Gather a core group of people from your church and begin to pray. Ask God for favor with your local school administration. Pray that He will prepare the hearts of students to receive Him. Pray that He would raise up volunteers to help you. After school hours walk the perimeter of the school and pray.

Set up a meeting with the principal; have people cover it in prayer. Share with him/her your desire to reach students and to challenge them in areas of character and faith. Let the principal know that the lessons are based on Christian principles. Bring some of the materials for him/her to review. 

Most school administrators are very supportive of character based programs. However, you may encounter a principal who is resistant to allowing a club because of its Christian emphasis. In this case you can politely inform the administrator of your rights under the “Equal Access Act” which states you are allowed to organize a club that teaches Biblical principles as long as you abide by the guidelines given to other clubs in the school. I have included a handbook from the Alliance Defense Fund that gives details on the rights of religious clubs. Or you can go to their website at www.telladf.org. 

If you sense you have favor with the principal, ask for permission to visit the kids on their lunch hour. Emphasize that you are there to help out, build relationships with the kids, and invite them to the club. Assure the principal you are not there to discuss religion, faith, etc. during the lunch hour. 

Actively build relationships in the school for at least two months prior to starting the club. Once you have gotten to know a core group of students, set a date for your first meeting. 

Fill out a facility request form through the school office. Ask the staff to recommend an available room. The school cafeteria is great because it gives you a lot of room for games. Be sure that you will be able to serve a snack in whatever room you request. 

Ask permission to pass around a sign-up sheet during lunch hour. Call the parents of those who signed up and explain what CIA is about and when the first meeting is.