Poll all seniors in high school about their definition of summer fun, and spending three weeks in deep theological study and performing manual labor would not be a popular answer. However, year after year approximately 30 students, fully aware of what they are getting themselves into, excitedly sign up and report to the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa., for the program known as TFY (Theological Foundations for Youth).

How much do you really know about the TFY program? Beginning with a picnic at 6 p.m., followed by a visit to Mt. Washington, students begin their first week on campus in classroom study under seminary professors, supplemented by visits to different areas of Pittsburgh. During the second week, students are assigned to small groups and sent to various RP churches to assist pastors with door-to-door and street evangelism, service projects, and vacation Bible schools. Students are supervised by pastors and seminary graduates and their wives. For the third week, the young people return to the seminary for more training with professors. 

TFY began in 1999, when the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary determined to participate in a program funded by a foundation grant, designed to encourage young people to connect to theological seminaries. In our case, the seminary sought to see youth in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America connect with and be encouraged by their church leaders through service, join like minded peers in exploring a desire to gain further insights into the Bible through seminary training, and become active adult church members. Some will later become seminary students and then pastors.

At the end of their three weeks, students are asked to fill out a five-page questionnaire with their opinions about their time at TFY. Below, you will find an assortment of these questions along with student responses.

What personal changes and application do you plan to make after participating in TFY?

Ethan Mathews (Columbus, Ind., RPC): 1) To teach on love and evangelism in our young men’s Bible study; 2) Uphold my sisters in our congregation and encourage them to pursue what is “lovely, pure, etc.” 3) Strive even greater to worship God as He desires; and 4) To die to myself.

Connor McCracken (First [Fresno, Calif.] RPC): I plan to go back to normal life better prepared to share the gospel with those who are lost. I also am going to change the way I look at Sundays—I used to be rather loose with the Lord’s Day, but I now realize that it is not something to take lightly; it is a serious matter.

Melanie Sturm (Southside, Indianapolis, Ind., RPC): I am so hungry to study theology more! I want, and really look forward to, reading more specifically about apologetics, the emergent church, hermeneutics, covenant theology, and church history. David Whitla’s quiz for finding proof texts made me want to read my Bible more than ever, and I really mean that!

Danielle Fisher (Enid Reformed Church, Stillwater, Okla.): Umm…Everything? Seriously though. I want to take everything I have learned here about theology, people, and the church—everything—and live it out! I think especially in evangelizing others. I want people to see the hope that is in me and I want to be ready to answer why it is there. I believe that TFY has really helped answer a lot of questions for me.

Noah Elder (Southside Indianapolis, Ind., RPC): More Bible ready. Also, a greater seriousness with regards to the interactions of myself and others in important conversations—not to avoid them, but to initiate them.

Describe the value to you of your second week in the congregation in light of the whole program.

Sidney Camery (Sycamore [Kokomo, Ind.] RPC.): The worth and value of my week at Eastvale is priceless! Pastor Micah Ramsey was so interested not only in finding out about our personalities, but our spiritual health as well. He is one of the most godly men I know, and he and his family’s faithfulness to the church was one of the most encouraging things I have ever witnessed.

Stephen Koch (Westminster [Chicago, Ill.] RPC): I got to see that the body of Christ and Christ’s kingdom is bigger than my church, which was amazing!

What adjectives would you use to describe this program?

Keith Backensto (First [Beaver Falls, Pa.] RPC): Encouraging, challenging, amazing, and exhausting.

What was the highlight of your entire three-week TFY experience?

Emory York (Sycamore [Kokomo, Ind.] RPC): Being with other young Christians and building relationships with them because of our mutual desire to grow in Christ. Emily Baker (Southside Indianapolis, Ind., RPC): Singing psalms with people who love them is truly wonderful, and I got to do a lot of that over these weeks!

Would you recommend this program to other high school students in the future? Why?

Michaela Williams (Providence [Pittsburgh, Pa.] RPC): I would recommend this program to high school students in the future who are really serious about digging down deep into doctrine and are willing to learn and accept correction humbly. Although very rigorous, this program truly does lay a groundwork for theology, especially world view. A lot of questions I had about RP distinctives have been answered. I also feel like I have a stronger grasp on biblical concepts that I will be able to explain to others.

