, I just remember what was said at inside out that morning, and try to live my day through the words that I heard,” sophomore Analie Baria said.
Along with the inspirational messages, Inside Out also offers a place where students can feel welcomed.
Inside Out aims to create a joyful atmosphere every Friday with Coach Coffie greeting each student at the door, along with a table of free bracelets with phrases like “Do it for God” on them, a loudspeaker blasting worship music and student leaders bursting with zeal.
Once students take a seat and get situated with their friends, the speaker for that day will deliver a message. Sometimes the speaker is a peer or a student leader; other times the speaker is a pastor of a local church.
“I love when I get to see all these young people rally together in one accord for a religious experience and let that energy permeate throughout the whole campus at the school. My hope is that there will be a pastor, missionary, or an evangelist raised up out of the group one day,” Coffie said.
The only issue that students and leaders alike have faced is a lack of time in the mornings. Since the meetings start around 6:50 and the bell rings at 7:20, time is a real obstacle.
“If I could change one thing about the meetings, I would change what time we hold it at, because 7:20 in the morning is way too early and we don’t have enough time. I’d like it if we held it after school,” Gomez said.
Other students also express wishes for the club to be held after school, so that they could not only have more time to worship, but also allow students to be fully awake since it wouldn’t be so early in the mornings.
Inside out overall is a positive way to start students’ day if they have a religious desire, and a chance to meet with peers, and make new friends as well as find a religious family; a place where they feel loved and secure in who they are. It starts their day with a spiritual insight, and allows them to present a more joyful attitude during their day.
And to make this experience even sweeter, donuts are provided!
