"Look up here. I have something important to say to you!" began Druva Highfill, a seventh-grade young man from Mauna Loa Adventist School. He was one of seven students who preached Oct. 9 at the Hilo Adventist church.

All 33 students, grades one through eight, joined the seven preachers to host the entire church service at the request of Hilo Pastor Roger Cain. He and Mauna Loa Principal Allen Lipps has just returned, inspired, from the Hawaii Conference workers’ meetings, which had concluded with a renewed conference-wide emphasis on child evangelism. As a result, Lipps agreed to have the students put together a program.

Each student spoke for a few minutes about what they could do to open the eyes of their hearts — the theme of the service — and what they thought the adults could do.

After Aja Yamada (grade 4), Bryce Weber (grade 2), Malio Kaetsu (grade 3) and Casey Costa (grade 1) read part of Psalm 8 in a Reader's Theater format, Sterling Cornwell (grade 4), Celina Ferro (grade 3), Ansel Weber (grade 4) and Puanani Nakamura-Jones (grade 3) preached their own sermons.

The fifth through eight-graders were involved in the last part of the service. Seventh-grader William Farr captivated his young audience by telling a parable for the children's story.

Fellow seventh-graders Druva Highfill, Angelique Thompson and Meilynn Taugaiasi took turns delivering their own sermons. Highfill, having never attended the Adventist church before, delivered a starkly simple sermon on the story of Abraham by having members of the congregation stand up and read the story out of Genesis 22. He concluded with the simple but profound statement, "Have faith in God."

Thompson told Lipps just before the service that she had lost her notes that she had prepared the previous day. When he asked her what she was going to do, she replied, "I'll just give it from the heart."

Taugaiasi concluded the student sermons by delivering a very powerful message on how she thinks adults can see God just as well as children can if they would simply stop trying to argue about things so much. Met with a hearty "Amen," the students were thrilled to know that they and contributed to their church and the adults had listened.

The school's hand bell and chime choirs were both on hand to perform. The director, Kevin Cornwell, was surprised by a gift of a black velvet table covering with the words "Mauna Loa School Hand Bell Choir" embroidered in yellow by one of the church members.

The service concluded with the testimony of Denise Kenoi, the mother of David, an eighth-grader. Lipps had asked her the week before to give her testimony as to why she sent David to Mauna Loa School even though she is not a member of the Adventist church.

She spoke about the dedication of the teachers and encouraged everyone to listen to the students, whom she said were not the disciples of tomorrow, but the disciples of the present. People said her exhortation lit a fire under their feet and was exactly what they needed.