New Mission - unpacked

As promised, I am going to spend some time 'unpacking' the richness that exists in our new mission and vision statements.  I'm going to do that today with our mission statement by starting in the middle - love, learn, and lead….

As the vision & mission committee and board looked at pages and pages of what parents, teachers and students valued about Christian Education, and specifically about NACE, three themes surfaced.  The first was that NACE schools were places where students and staff show love, and are loved.  From scripture, we read that the law is summed up as:  "....love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (Luke 10:27)   At our core, as a Christian School, inspiring students to love God is our starting point for everything else.  We also know overwhelmingly from educational research that a safe and caring environment is crucial for learning to occur.  A school in which love for God is lived out in love for others is a school that is seeking to follow God's law.

Learning needed to be central to our mission as a school.  Once loved, we can learn, grow, and develop which is central to our purpose as an educational institution.

Leading was a third theme that revealed itself as our community looked for and desired for our students to lead, to take ownership and begin to show others their faith, their knowledge, their growth in wisdom.  It isn't enough to simply be consumers of education, but students need to become co-creators. This speaks deeply to our desire as Christians to affect culture and to answer God's call on our lives to share the good news and develop His creation.

At the beginning of our mission statement, we see students, and at the end, we see together in God's world.  As an educational institution, our core service is to students, and we find ourselves squarely placed together in God's world.  As a community, we work intentionally together; not as individuals each seeking their own way forward in isolation or for self-promotion.  Our relationships are central to our work.  That we are in God's world is a testament to the fact that we state unapologetically that everything we study belongs to God.  It isn't our world, it isn't just the world.  It belongs, every square inch, to our Creator.  We are also not an island protected from the world but belong and act intentionally in it.  Our mission is not for ourselves, but for the world.

Finally, back to the beginning:  Inspiring.  God's work and world cause us awe and wonder.  Our teaching and learning need to do the same.  If we are learning to love, learn, and lead together in God's world, it needs to be inspiring if it is to be honouring to God.  

Inspiring students to love, learn, and lead together in God's world.

New Mission and Vision

After three months of work, the board is ready to communicate the first step with respect to its strategic planning work this year:  NACE's mission and vision statements.

It became clear after a few attempts over the years at re-writing these statements to reflect our current reality, that a board table is a lousy place to draft wording.  A separate committee was needed to delve deep into this work.  This past fall, a group with representation from administration, board, teachers, current and past parents, and even a prospective parent were invited to explore our mission and vision.

A mission statement needs to do a few things:  1) Tell people what you do (and why you do it!)  2) It needs to be simple, memorable, and 3) needs to reflect something about you as an organization, be specific, but not too specific...... 4) It needs to inspire and guide your organization.  In other words, it needs to be everything.  A tall order, for sure!

A vision statement is a bit different.  A vision statement should not state your current reality but projects a future desired state.  What do you want to be in the future?  If we state what we are now already, then the vision may be nice to read but does nothing to spur us forward.

Using data from the past couple of years of research in this community, specifically the 'Why' survey

The committee, over a month, worked through exercises to generate two mission statement and two vision statement proposals for the board to consider and work with.  In November, the board convened it's annual visioning meeting to discuss our past, present, and future, and to review the work of this committee.  After two months of feedback, tweaking, and re-working, the board approved the release of its new vision and mission statements.  Next week, in this space, I will unpack these statements and their story a bit more.

Until then, I'm excited to 'unveil' the NACE board's newly approved Mission and Vision statements:

Mission

Inspiring students to love, learn, and lead together in God's world.

Vision

To be the leaders in education by inspiring a diverse and unified student body to love, learn, and lead with God's grace, bringing Christ's love to the world.

Wisdom through Listening

This past week I was able to rejoin head-of-school colleagues and faculty from the Van Lunen Center for Executive Management in Christian Schools in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I am honoured to have been one of twenty chosen for this intense program to learn from peers, faculty, and presenters who are at the leading edge of their field.  I am taking away more than I can quantify in this space here and would love to talk with you about it in more detail sometime. One of the more poignant 'learnings' from this past week was not in a formal learning session but came from an experience outside of the classroom at the encouragement of one of my mentors. 

The setting in Arizona is a retreat centre behind which lies a labyrinth, among other prayer chapels, settings, and stations of the cross.  The labyrinth is a physical setting that has been used for many hundreds of years and has been designed to lead people into a time of intentional prayer, not only speaking to God but listening for His words and direction.

Too often my (our?) prayer lives consist of time where we speak our praise, thanks, confession, and bring forward our requests, as God has commanded. (Philippians 4:6).  We do a lot of talking, but not a lot of listening.  I'm guilty of this.  The book of Proverbs is filled with advice to the wise: to listen (1:5, 12:15, 19:20....)  Confession time for me:  I like to talk and need to try to stop to listen.

