Light Unto My Path
Panthers For Christ club makes impactful appearance
Math teacher and cheer coach Jeffery Dean leads the Panthers For Christ club in a time to learn about God and connect with peers. The group meets every Wednesday morning in the athletic conference room and encourages interested students to stop by. “Our goal is to grow fellowship here at Klein Oak so students are able to stay true to their faith in an environment outside of the church,” senior member Devin Summers said.
Students and staff rush to school before the sun even rises, gathering around the flag pole for a special event.
After disappearing for a few years, the Panthers For Christ club has returned stronger than ever before, making its debut at See You at the Pole.
“The purpose of See You at the Pole was to come together as students and pray for fellow students, our teachers, mental health, home lives, and many other things,” senior Sam Dinslage said.
For National Day of Student Prayer on Sept. 28, the Panthers For Christ group assembled around the pole for a time of prayer and to connect peers together.
“The main reason I love it is that we all get to be there for each other and pray for everyone in the school as a community,” Dinslage said. “I actually met one of my best friends, Jared, at See You at the Pole.”
The event was able to be hosted because of senior Devin Summers who saw that Panthers For Christ no longer operated at school and decided to bring it back this year.
“I’ve always wondered why I never heard about Panthers For Christ at Oak because I always attended Knights For Christ while I went to Krimmel Intermediate,” Summers said. “Once I heard it was a pre-existing club, I was sad that I wasn’t able to join sooner. Since it’s my senior year, I figured this was my only chance to help advertise and grow a bigger community at Oak.”
The members of the group prefer to call themselves a Life Group because it gives students a safe environment to discuss their beliefs.
“It’s a place where students can talk, support, and connect with each other through the word of God,” Summers said. “We plan to change our meetings around weekly between small groups and sermons, so we can experience the work of God in different ways.”
During meetings, a speaker steps up to teach a new lesson and sometimes guest pastors make an appearance.
“We have a speaker preach a message to us that the members of Panthers For Christ requested a lesson on,” freshman Olivia Hebert said. “Some weeks we even have pastors from one of our youth churches speak.”
Meetings occur every Wednesday morning at 6:40 in the athletic conference room and anyone who is interested is freely welcome. Having this awesome dose of positivity every week sure does make a difference in your life. — Devin Summers
“There are no fees or permission slips needed, just your amazing presence. And if you can’t make it every week, that is completely okay,” Summers said. “This club is for you to listen to God and focus on what you need in order to grow your faith.”
The first meeting consisted of 42 people and the club is now up to 65 members, gaining even more from See You at the Pole.
“We’ve already had to change location to the athletic meeting room because of our large number of attendees,” Summers said. “As we continue to meet, our atmosphere grows more comfortable each time, giving students the chance to meet new people every week.”
The sponsor of the club is math teacher and cheer coach Jeffery Dean who assisted Summers in starting the club.
“The club is very important to me since I led it as a student when I was at Klein Oak. However, I did not have a sponsor who put effort into it or helped me with it,” Dean said. “Now on the other side of things, I want to be the teacher who cares and puts effort into the club and connecting with the students.”
Panthers For Christ encourages students to get involved in the ministry while interacting with other believers.
“The purpose of the club is strengthening the members’ connection with Christ while also teaching them how to share Christ with others,” Dean said. “In the club, we do a different Bible study each week geared towards the students’ lives.”
Panthers For Christ opens the door to anyone who is interested in taking part in the interactive club because there is something new for everyone to learn.
“Panthers For Christ is something I’m really passionate about, being a student who is interested in pursuing ministry in the future. I know this club is allowing me to take a huge step in my faith, and I know it can allow everyone else to do the same,” Summers said. “Fellowship is not just found in a church and having this awesome dose of positivity every week sure does make a difference in your life.”
