This year at Las Vegas Junior Academy the ninth- and 10th-graders are making an effort to participate in their community and improve their leadership skills by taking charge of the worship service at one of the local Adventist churches each month.

During a typical service, a student opens with prayer, asking God to be with them and to direct the worship. After prayer, several students lead the congregation in singing hymns. On one occasion, students played Christmas songs on their guitars.

They then read Scriptures, tell children's stories, or even perform skits tailor-made to fit the sermon topic. For example, at one church, the students performed their own modern-day version of the story of Job. Instead of Job, it was Joy, a teenage girl who loses her dog and gets her car stolen. As a result, all of her friends don't really seem to be her friends anymore. But her faith in God remains strong. Following the skit, the students in the ninth and 10th grade handbell choir perform a combination of traditional hymns, including old favorites such as, "Come Thou Fount" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

"The bell choir has done an excellent job and the sermons are great," says Sandra Depner, second grade teacher. "It's great to have the students doing the whole service.”

Then three students who have worked with a pastor for two or three weeks, present their sermons. The sermons focus on one subject, such as “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.”

These special Sabbaths have brought attention to the school. People who hardly knew it existed now are curious about it. Classmates of the “preachers” respond with typically understated compliments: “Pretty good,” or, “They work hard.”"This is the nicest sounding bell choir I've ever heard," insists Lesia Buller, third grade teacher. "I really enjoy the three sermons and how each student gives a little bit of their personality."