“South Carolina [School of Leadership] will basically teach you everything that college doesn’t.”

 

 

“[SCSL] has been the best experience my daughter has ever had.  She has grown and matured in her walk with the Lord.  I believe this experience will impact the rest of her life as she seeks God's will for her future.  As a mom I expected lots of tears as my first child left home, but after hearing Pastor Darren speak at orientation and feeling all the love at Christian Life Church, I was so confident that my daughter was right where God wanted her to be—there were no tears.“

 

 

“My son recently came home for the summer after attending his first year at South Carolina [School of Leadership] in Columbia, South Carolina. He really struggled with the decision to go to [SCSL].  I knew in my heart it was where he needed to go to be able to get alone with God and receive the healing that was needed.  I felt very strongly that if he didn’t go there, he would have less of a chance at living a godly life.
 
Each time my son came home, holiday after holiday, there was a noted change in his behavior.  He is now so “self aware” of his own behavior.  He is not blame shifting or argumentative or rude.  He is reasonable, respectful and very willing to ask for and receive godly advice from his parents.  He and I just recently were throwing a foam football back and forth to each other in the kitchen while talking (I know the kitchen is not the best place for this!).  He now has so much good godly knowledge to share with my husband and I from all the anointed teaching he has received at [SCSL].  Truly, this heart change (that only God can produce) is an answer to my prayers. 
 
There are just no words available to describe how thankful we are to God and to His chosen servants, Pastor Darren and Mandy Hileman.  The commitment, dedication and vision that they have for these young men and women whom they disciple is beyond comprehension. 

Parents, do whatever you need to do to get your kids there.  Their lives will be changed forever.  They will be positioned to receive God’s favor and blessing!  Our children are our very best investment.”

 

 

“Since we are Southern Baptists, we were a little skeptical about the [SCSL] program. Our son prayed about his decision and said this is what God wanted him to do, so we supported his decision to participate. Once we met Pastor Darren and several others, we felt relieved. In just a few months we saw significant changes in our son. While home for the holidays he was full of energy and totally focused on making a difference with the youth here.

During the first graduation weekend we met most of the [SCSL] students. What a delight. WOW the energy they have for Jesus. A group that will be there for each other no matter what. We felt God's presence at the morning service, graduation ceremony, and also at the banquet. It was amazing how many of the Christian Life congregation came up to us and told us how much they loved and appreciated our son.

If you're not sure whether or not to send your son or daughter to [SCSL]...just go visit Christian Life and meet some of the [SCSL] family. The visit will change your heart forever.

Today with the help of his [SCSL] Family, our son is now prepared and ready to leave and continue to be a Warrior for Christ!”

 

 

“When South Carolina [School of Leadership] arrived at my home church, Christian Life, I was a reluctant parent. I had heard bold claims before. I had heard leaders in churches over promise and under deliver.

I believe young people under achieve because they are under-challenged. PD will lay such a solid foundation of the fundamentals of pure living that these young people will initially struggle, probably question, but will finally embrace these valuable dynamics. If you as parents are confident in how you have raised your children in Christ, then you will find GREAT comfort in knowing that you are simply passing the baton for a lap or two to a very capable coach!

If you have questions, PD will answer them. I personally can attest to you that his door is open and he takes your calls! Many parents have various reasons for reluctance with their young person. My advice is to TRUST. God knows what he is doing through PD! It works – I’ve watched from a distance and up close as my son experienced it.

All of these students are not called to minister in churches across the country. They are called to prepare themselves to be used by God, when called upon, to change the world! They are trained to prepare to serve, follow, lead and develop. They are challenged to prepare to live their faith and defend it passionately. They are prepared to recognize the essential characteristics in a Godly mate and how to develop a relationship in purity. They are prepared to work in any vocational environment in such a way that God is glorified by their life and the lost are convicted from the power of God that lives in them!

If you want your young person to be loved, challenged in their motives, their fundamentals and their life’s preparation, this is likely the most important place to spend this season of their life. This year marked my son for life. The residual marking of his life HAS marked the rest of our family. This program HAS changed our church!”

 

 

“What an awesome experience for me as a parent!! Last August when my daughter was preparing to come, I was a little anxious that she would be so far from home—sending your first born so far away was scary. She was ready to go. She had made friends in January at Experience Weekend and had kept in touch, so she did not feel very apprehensive at all.

When we arrived at the church, the love for the students that Pastor Darren and the other staff showed STILL touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes! What a wonderful church! The spirit of God is so evident there and the love that I felt was so wonderful. It's funny because I always heard how mothers would cry all the way home from just dropping their child off at college—well I felt guilty because I did not feel bad at all about dropping her off—I felt like I was leaving her with family.

I have seen such an outward change in the way my daughter carries herself and the way she responds to us. I know she has grown in her walk in the Lord.”

 

 

“When my daughter decided to pursue an education at [SCSL] last year, her father and I were skeptical, to say the least. She had already completed 2 years of college and had not yet earned her Associate’s degree. I am one of those parents who did everything for her children. I told her that she was on her own with this endeavor, thinking she wouldn’t pursue the matter any further. Well, I was wrong. For the first time I can remember, Lindsay told her father and me she was pursuing her passion and asked for our blessing. Eventually, we grew accustomed to the idea and moved her to South Carolina in August.

This year has been an eye opener for all of us. I have watched my dependent daughter grow even deeper in faith and blossom as an adult. Had I known this earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of self-imposed stress.

When we dropped her off, I felt an immediate sense of peace about her decision. I thank God for this peace. I now realize that our plan for her future was “our” dream, not hers. She has grown in ways she never could have had she followed “our” path for her future.

The biggest difference I have noticed in my daughter is that she is at peace. She has been surrounded by loving Christians who share her passion for following Christ. Her peace is contagious. I believe that Lindsay’s pursuit of peace stemmed from extraordinary experiences in her lifetime. I believe God puts people in our lives for a reason. If we “let go” and “let God” we can begin a journey of peace and joy some people never experience.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the [SCSL] family for all they have done for my daughter. As we continue to grow in Christ, our journey can only get better.”

 

 

“My wife and I had only heard of South Carolina [School of Leadership] three weeks prior to the start of its first year. Although our daughter had already been accepted at a Master's Commission program close to home, she felt God calling her to South Carolina when she heard Pastor Darren speak at a youth camp where she was a counselor.  Because we knew nothing of this school or of Pastor Darren, we had to go on complete faith—our daughter was deciding to go 850 miles away instead of 300, with no family or friends nearby to help her. Well God is always faithful to those who seek Him.  We made several phone calls to PD and Lorraine Soles to get as much info as we could, and both were compassionate and honoring to the concerns we had.

This part of our daughter’s journey recently concluded as she graduated her second year at [SCSL]. God has provided above and beyond what we could imagine for her. He has given her great "mothers and fathers in Christ" through [SCSL]'s home church of Christian Life, with an awesome church staff and leader Pastor Stephen Chitty! The Lord also gave our daughter outstanding loving instructors and mentors that have poured into her, and taught her things that she will always take with her.  Pastor Darren has surrounded himself with like-minded people to share in the same vision he has, setting as well as raising the bar for this generation of Christ-followers.

We have fallen in love with the entire [SCSL] program—so much so, I took five students and their parents to visit [SCSL] during there Experience weekend in January.  Four of the five students were accepted and will be attending the school this fall.  We hope to continue to direct more youth to [SCSL] in the coming years. God is doing a mighty work through this program, and whatever we can to do to support it, we will.”