A Week to Reset: Worship, Community, and Real Talk at NRCA

By Grier Herring, Shield Editor 

For many students and families at North Raleigh Christian Academy, the annual Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) is much more than a daily task—it is a spiritual oasis and a chance to reset and reconnect. This year, students participated in daily services led by Nick and Chelsea Hurst, a married couple from Anderson, South Carolina.  

The duo shares a strong passion for ministry. Nick knew from the age of 14 that he was called to the role of an evangelist, and Chelsea stumbled upon her love for sharing the gospel when she started posting faith-related videos on YouTube shortly after she became a believer. Together, they complement each other’s talents and passions.  

Through daily chapels, conversations, and time together, middle and high school students were challenged to deepen their relationship with God and consider how to live out their faith beyond the classroom. On Monday and Tuesday nights, NRCA encouraged families to attend evening services together. For many students, the meaningful worship music, led by Matt Buckland, and words from the speakers created an atmosphere that closely connected them to their peers. 

The Hursts’ goal for their time on campus was to inspire students and to encourage them to live boldly in their faith. From the start of the week, there was a sense of community that extended outside of SEW services. Nick described the atmosphere of the school as welcoming. “It feels like a family. So much fun. Such sweet people here. And it is, honestly, such a privilege to be a part of this event and to meet so many amazing people here,” he said.  

While the week provided moments of fun and fellowship, the heart of Spiritual Emphasis Week was focused on encountering God in a personal way. Chelsea shared that her takeaway she wanted students and families to leave with was a desire to lean into what the Lord is saying to each one. “I just pray that they walk away with hearing one word from God or something that God wants them to individually do on their own, and obviously a relationship with Him if they don’t have that,” she said.  

Nick echoed the burden for the two audiences in the room. "I think for me, my goal would always be to have the believers in the room walk away with a sense of urgency to reach their neighbors, reach their friends. For parents, even, to reach their coworkers and their peers for Christ. So that’s number one—to awaken revival and urgency in the believer,” he said. “But if there’s an unbeliever in the room, the obvious takeaway for me is, man, I want them to experience how good and how amazing and how transformative and how life-altering, for this life and the one to come, a relationship with Jesus truly is.”  

This theme of wanting to tell nonbelievers who Christ really is and how He can transform lives ran through the teaching sessions. Nick's messages connected with Christians and seekers because his main goal was to tell people they need a personal relationship with Jesus. He emphasized the importance of a true connection and relationship with Christ.  

As they led students during the week, the Hursts shared about the struggles they have encountered as they walk with Jesus. Yet throughout their lives, they relied on Him as a shoulder to cry on because He is the ultimate comforter. 

Chelsea and Nick together offered words of encouragement to believers who may be struggling with sin or unsure in their faith. Nick said, “I would just tell them that that’s a very normal thing, and that God is sufficient, and if they will lean on Him, as Proverbs 3 says, that He will make their way straight, that He will guide them, He will lead them. There is night for a short time, but joy really does come in the morning. Just stay faithful. Just stay consistent. If you do any one thing long enough, you will reap the rewards of that. The longer I follow Jesus, the more I’ve seen Him pour out His blessing, and so I would just say to anyone who is dealing with that, keep following Him. Keep walking with Him, and He will prove to be faithful.”  

Building on the idea that struggles can be overcome through faithful pursuit of God, Chelsea emphasized the importance of understanding one’s identity in Christ, not as something earn through effort, but as a foundation from which genuine obedience naturally flows.  

“From a young age—I didn’t know this at the time, but now I look back, and I see—I thought a lot of my worth and value came from what I did for God, and He simply just wanted my heart. And obedience from a heart posture of knowing that I’m His should flow out of it naturally and not feel like I have to earn all these things to be the best Christian or prove that I’m walking the way I should walk,” she said. “So I deeply encourage people who are wrestling [with] that— first, doing flows out of a right identity of who you are. If you can get that first piece, if you recognize that there are lies, maybe, you’re believing, and then recognize what the truth is to combat that lie, then you can feel a lot more secure about who your identity is in Jesus when you address those lies.” 

As Spiritual Emphasis Week concluded, students and teachers reflected on the impact of the sessions. For some, it was a time of renewal in their faith. For others, it was the beginning of new conversations about what it means to follow Jesus. While SEW itself is only a few days long, the Hursts encouraged students to continue living out what they heard after the week ended. As Chelsea summarized, the goal is not to check a box but to walk with God daily, surrounded by a community that encourages and supports each other.