My time in contemplative prayer at this retreat centre in the labyrinth, seeking God's guidance was a reminder of how easy it is to NOT hear God's voice if we aren't listening.

Life is busy.  Sometimes it seems too busy to stop and listen.  Let me encourage you to stop, to listen, to be open to God's words.  He may speak to you, as he has to me, with words you don't expect.  As I walked in the labyrinth in prayer and praise, God was able to cut through the noise that is often in my life to speak... because I was listening.  It is crucial that as a leader of a school association that I spend that time seeking wisdom from God by listening.  In your leadership roles whether at work, at home, at church, it is important for you as well.

May God continue to speak to us, and may we as a school community, listen intently for wisdom that only He can give!

People and Passion

I want to use this space to give you another quick update on our strategic planning initiative.  Already this year, a sub-committee has worked hard to re-think and re-state our mission and vision for NACE.  A number of new proposals have made their way through, along with a re-examination of our core values.  We could have begun just strategizing new projects, but without a re-commitment and statement of who we are, and what we are doing, these projects would lack the focus that they need to be really effective.  Very soon, the board hopes to approve a Mission and Vision statement.

We are also identifying people within our community that can help with strategic planning.  These people will need to have a heart for NACE and Christian education.  Alan Pue, in "Rethinking Strategic Planning for Chrisitan Schools" states that they must be people of 'Character, Commitment, Competence, Compatibility, and Chemistry'.  Essentially, they need to be excellent Christian character, have 'skin in the game', have gifts and abilities to offer strategic planning, be cooperative in a team and be able to work well with multiple perspectives even if they disagree.  Sounds like a big qualification list.  We know that we have people in our community who are gifted in this way and that God will use them to help uncover His plans for NACE in the future.  How will we know we have the right people?  They will display passion.  A Passion for Christ and a passion for the work put before us as a school.

If you know of someone who displays these characteristics, please pass their name on to me for submission to our nominating group.

Above all, please continue to pray for our planning work that supports and builds schools that seek to inspire students to love, learn, lead in God's world.

Uncovering God's Vision

In our family devotions, we are following a series that has us work through a yearly cycle of the church calendar.  During each season, there are different ways in which we prepare ourselves for a time of devotion.  During the Advent season, we pull an extra chair or set an extra place at the table in anticipation of the coming King.  He hasn't arrived at our devotion time.... yet. 

I wonder what it was like for the people of Israel to continue to wait for the long-promised and longed for Messiah.  I ordered something on Amazon the other day and was forced to wait 48 hours for its arrival.  Clearly, many of us have lost what it means to wait.  We can have what we want or need generally right now.

Not so with the coming of Christmas.  I enjoy talking with our students about the coming of Christmas, and no matter what age (JK through grade 8), there is a shared sense of longing and waiting (sometimes patiently, often not) for the coming of the holiday.  

In the same way, we continue to wait and long for Christ's return.  We are broken, we experience pain, suffering, sin in a multitude of ways.  While Christ has not yet returned, we still prepare.  In our home, we have put up the Christmas tree, we work through advent devotions, we shift to Christmas music.  Although Christmas is not here yet, we live in such a way as to both anticipate it and also to celebrate its arrival.

What are we doing in the advent of Christ's return?  It will take perseverance, compassion, and integrity to wait and work as His servants, but we know that we do and will experience JOY in the knowledge that our world is in God's hands, and that He entrusts us to continue His work.

Make Room

It's busy.  Really busy.  Some of it is good busy, some of it not-so-good-busy, some of it just necessary busy.  I'm sure most of you can relate.  So many things that we need to do for upcoming events (and Christmas programs!!!), family visits, planning for the new year, etc etc etc.

It's almost as if we were in the hustle and bustle of Bethlehem so many years ago.  I've had the privilege of visiting various re-enactments of the Christmas setting at churches over the years (an excellent one at Calvary Gospel Church in Beamsville, if you get a chance to go).  What I appreciate at these events is the reminder that Bethlehem at that time was CRAZY BUSY.  They were not normally equipped to have all of the line of David come into town at the orders of the government at the time.  They were doing all they could just to meet the demand, the necessary, the good busy, and the not-so-good-busy.  Sound familiar.

Along comes a couple in rather desperate need of a place to stay with nothing but apologetic looks at best, or annoyance at worst.

Now, in 2017, almost 2018, how am I receiving the coming Messiah?  Who is at my door asking to please have a place to stay?  Is it Christ himself asking for space in my life?  Is it someone in physical or emotional or spiritual need just asking 'Do you have room for me/us?'.

Who am I saying 'no, sorry' to?

