PRESS RELEASE
Abbie Smith is a graduate of Emory University and the author of, “Can You Keep Your Faith in College?” (Multnomah 2006). She graduated with a BA in Religion and will begin studies at Talbot Seminary this fall. For more information, please visit www.keepingyourfaith.com.
It seems like just yesterday I was traversing the stage at high school graduation. Though mature for my
years and excited about a future, questions and fears of my future offered quite a beating. Theologian Os
Guinness says young people today rarely think about their calling, mainly because they’re not taught to. But what if they were? As a recent college grad and the author of a book on faith in college, much of my
time is spent with this subject. And more than any other conversation I run into, students wonder, “Why
am I here?” and “What is my purpose?”
Most high school graduates have no idea who they are, what they want, or where they’ll be four years
from now (let alone this fall). Sadly, however, most high school graduates also get pinned to a track of
starting college and selecting a major that rarely arouses long-term interest. No wonder people in their
twenties change jobs so frequently! We float through waves and wander through positions, but never
land on anything secure. Why? Because we’ve never built a secure base—we’ve never founded
ourselves on a Divine basis. The average high school senior can recite a lot of facts and compute a lot of
figures, but rarely does he or she understand a unique calling through Jesus Christ.
Until now.
Impact 360 is a nine-month adventure, engaging students through blends of spiritual, vocational and life
formation. This “gap-year” program hosts a curriculum prioritizing Biblical Worldview and combining
elements of experience, service and my personal favorite, studying abroad! As if this weren’t attractive
enough, completion of the program grants fifteen credit hours from Union University.
Taught by academic greats like Norm Geisler and Robertson McQuilkin, studies range from Biblical
Foundations and Apologetics, to Ethics and Critical Thinking. And unlike the typical classroom, where
conversations end when the bell rings, this one can pry the divinity of Christ and press into personal
curiosities, around the clock. Impact360 provides an ongoing conversation, where students live, learn
(and have a blast!), on a coinciding basis. With experiential learning at its core, the program goes
beyond head knowledge and into the passions of the heart, cultivating the confidence and vigor to go and make disciples in days ahead.
Impact 360 resides in Pine Mountain, outside of Atlanta and costs $19,530 (before scholarships),
covering tuition, housing, meals and a full-month in Europe. Living in a culture separate from your own
can’t help but change lives—most markedly, your own. When I reflect on my personal development,
traveling and cross-cultural living have been the greatest shapers of who I am today. Four-weeks
abroad invites a powerful intersection with the infinite reach of God, but also with the intimate reach of
God—for you.
I’m convinced that every individual was created for extraordinary feats of eternal impact. We’re
commissioned to go and make disciples who champion lives at the cost of Jesus Christ. But going andmaking cannot happen until you’ve stayed and been made—until you’ve prioritized God’s classroom and
chosen making by His hand. It is with great sincerity and hope that I tell you Impact360 embodies this
description. From personal and ministerial experience, I would encourage any high school graduate to
consider this program. It won’t be for everyone, obviously, as derailing the system and devoting ninemonthsto the program takes a special fit. It takes someone willing to be different. But if you’re up for
some adventure and down for some mind-blowing experiences, Impact 360 might be for you.
Had I to do it again, setting aside a gap-year between high school and college would be top on my list.
In fact, given the spiritual counsel, Biblical instruction and personal potentials, I find myself wondering, “Why wouldn’t every graduating senior consider this option?” By learning to KNOW God, BE who He
created and LIVE for His name, graduates of Impact360 can’t help but come-out ahead. I can’t
guarantee your future, but I can guarantee that with a little risk and a lot of willingness, God will do
incredible things through your life. Be willing, be passionate and for God’s sake and yours, be a person
that makes an impact!
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