Caleb McCracken (Columbus, Ind., RPC): Absolutely. I have grown to love the Reformed Presbyterian Church more and more through this program. It is fantastic to have this intensive time to throw things into perspective.

That is what the students have to say, but what about the numerous pastors who give of their valuable time to make this program successful, What do they have to say?

Pastor Martin Blocki (North Hills, [Pittsburgh, Pa.] RPC), wrote: “We have consciously sought to make the middle week as productive as possible. The students are not on vacation, so we create a full schedule that hopefully has an appropriate balance of activities as well as some fun! Our goals for the week include: 1) Providing opportunities to grow in their concern for the lost. This includes, but is not limited to, workshops and door-to-door evangelism. 2) Developing their love for God’s people (the church), and growing in their desire to serve the church. This includes service projects, involvement with vacation Bible school, visitation at the RP Home, a daily meal with a different member of the congregation, and a combined activity with the youth group. (The meals in the homes of our members also serve the purpose of exposing our own members to the broader RP Church.). 3) Developing an appreciation of the work of the pastor. Finally, we hope to provide opportunities for them to ask their own questions about issues or struggles they have with the church’s doctrines or with the Christian faith in general. Hopefully, they leave with questions answered and their faith built up!”

Shawn Anderson (Intern at First [Beaver Falls, Pa.] RPC), wrote: While I was serving as an intern this summer at First RPC, Beaver Falls, I had the privilege, one of those weeks, to work with some of the young people who participated in the TFY program. We had a week full of serving the local church. At the church, we power-washed and stained two handicap-accessible ramps, and peeled and painted one of the rooms in the manse. We were also able to help out members with a few home projects. We assisted the evening VBS program by putting on a full production of “Gold Rush” and taught some of the classes. In the midst of this, we spent time walking through the Old Testament, taking an up-close look at the angel of the Lord—compliments of David Murray’s Cross Reference series—which left us all wanting to read our Bibles more!

“Not wanting to leave you with the impression that we were all about work, we also had a couple evenings of swimming, a pizza party, a visit to Orams Doughnuts, a refreshing afternoon at Micah Ramsey’s uncle’s lake, and the very surprising highlight of the fun events, a trip to Wal-Mart. I was very impressed by the maturity of these young people and their willingness to serve, no matter the task. They represented their families and congregations well. They were a clear sign of the grace of Christ blessing our young people. May the Lord continue to work in the lives of our young adults, and may they continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, for His glory and the good of His Church!”

Brad Johnston (Topeka, Kan., RPC), wrote: “A few weeks ago, I had breakfast with a student leader who took long, thirsty slurps of truth at the TFY program in Pittsburgh, Pa. My own heart was stirred as this young man (who was sent into this adventure by our session) spoke of ‘understanding the whys’ of the Christian life and seeing the church as a ‘witnessing institution.’

“In this theological boot camp, teenagers dug hard into seminary-level material for their first week. They plunged into St. Augustine’s Confessions and carefully scoured J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. They sat for many hours under the instruction of pastors and seminary professors. They discussed how the regulative principle of worship is the logical extension of Sola Scriptura and wrestled with the implications of the mediatorial kingship of Jesus Christ.

“But TFY is not only about propositional truth. This ministry is dedicated to ‘equipping young people for a life of ministry to Christ in the RP church by providing…practical ministry experiences and an increased awareness of opportunities to serve Christ within the RPCNA.’

“This meant the students had an active itinerary in local congregations their second week laboring in diaconal work and vacation Bible schools. They visited several RPCNA institutions where communities of people are actively serving Jesus Christ. They experienced the entire adventure together, and are now part of a growing community of TFY alumni.”

Pastor Micah Ramsey (Eastvale, Pa., RPC) wrote: “A few years ago, in our ministry to the Eastvale community, we found ourselves in need of raw manpower. Honestly, that was our original motivation for taking part in the TFY program. Now, each year, we look forward to sharing our lives with young brothers and sisters from around the country. We have maintained friendships with most of our past TFY students, and now a few of them are worshiping among us as adults.”

If you have questions about the Theological Foundations for Youth program, please contact Mark Sampson at msampson@rpts.edu.

—Bethany Hardwig is a marketing specialist at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa. A seminary feature appears seminannually in the Witness.