Christ in the Marketplace

The mission of Palmetto Christian Academy is to equip students to pursue Jesus Christ passionately as they impact the culture. One way PCA does this, in partnership with East Cooper, is by preparing students to engage the culture as they graduate and pursue careers. Twice a year, PCA hosts an event called Christ in the Marketplace, where students can hear from professionals who are following Christ in their various careers.

The motivation for this event is to expose students to see how they can pursue Christ in a secular world. "Every student is not going to be called to full-time ministry. We want students to see how they can pursue the field they love, while also having that job be a place for ministry where they can speak about Jesus," Emily Faile, PCA's Academic Counselor, explained. Students learn about the nature of their jobs, how they got into the field, and their thoughts on being a Christian in their specific jobs. "This past year, twenty professionals, including several East Cooper members, visited the PCA campus. This is an opportunity for church and community members to inspire the next generation to be faithful followers of Jesus."

During the event in the fall, several professionals visited PCA to share about their careers. "For example, Carolyn Murray, a local news anchor, was honest with the students about some of the difficulties about living out her faith at work. The students enjoyed hearing about her faith and also some ways to be prepared to work with nonbelievers," Emily shared. Students also heard from a banker, game warden, civil engineer, healthcare manager, and missionary about how they follow and share about Jesus in the workplace. "We love to partner with people in the church body. Students enjoy hearing from people with similar interests and being exposed to different fields."