Location

Southside Bible Chapel, 4256 W Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70506

An Average Day —

When Christians spend time together in a program like the Galilee Program, teaching and learning is a two-way street: younger Christians learning from older ones; older Christians learning from younger ones. Paul speaks of this type of interaction, writing, "For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine" (Romans 1:11-12).

WHAT IS GALILEE LIKE?

It's wonderful. Our goal as Christians is to become like Christ and to live as He did to the glory of the Father. One of the primary ways by which the Holy Spirit accomplishes this in our lives is through discipleship. He uses those further along in the Christian life to nurture and instruct those who are younger in the faith. Such spiritual growth takes place naturally in a process of life-transference. It occurs during training in programs such as the Galilee Program as we spend time together, not just studying in a classroom, but eating meals together, going out to preach the gospel, dealing with problems that arise, praying together, serving one another, sharing blessings and sorrows, and talking late into the night. As is often said, the Christian life is more often caught than taught. That is why we will be spending a lot of time together, studying the Scriptures and serving the Lord. It is why the Lord Jesus called disciples and spent some three and a half years with them. The Bible teaches, "He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him" (Mark 3:14).

The Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to have a sense of urgency about their work for God. He taught, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work" (John 9:4). With this in mind, we want to pack as many training experiences as possible into the Galilee Program program. Because of this, an average day at the Galilee Program can be a bit hard to predict; and although there is a core set of material being taught, varying events, schedules, and circumstances require slight adjustments from year to year. The following is a brief summary of an average day

Here's how it breaks down …

*Disclaimer: please note this changes from year to year and is constantly being refined.

• MORNINGS   Each day starts with wake-up and personal devotions at 7:00 am, with a formal breakfast together at 8:00 am in the dining room. Group worship, devotions, and prayer begin at 9:00 a.m. After this, the major block of classes begins, typically taking three hours.
• FIRST PERIOD  During the first two hours, interns will learn inductive Bible study methods and apply them to the Book of Philippians. These include techniques for outlining a book of the Bible, finding its theme and purpose, identifying the independent clauses, labeling the functions of prepositions and conjunctions, writing a condensed paraphrase of the book, and much more. During the third hour, instructors will present nine keys to understanding the Bible. These include the importance of context, the historical-grammatical interpretation of Scripture, the differences between Israel and the church, and the dispensations of Scripture.
• SECOND PERIOD In the afternoon, men and women will meet separately for ministry skills classes. Here, interns will learn principles of ministering to others in various settings. These classes vary from year to year, but are typically comprised of public speaking exercises, pastoral tools, and critical thinking skills. These sessions will be followed by mentoring groups.
• THIRD PERIOD   In mentor groups, students will meet in small groups with an intern staff leader. Here interns will go through a syllabus titled "Disciplines of the Christian Life" written by Jim McCarthy. It presents basic skills for the Christian life, including how to pray, memorize Scripture, meet with God each day, serve God through the local church, grow in character, and reach out to others with the gospel.
• EVANGELISM   Evangelism is an important part of the training and spiritual experience of the Galilee Program. We will be reaching out to the community – both formally and informally – inviting people to join us for recreation on Friday nights and the teaching of God's Word on Sunday mornings. There will be several class sessions dedicated to training and preparing for these outreaches.
• FREE TIME   Free time is when interns can set their own priorities and take care of personal responsibilities. Approximately fifteen hours each week will be needed for homework assignments. Interns can also use free time to relax, engage in group recreation, fellowship with one another, tour Lafayette and the region, go shopping, and take care of personal needs such as laundry. Some free time will be needed for service teams through which interns will help with the operational side of the program, doing things such as cooking, serving, and cleaning. And so, free time during the Galilee Program is not truly free, it is just less structured than other times. Weekends also allow for large blocks of free time, but much of this time is typically used for group outings, events, and outreaches.
• EVENING HOUR    Evenings are most commonly spent in what we call "P&I's", or praise-and-inspiration. After a long day of mental, spiritual, and emotional exercise, we set aside time just before bed to enjoy simple times of worship, singing, and personal testimony. In years past, we have spent this time in collective worship and hearing seasoned brothers from across the world call in to briefly share their most sincere passions. This time is meant to be a "change of gears" from the intensity of the day, and allow the interns to spiritually rest, refocus, and refuel.