School Club Participation is up: brings grace close

Student involvement at Grace is at an all-time high this year. Key Club, Business Club, and FCA are each helping to foster the idea of giving back this Christmas season.
Sponsor Derrick Kinney has put forth a challenge to his Business Club this year for the third year in a row. He hands out a crisp twenty-dollar bill to each member to give away.
“It’s important to teach the next generation the importance of giving,” said Kinney. “Giving $20 to a student is a small investment in their future. Small lessons learned today can have a big impact down the road.”
Participants are encouraged to bless others in need with the generous gift in a way of their choosing. Some will fail to give it away, but if they accept the challenge, what students can learn from this compassion is amazing.
“I was able to take the money and multiply it by buying necessities for underprivileged people,” said Sophomore and two-year Business Club Member Allison Ray. “I wanted to make the gift go farther than just the money. Every year, the challenge encourages me to give above and beyond.”
Started in 2011 by former student Jared Steele and Grace Prep parent Derrick Kinney, the GPA Business Club has grown bigger every year.
Members learn great tactics to implement in the business world as well as everyday life, such as how to make a great first impression when meeting someone for the first time.
Kinney is regularly interviewed in local media and on CNBC, FOX Business, FOX, Money, CNN, Bloomberg as well as being quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
“Mr. Kinney’s knowledge and experience in the business world has helped me improve my communication skills. I always look forward to Business Club,” said Senior Jacob Shipley.

He uses his expertise in the business world to teach students valuable skills to have in daily life, regardless of what profession they plan on studying in the future.
“Our Business Club represents the best and brightest students at Grace Prep,” stated Kinney. “I believe God will do great things through this group.”
Business Club meets once a month during lunch in room 204 on the second Wednesday of every month.
Key Club is also expanding. The club has 50 plus members this year, 1/3 bigger than last year.
The club recently partnered with the Hands and Feet Ministry started by Senior Madi Nguyen, which was a challenge to donate and deliver food to Mission Arlington for Thanksgiving. Each grade battled against each other to bring the most canned food items to compete for a free spirit-wear day.
Key Club members gathered in the auditorium after school on a Monday night to count and organize the food. Eighth grade and the seniors collected the most food, but altogether the school donated 1,286 items!
“It was cool to watch all of high school come together to collect and organize food,” said Senior Ashley Ray.

Key Club also rang bells at a local Walmart this Christmas for The Salvation Army. Members signed up for two hour shifts with friends, making this event a fun time investing in the community and building friendships with classmates! Some dressed up and sang Christmas carols to people as they walked into the local Wal-Mart. Juniors Jay Sedwick and Caleb Dean brought their guitars and even came up with a “Thank You” song to sing to shoppers when they donated.
“I was amazed at people’s generosity,” said Junior McKayla Craig. “A little girl came up to donate, and then an elderly man came up right after her. He said ‘That little girl inspired me to give.’ It just proved the point that younger people can make an impact, even big enough to inspire others to give.”

The most anticipated event, Beautiful Feet Ministries’s gift-give-away, caroling and hayride, is a student favorite tradition here. Students collect gifts from toys and bicycles to blankets for two weeks, then gather on December 11th to give them away in a Fort Worth neighborhood door-to-door. They are encouraged to pray over the people that receive the gifts. After the gift give-away, students gather back at the Beautiful Feet mission to host a worship service and serve dinner to the community there.
This year, students have to sign up quickly because space is limited and participants have to be members of either NHS or Key Club to attend.
Key Club meets the first Monday of every month.
FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) is making a comeback this year. As Coach Proctor said earlier in the evening, “FCA’s not dead, it’s just on life support.”
And for the first meeting, many might say FCA is back to life.
Started in 1954, FCA encourages athletes around the world to use their talent to impact the world for Jesus.
Last month, about 50 students and several parents tried to do just that. They packed in the Sedwick’s pool house November 9th for a special night of worship and prayer.
“The worship was so powerful,” said Junior Maggie Bullington. “We sang louder than we ever have at Revolution of Grace.”
Worship leader Junior Jay Sedwick even noticed and joked about how everyone sounded much better than at school when they sang.
Students gathered in small groups of three to six to pray for healing and restoration for the tragedies that have happened at Grace just this year, and for a spiritual revival on our campus.
The evening ended with the baptisms of two of our very own students- Juniors Chase Cochran and Delaney McLachlan. Students surrounded the pool, cheering and clapping loudly for their fellow classmates. “It was cool to see Chase get baptized and see his courage and commitment to Christ,” said Senior Reese Machen.
To witness baptisms through a school event is grace at its best. FCA plans to continue meeting once a month at the Sedwick’s house