Burroughs students enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities to match their interests. Some promote service, while others encourage students to pursue special interests.
Three faith-based clubs — Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), MEAL Club, and Cross Club — specifically aim to connect faithful students and build a safe environment for all participants to find common ground.
Although each club has a teacher advisor, the clubs are primarily supported by members of the community.
The relatively new MEAL Club — Mercy Encountered At Lunch — is a ministry sponsored by Pastor Carleton Smee of Grace Lutheran Church. The group meets in C-11, Spanish Teacher Fernando Vargas’ classroom.
“The mission of MEAL Club is to be a place for students to gather at lunch once a month with no expectations and enjoy some fellowship while eating free pizza,” said Smee. “When we say, ‘No expectations,’ we mean that too often the churches in America do something with an agenda behind it. We give away pizza or other things but the recipient has to do something to get it. They have to attend a Bible study, or participate in some sort of activity. At MEAL Club, we want students to have a few minutes of no agenda. No expectations. Instead, we want to truly love them for being them. Connect with them. Give them a smile and hopefully find out what is going on in their lives.”
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is a long-standing campus organization. Currently, the FCA leader is Nathan Webb, youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, and the advisor is Math Teacher Amy Shermer.
“My goal is to engage students with the Gospel so they can be authentic sources of Christianity,” said Webb. “I want to equip them to have self-growth and to feel empowered to share the Gospel.”
FCA has outgrown its classroom space this year and instead meets in the gym at lunch.
“Each week can look a little different but we generally have a fun opener or game for all students to participate in,” said Shermer. “Then we break up into smaller groups and have a devotional regarding different topics. We end our time in fellowship and having lunch, pizza, together.”
One of the club’s initiatives this year is providing prayer lockers in the hallways. Any student can put a note in one of the lockers, and FCA’s leadership team will pray over the request.
Finally, CROSS Club meets Thursdays. The advisors include English Teacher Jennifer Williams and BHS parents Marybel and Jerry Gamboa. Each advisor assisting with the club attends a different Christian church in town.
The club is currently meeting every Thursday in D-22.
“Every student is welcome!” said Williams. “Two times a month the student leader opens the session in prayer, and then the message is delivered using scripture as the anchor of the message. Students are encouraged to ask questions and discuss. For example, currently, we are focusing on the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18. Last week, we discussed the Belt of Truth and discussed what it means to put on the Belt of Truth and how to determine what is true in day-to-day life.
“We end the session with prayer. Oftentimes students fellowship following the message. On the other Thursdays, the CROSS Club offers a Bible Study where students take a deeper dive into the scripture followed by discussion questions. The Bible Study is led by the student leaders.”
Club member Ismael Gomez, a junior, said the club provides an opportunity to open oneself to new beliefs.
“Come to learn the word of God and learn how to love your neighbor and be a good faithful person,” encouraged Gomez.
All club meetings are announced in the daily bulletin.