15 Oct Kairos High School Impact | Learning to Bear Weight

Andy Golla is a senior at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. This past summer he interned at Grace Church through the Kairos High School summer program. Andy learned what it means to be a leader, the value of bearing weight and responsibility, and what it means to come under authority. Hear Andy’s story in his own words!

What ministry area did you serve in and what were some of the projects you helped with during the summer? 

Between Justin, Catherine, Tj, and Scofield, I ended up working a lot. My main role during my internship was research and development for Forge. I helped gather materials, identify problems, and brainstorm solutions. Because of this, I was involved in a lot of different projects. As a Pelham intern, I met every Thursday to find ways of improving our Forge program. Along with Sean Feign and Peter Jones, I helped coordinate a service project for our Widows-and-Single-Mothers ministry. I also volunteered in 24/7 and was an assistant leader on the Greenville Mission Trip.

In what ways did you grow over the course of your internship experience {whether spiritually, personally, or professionally}? 

To me, the idea that you’re supposed to obey when you don’t want to obey, and respect those in authority over you when you don’t want to respect them, is not a foreign one. But it didn’t occur to me until recently how that actually works. Just telling myself, frankly, that I’m going to do this and respect him—that doesn’t really pan out. The key to authentic obedience and respect is to recognize the weight and responsibility that the person over you bears. If you can easily disregard that weight, or fail to recognize it, it is likely because you bear no real weight or responsibility of your own. So disobedience, I realized, is rooted in passivity. And I think I’ve gotten better at accepting my responsibility and trying to live as a leader, not just take on the role in certain situations. At least, I’m still working on it.

As a side note, I also received some practical help as to how to write an email. Apparently, they’re not like letters at all…

How did Kairos High School change your perspective towards ministry? 

Everyone, to some extent, knows in their head that they’re supposed to be producers, not just consumers, in the church. It’s a Christian cliché, and like most clichés, after experiencing the real thing, it seems wholly inadequate. It’s not just that you have a responsibility towards the other people in your church who sacrifice of themselves to provide for you—that much is true. But more than that, you are the church. The local church isn’t an institution designed to funnel information into your head; it’s a living body, made up of uniquely gifted and burdened individuals who spend their own personal comfort and energy so that God, not themselves, may be glorified. Now, when I attend church, it’s not that I think differently. I feel different. The atmosphere feels different, the worship feels different, because I’m no longer just one part of the equation. I’m producer and consumer simultaneously, pouring out and being poured into.

How do you feel Kairos High School equipped you for your future? 

Kairos equipped me to bear weight, even weight beyond what I think I can bear. Working with so many people on so many different projects over the summer, inevitably, some balls were dropped. In those situations I had the opportunity to really tangibly work through what it means, as a man, to step up and lead in a vacuum, as well as what it means when those things you took responsibility for start to develop complications and fall back on you. (And the responsibility on me was only a fraction of the responsibility that the leaders I served under bear every day…)

What was the most impactful takeaway from your internship experience? 

The most impactful takeaway of my Kairos internship was definitely a growth in love and appreciation towards the local church. Serving under hard-working leaders, gathering a greater understanding of how the church actually works, and having personal responsibility towards it—I find the way I experience church has been completely reoriented. Scofield loves to talk about the value of coming under authority, how ultimately comforting it can be, and he’s absolutely right. When you come under the authority of the church and serve it to the best of your ability, you begin to understand the joy of humility, of allowing yourself to be directed by something or someone other than yourself.

What type of student would you encourage to do Kairos High School? 

I would encourage any student who desires to acquire more responsibility and a better picture of how the church works to apply. However, I would caution any students interested in applying that High School Kairos is still a big commitment, not just of your time, but of your responsibility — if you intend on applying, be ready to follow through. That being said, Kairos is a wonderful opportunity that will challenge you to grow as a leader, a man or woman, and a believer. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it, and you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.

-Andy Golla

Kairos High School is an 8-week summer internship for rising junior and senior high school students.  This internship is designed to introduce students to the core Kairos teachings, including Bible Study methods, leadership principles, theology of work, and the importance of the local church.  By serving in the church, students also learn what it looks like to take ownership and responsibility in their work. The application process for next summer’s Kairos High School will begin in early 2016. For more information, check out whatiskairos.org.