A place of open arms, housing a group of students with a mission to learn about the Bible in a safe zone for Christians: This is the environment that the Answers Bible Club envisions for themselves.

The club was founded over 20 years ago by a group of young high school students at Cam High who wanted to focus on learning about the Bible and becoming a family. With worship sessions and appearances from the Christian community of Camarillo, the Answers Bible Club provides students with an opportunity to act as open Christians on campus and meets every Wednesday at lunch in H2, Mr. Bryan Staples’ room.

Anthony Arredondo, junior and Answers Bible Club president, strives to continue this philosophy and said that the club is ‘made for students, by students.’ “One of our main priorities is to spread the word of the Gospel,” Arredondo said. “The vision statement we have is that we want people to come to listen to the Gospel and be saved. We want to try and explain the ideas of the Bible to as many people as possible and simply teach and preach.”

The members of the club love the atmosphere of the Christian gathering and all are welcome. “You never feel judged there, no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what has happened,” said junior Yvette Hazeltine. “You won’t ever be left out, and I feel that is what makes the club for me.”

Arredondo and the other board members have asked multiple preachers on several occasions to come to the classroom in the past to speak, and plan to invite more in the future for a better Christian experience for the students.

One of the semi-regular guest preachers is Vince Nardi, a pastor of Student ministries at Calvary Nexus, a local church in Camarillo. “I love the experience of being able to interact with the students here. I feel it’s more effective to talk and preach to the students up front and in person. And mainly, I love being able to discuss the Gospel and teach lessons that leave an impact and can be a part of their lives,” said Nardi.

The members of the club agree that it is a great place to learn about the Bible, grow in their Christian faith, and openly believe in Jesus Christ. Despite mixed feelings about speakers and some lessons, the consensus is that Answers Bible Club is efficiently able to detail the ideas of the Bible in just a single lunch period.

“There are a few misconceptions about what our club [is],” said Arredondo. “We are not here to convince you that you and your lifestyle are wrong. None of us believe that. We, as the club, don’t want to make people Christians or force on them our ideas, bur spread the news of the Gospel so that people can decide what they feel about it.”