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Philia began about four years ago when some Christian students at Redmond High decided that hanging out at church once or twice a week wasn't enough to develop the kind of encouraging friendships they wanted. They figured there had to be other students at school who were interested in growing in their faith. If they could just connect with them, it might mean building deeper relationships, the kind Paul talked about in Romans 12, when he said, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love."

Phone calls were made. Fliers were sent out. And pretty soon Philia, which means "brotherly love," started meeting weekly on Tuesday nights at a student's house—to sing, pray and study the Bible. While united in purpose, the students came with different beliefs, worship styles, and church backgrounds—Presbyterian, Methodist, non-denominational, charismatic, Catholic.

A lot of conversations and many lessons later, students say Philia has made a big impact on their lives.

Senior John Mitchell got involved with Philia as a sophomore and says it's been huge in his growth as a Christian. "When I came into the group, there were older, more mature Christians—mostly juniors and seniors—who really explored deeper topics and challenged me to think through my faith. That got me interested and involved. Then eventually I started teaching, too."

But it's not just the Tuesday night meetings that strengthen people like John. Spending time together throughout the week helps create the kind of accountability that members want. "A lot of us eat lunch together every day," says senior Joelle Hathaway. "It's really a support to have friends you can talk to and tell you're having a bad day."

It also helps to have friends remind you of truth, of what's really important. Junior Kelsey Mays says that's really what Philia is all about. "We want to help each other stay focused on God in our day-to-day lives. Since we go to the same school, we can really pull together and do that."

To find out more about Philia, e-mail them at philiast@hotmail.com

Karen: My mom passed away last year, and it was really hard to deal with. I felt desperate for help, and I came to Philia. I saw people singing and worshiping and was like, "Whoa, they have something I've never had before." That's when I totally knew I needed what they had.

Mark Johnson: When I start getting stressed and forget about God, my friends in Philia remind me to think about ways to grow in my relationship with God. I think you need a constant reminder to actually grow in your faith because it's easy to get caught up in other things—like grades, social stuff, buying clothes, looking good, stuff like that—you just need to be constantly reminded.

Elizabeth: Being a part of Philia has made me more open-minded because we're all from different backgrounds. Some are Methodist, some Presbyterian, some charismatic—lots of different denominations. Being around them and experiencing different ways to worship has taught me how to learn from God in different ways. I think it makes being a Christian so much more fun and fulfilling.

John: Dave and I have a lot of fun together, and we try to keep each other in check. Just last night he was asking me how everything's going, what I'm struggling with, and what's going well. It's just nice to know that someone cares deeply enough to ask beyond just "How's it going?"

Jonathan: I go to a different school, but I started coming to Philia when a couple of people invited me. When I saw what it was like, how they're so accountable to each other, I wanted something like that at my school. So one of the leaders helped give me some direction, and a couple of us started a Bible study at my school. Philia kind of gave us the strength to do that.

Ryan: When I was younger, I got myself into a lot of trouble with drugs and stuff, but God has totally changed my life since then. Something I've been learning is that I don't want to live with "vain regrets." Jesus forgave my sin, the things I did in the past. So if he's forgiven me, why dwell on the past? I'd be messing up my future, too. It's already happened. There's nothing I can do about it. Now I use it as a tool to help show others that you can go from there to here.

Caitlin: Kelli is a true friend. We do have arguments, and sometimes we'll go for a couple of days in a little tiff with each other. But then she'll just stop by my house or I'll call her, and it all comes out. It's the best relationship because we can talk about things that bother us, then we fix them.

Dave: On Tuesday nights, we never have enough time together. But when we spend almost two whole days together on this retreat, it's a whole lot easier to kind of break down any barriers. Usually by about the second night people are really starting to flow with each other and feel a lot closer. It really helps with unity, and it's just a fun time.

Read more from 'School Spirit'

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