Students Share Lunch and Join Tradition Mission Focus From The Hallways of Hillcrest

For generations, the hallways of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy have echoed with more than the sounds of classes changing and students talking between periods. Those hallways have also been the starting place of something much bigger: a call to mission. Year after year, students have walked through the doors of Hillcrest to learn, grow, and discover who God created them to be. And just as often, they have walked back out those same doors with a sense that their lives are meant for something beyond themselves. Hillcrest has never simply been about preparing students for college or careers. It has been about preparing them to join Jesus in His mission to the world.

That spirit was on display recently during a lunchtime gathering at Hillcrest. Instead of rushing through the cafeteria line and heading off to their next class, a group of students gathered to talk about missions and calling with guest missionary Dave Narvesen from the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. The conversation touched on a question that many young people hear in today’s culture: Is mission work even appropriate? Some critics argue that sharing the Gospel with people in other cultures can be seen as imposing beliefs or suggesting one culture is superior to another.

Dave met that question head-on. As the students listened attentively, he explained that Christian mission is not about exporting culture or forcing practices on others. It is about sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. The heart of mission work is not a list of moral rules or cultural expectations. It is the good news that God loves the world and sent His Son to redeem it.

Dave pointed the students to the examples of the apostles Paul and Peter, who carried the Gospel far beyond their own communities. Their mission was not driven by cultural pride but by obedience to Christ’s command to “make disciples of all nations.” At the same time, Dave emphasized something equally important: the way believers share their faith matters. Scripture calls Christians to speak the truth “with gentleness and respect.” Mission is not about winning arguments. It is about loving people enough to share the hope that has changed our own lives.

As the lunch conversation came to a close, each student and teacher shared a takeaway from the discussion. Some spoke about courage, the courage to speak about faith in a world that can sometimes push back against it. Others reflected on the reminder that every believer has a role to play in God’s mission, whether that mission unfolds across the ocean or across the street. By the time the group headed off to their afternoon classes, there was a sense of renewed clarity. The call to mission is not reserved for a select few. It is part of every Christian's life.

Moments like this reflect something deeply rooted in Hillcrest’s identity. The school has long believed that young people should not simply learn about faith as an abstract idea. They should see what it means to live it. That means introducing students to missionaries. It means telling stories of alumni who have followed God’s call to distant places. It means asking students to wrestle with big questions about purpose, vocation, and service. Most importantly, it means helping students understand that the story of the Gospel did not end in the pages of the New Testament. Jesus’ mission continues today, and He invites His followers, young and old alike, to participate.

For some Hillcrest students, that invitation will lead them across continents. For others, it will lead them into local churches, classrooms, neighborhoods, and workplaces where they can reflect Christ in everyday life. But every calling begins the same way: with the realization that our lives are best lived in relationship with Jesus and relationship with each other. That realization has been forming in the hallways of Hillcrest for generations. And as students gather for conversations like the recent lunch with Dave Narvesen, it is clear that the tradition continues.