Spreading Christianity: Students lead an event through How to Life to spread the word of God in the community

How to Life, a student-led Christian organization, is hosting their annual event on Nov. 7 outside of Leawood Presbyterian Church. 

The event will consist of three separate activities — guest speakers giving testimonies about their experiences with God, playing games such as ‘name the Disney movie’ or backwards charades and a Q&A panel with seven Christians from the community. All students are invited to participate in exploring their faith during the event, that estimates an expected turnout of 100-200 people.

Junior Sadie McDonald, has been involved with the church for 16 years and is helping organize the event. According to McDonald, the goal is to teach people what it means to be a Christian, no matter how religious they are. 

The theme of the event is ‘revival’, representing how Christ makes all things new and sins are nothing compared to who He is, according to McDonald. From betrayal to lying, everyone always has a second chance with God, says McDonald. 

“You can be a perfect angel or you can be the craziest person out there and He’ll love you no matter what,” McDonald said. “I hope this event conveys that.”

To plan the event, 50 students from schools around the Kansas City area met once a week to talk about fundraising events, games, prizes and organizing the speakers. With 15 meetings and around 50 hours of planning, the committee is just a short dress rehearsal away from being ready. 

To raise money, How to Life did a car wash and a picture day, where they took pictures as a team. These events also happened at Leawood Presbyterian Church, raising around $1,700 dollars. 

“It’s a pretty big event and it would be hard to just throw together,” junior Sydney Beck, who also joined the organization, said. “We needed the money for decorations and food, so the meetings have been helpful for planning everything out.”

For McDonald, How to Life has helped her find a community. Joining the team with two of her friends, McDonald instantly felt the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the group when she walked into the first meeting. 

“I’m pretty outspoken in my religion and it’s hard to find other people like that going to East,” McDonald said. “That’s always been a struggle of mine and I’ve always felt pretty alone. With How to Life, it’s shown me that East isn’t the end. There’s a bigger community outside of that.”

Having that newfound community has helped McDonald find people who will hold her accountable, and who share the same experiences and values. McDonald feels that it’s exposed her to people who she can relate to in a completely different way, and she hopes the event will bring others the same sense of community.   

Being around people so connected with God has both inspired and encouraged McDonald to grow stronger in her faith. 

“The community at How to Life is on a different level,” McDonald said. “They make me want to become better because of how strong their relationships with God are. I hope that the people coming to the event want to build a relationship with God if they didn’t have one before.”

The target of the event is the nonbelievers, according to Beck. Beck hopes to show people how good God can be by explaining how much He has affected her life, along with the other team members. 

“I think that nowadays people are turned away from Christianity because of the misperceptions,” Beck said. “I’m hoping that people will be opened up to the truth and realize that they can be loved in this community.”