Ignatius Loyola scripted a prayer for just such a time as this - a reminder to me, a reminder to you.... to make room this season:

Lord, help me to make room for you this Advent. Help me to clear out every nook and cranny of my heart and soul and to let go of all things that are not of you. Come into my heart. Give me the grace to respond to you freely and trust you completely. Fill me with your love and your grace. I know that you are all I really need, so please help me to choose you—every time. Let every movement of my heart and soul bring greater glory to you, Lord. Amen.

I pray this for me, and for you as you work with your own 'busy' and ensure that you make room for the Saviour of the world... God in the flesh who became one of us to bear our burdens and our sins.

Waiting

In our family devotions, we are following a series that has us work through a yearly cycle of the church calendar.  During each season, there are different ways in which we prepare ourselves for a time of devotion.  During the advent season, we pull an extra chair or set an extra place at the table in anticipation of the coming King.  He hasn't arrived at our devotion time.... yet. 

I wonder what it was like for the people of Israel to continue to wait for the long-promised and longed for Messiah.  I ordered something on Amazon the other day, and was forced to wait 48 hours for its arrival.  Clearly, many of us have lost what it means to wait.  We can have what we want or need generally right now.

Not so with the coming of Christmas.  I enjoy talking with our students about the coming of Christmas, and no matter what age (JK through grade 8), there is a shared sense of longing and waiting (sometimes patiently, often not) for the coming of the holiday.  

In the same way, we continue to wait and long for Christ's return.  We are broken, we experience pain, suffering, sin in a multitude of ways.  While Christ has not yet returned, we still prepare.  In our home, we have put up the Christmas tree, we work through advent devotions, we shift to Christmas music.  Although Christmas is not here yet, we live in such a way as to both anticipate it and also to celebrate its arrival.

What are we doing in the advent of Christ's return?  It will take perseverance, compassion, and integrity to wait and work as His servants, but we know that we do and will experience JOY in the knowledge that our world is in God's hands, and that He entrusts us to continue His work.

Community calls for Compassion and Hospitality

The beginning of winter can be hard.  It's darker, colder, and the shiny start to a new year has worn off.  Trees look bare, the skies grey.  Christmas is not here yet, and the stress of the season is building.  It's well known among mental health professionals that November is a difficult month for many.

This isn't the case for everyone, of course.  Some of us long for the change in season, the rhythm of the year to continue, the excitement of celebrations around our Saviour's birth.  That can and sometimes does make the contrast even more difficult.

Over the past month, I've asked specific groups of people (leadership, staff, students) the following question:  "If you could describe NACE to someone who doesn't know about us, what three words or phrases would you use?"  It's obvious we are a school, but beyond that, what sets us as unique or different?  The responses, of course, were great to read through and among what anyone would expect, there were some surprising elements as well.

The most frequently mentioned word?  Community.  Many of the students, staff, parents at NACE feel like they belong.  What an incredible identification of a body of Christ!  Yet, whenever we talk about community and belongingness, there are always those who don't or those who struggle to connect or have too much going on that they feel they can't.  Still others have difficulty with the season and their own mental health

As a community, especially a community with Christ at the centre, compassion needs to play a central role in our identity.  How do we exercise hospitality to everyone in our midst?  Sometimes it's just being aware that others may feel on the outskirts.  At other times, it means that we go out of our way to connect with people who we haven't met yet.  Including everyone means that we will make space for others.  A feeling of belonging happens when we miss someone if they aren't there.  Who is missing?  Who is struggling?  It's November.  Go out of your way in the next few weeks to make sure we live up to our descriptors!

We are a community, Connected in Christ.

Integrity

"Integrity means that you will do good when no one is watching." This is what one of our grade one students shared in their journal this past week.

There is a host of ways we can think of integrity and many ways to define it, but at the heart of the word, is the kernel of honesty. I wonder if some of us think of integrity as doing the right things, or even to a more basic level 'to behave'. While this may be the case, we need also to acknowledge that we are a broken and fallen people. We mess up. Often. So what happens when we do? What does integrity look like when we fall short of acting in the right way or doing the right thing?

Many of you reading this will be familiar with the cartoon characters that pace about, trying to make a decision. On one shoulder sits a devil, and the other an angel, each whispering their encouragement to decide. Without making our day-to-day decisions too trivial, one step toward integrity is acknowledging that God is there to encourage and support our decisions.

Thankfully, God meets us at whatever point we are in our Christian walk. Paul outlines his own journey in his letter to the Galatians, and that struggle: Galatians 1:10 "Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." So even in a Christian community, we will find ourselves struggling with what is right.

The wisdom shared by the grade one student is apt here. Who are we trying to please? Ourselves? Others? What would God have us do?

If we are honest, we will need to acknowledge wrongdoing. We will also need to acknowledge that at times we twist and use others to our own benefit.

How, then, do we teach integrity to our students, and in the school community? We remind one another that we need to be forgiven, and we also extend forgiveness with encouragement to live for Christ, not for others. Integrity is continuing to grow in our choices so that they remain honest, no matter who is watching.

