We recommend creating a folder on your desktop labeled, “Anchors Movie Clips” or something similar so that you can easily organize and locate your saved clips. Below each movie clip, you will see “Click Here To Download”. To download a clip, click on the link. This will take you to the video on our Vimeo site. Below the video on our Vimeo site, you will see a “Download” button. After you click “Download”, a number of file options pop up below. Right click on whichever format you’d like to download and then “Save Target As”, “Save Linked File As”, or “Save As” (depending on what kind of computer you’re using). Rename the file for easy identification and save it in your movie clip folder.

Any student, believer or nonbeliever in Jesus Christ, who wants to learn and/or grow in their faith would benefit from the Anchorsaway experience. This is NOT a debate class, so students who wish to debate need to invite the teacher to have those discussions outside of class time.

It is important to contact and secure Christian students who are leaders and whose walk is reflective of the Christian worldview. One or two per school are all that are needed. They can supply names of friends who then can invite their friends to class.

Youth ministers, school volunteers, para-church leaders and students are essential resources to secure the names of students. A student who is in a school club or on a school team can hand out invitations as well. For example, a small group leader’s son may play on a football team and be able to give fliers to the other players on his team. Students younger than a junior should not be invited to class.

College students are invited to attend at any time. Some want to come just for the teaching session, which is permissible.

Most invitations (with some exceptions) should be handed out by students themselves. It should be a student-driven process as much as possible. Select one or two students from several high schools, a few weeks before the other students hear about Anchorsaway, and put them in charge of handing out the invitation fliers in their respective schools. Ask them to call you and let you know how many students they think will be attending.

The junior and senior students should give their small group leaders names of sophomores and juniors that they would like to invite for the following year. The small group leaders are assigned to a school in the area in which they are familiar. They will make contact with a student who is a Christian leader in that school. If the student is anxious to participate in the Anchorsaway program, they will be asked to contact prospective students from a list prepared by the program administrator. These students will also be asked to invite their peers.

The initial meeting should be scheduled by the administrator to include the teaching leader/facilitator, small group leaders and others interested in the ministry. This should begin several months before January. The focus of the early meetings should be on getting acquainted and making decisions about which elective lessons will be taught. This is also the time to gather names of Christians who are active in the schools, leaders in the community, or key persons. These are the people who will be instrumental in supporting the program and/or in suggesting names of students and small group leaders who might be interested in becoming involved in such a program. (The administrator should follow up on the names that are suggested.)

Once the team is secured, another meeting should be scheduled with the team (teaching leader/facilitator and small group leaders) so that the names of prospective students can be gathered.

The Administrator should host an informal time for the teacher/facilitator, assistant teacher and the small group leaders to get to know one another, such as a dessert fellowship. At that time, the upcoming schedule will be presented, along with a discussion of what makes an effective small group leader. About two to three weeks before the first Anchorsaway classes begin, invitations (template can be found under “Extras” on the teacher’s website) need to be sent through the mail, and hand delivered by a student representative to prospective participants in each high school.

Anchorsaway was created as a bridge from high school and the youth group experience, to college or the marketplace. For this reason, we strongly recommend the meeting NOT be held at a church, church building, or at a school. Feedback tells us that the most enjoyable place for the student to meet is in a home. Other groups have successfully met in office buildings, barns, theaters, club houses, coffee houses, and even around a camp fire. Your choice of location is dependent upon your own personal circumstances and the personality of your group. If given the choice, a home is strongly recommended.

No matter where Anchorsaway is taught, the venue should be an inviting and safe environment. If possible, provide something for the students to drink and snacks for them to eat. Mothers are often more than happy to bake cookies or supply other snacks. It should be a place with an atmosphere of hospitality.

We strongly recommend that Anchorsaway be taught in the second semester of the junior and senior year of high school. By that time, for the seniors, the newness of being in their last year of high school has worn off, and their minds are turned toward their future.

Meeting times can vary according to what works in your community. We recommend a 2 ½ hour time block per week, realizing that the students tend to stay around for some social interaction at the conclusion of their small group time. The day and the time is dependent on your individual situation. We recommend Tuesday or Thursday evenings because it typically does not conflict with youth groups or holiday weekends.

The Anchorsaway Worldview Handbook was designed to become a resource when questions about the Christian faith are asked of the student in the future. It contains notes, charts, and outlines of the key content from the lectures. T. M. Moore, a Pastor and writer, has written devotions for the students found at the end of each lesson. These devotions are thought provoking and extremely valuable in helping the student process what was learned in class. Many of our former students have used the notes to teach Bible studies in their dorms, to write research papers, and to revisit the Truths for personal refreshment. Students can add information they have gathered from outside sources into their books, and use it to file notes related to the topics, which is a true sign of ownership!

If a student initiates Anchorsaway to be taught before or after school, it can be taught by people who are not employed by the school district.

School employees who want to be part of the Anchorsaway experience are advised to meet off school property to avoid legal conflicts over the establishment of religion issues, even though federal law does allow religiously affiliated groups to meet on school property.

You will have to check with your school to see what the rules are pertaining to this issue. However, it is not recommended that Anchorsaway be taught in a school setting, so this should not be an issue. A home is ideal.

The reason for teaching this class in a home is so that it can be opened up to the community. This is the bedrock of the program. When a class takes place in a community, multiple churches can come together and help with teachers, small group leaders and most importantly those who are juniors and seniors in high school and college students. We have found that many students are less willing to open up in a church setting with pastors, youth pastors and parents around. Also this can be a time for Christian students to invite their non-believing friends in the community who would be unwilling to step into a church. We have found that seekers are very interested in Anchorsaway, which is one reason why the last night of the program can, if you choose, include baptisms for those who have accepted Christ during the class or who want to rededicate their lives to Christ.

Anchorsaway is targeted to juniors and seniors in high school and college students because they are preparing to step out of the safety and protection of their homes and youth groups into a hostile environment. They tend to be more serious about learning this information. The curriculum was written on a college level so it would be difficult for the younger students to understand the concepts of the Christian worldview taught in this way. This class is designed to prepare the students on how to respond to professors and others they’ll meet on their life’s journey. It points toward the pressure that they will face to give in to other worldviews presented to them on their campuses, in the workplace or the mission field. We do have curriculum for younger students that can be purchased in our website store.

Anchorsaway is a great curriculum to use with homeschool students. We recommend several homeschool students go through this together as well as mixing in public and private school students. This is particularly effective in teaching the homeschool students not only what the world thinks, but also gives them time to interact with those who might think differently on issues. We have written a curriculum especially for homeschool students. Students can receive credit for working through the curriculum. You must be a trained teacher to be able to purchase both the Anchorsaway Teacher Curriculum and the homeschool curriculum.