Proverbs 21:3 "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

The Heart of a Community

"Voluntarism is dying". This quote departs from the lips of many in leadership positions within non-profit sector organizations. Perhaps it is more difficult to find people to do specific tasks, or perhaps leaders just grumpily pine for a day gone by where people just freely gave of their time and knew how to commit, or maybe we find ourselves increasingly busy with life and there are more avenues to give of our time and less time in which to do it...... I'm not sure.

As I write this, large quantities of apples, pie crust and crumble, boxes piled high all await dozens of people who will cheerfully give of their time to make apple pies for our annual fundraiser. Others gave of their time these past two weeks to serve on a committee to get our Family Fun Fest going, or on the board of directors to chart our path forward. Volunteers spend time with kids who need some extra assistance in their learning, or to assess reading skills for a teacher who can then tailor instruction to the class needs. Volunteers build things, like decks. They fill holes, cut grass and landscape, run wires and install fixtures, they paint and organize golf tournaments, coach sports teams and build parade floats, they sort items in a store for reclaimed construction materials.

It's clear that NACE is a community of dedicated people passionate about the work we do. A volunteer who can see that peeling an apple, or attending a meeting translates into lights on in classrooms, financial assistance for those who need it, or the lesson that cuts to the heart of a child and convicts them that God loves them and they have a specific purpose for His glory in the world.... that is a cheerful giver. The blessing of doing that shoulder to shoulder spreads our vision as a community and deepens our commitment to Christ in Education. It connects us in Christ.

As you read this, please do two things: 1) thank God for the many people in our midst who cheerfully give of their time to keep our schools running effectively and affordably, and 2) consider the upcoming tasks that never seem to end or present themselves, and decide what you might be able to do to connect yourself to others in Christ. Some are inspiring and some are mundane, but all of them connect us to the heart of what we do: teach kids to Live for Jesus, Learn for Life, and Serve with Gladness.

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 " The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Collaboration

A buzz word in education right now is '21st-century skills'.  Any learning plan that is launched by an educational institution seems to include this as a necessary element.  I'm not sure how long we'll talk about these as '21st-century' items, but the list often shifts away from the need to learn 'stuff' and de-emphasizes cramming in content.  

It's no secret that the workplace is changing, and our students need to know how to access and work with technology.  The other large area of identifiable skills surround social and emotional skill sets and being able to work well with others; to collaborate.  Increasingly, we and our students need to be able to work together on a project towards a shared goal.  Being able to work on one's own is important, but fewer and fewer scenarios demand this type of work anymore.  Teamwork is essential to life.  It's why it was an important inclusion in our Community Character traits that push us toward being 'Connected in Christ'.  Chris Breitenberg writes a beautiful article on how collaboration is central to the gospel of Christ and how the future of the church depends on it.  I commend the article to you!  https://goo.gl/dG3Zqa

As we prepare for upcoming strategic planning, I'm asking people in our community 'What does it look like when we do our best work?'  As the NACE board answered these questions, it struck me at how many times they referenced community events and tasks where groups of people came together and accomplished something in service to our schools.  There's something that is innately joyful about serving alongside one another to 'get something done'.  Indeed, I believe there is something Holy about this time together - dedicated to the furtherance of the good news through education.  As we gather together to work, we build relationship, we build the church, and we build something bigger than all of us - a present and a future of God's kingdom!!

Our event organizers know this inherently and are inviting you to collaborate with them.  A Family Fun Fest runs because people pitch in for a great cause.  Pies get made, peaches get peeled, committees function and get work done..... Beautiful things happen when we collaborate and work together.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our Family Fun Fest on Saturday, November 11, all pitching in joyfully to build up our schools in service to the God we serve!!

Remembering

November is a time when we collectively as a country stop, stay silent and remember the dedication and sacrifice of others in times of conflict around the world.  Schools are amazing places to ensure that we learn about the significance of peacekeeping around the world and our responsibility to be agents of peace.

As Christian Schools and communities, we are blessed beyond measure as we process the events in our world that have and continue to show pain and suffering in the face of injustice, wrongdoing, and evil.  We know that as agents of peace, we ultimately serve the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings.

This past week, we were learned through the participation of veterans, interaction with local Legions, the preparation of band pieces, dramatic vignettes, and art projects that helped us ask questions and delve into the meaning of sacrifice and justice and how to respond to the problem of evil in the world.  In a Christian school, we are able to process together with students and in community, singing and remembering together that we have a 'Saviour, who is mighty to save'.

As we pause for a moment of silence this weekend to remember those who served and sacrificed for our freedom, may we be reminded of God's continued work of restoration in the world.  The words of Saint Francis are an apt reminder of this paradox and call:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, 
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Complaining or Communicating?

As we learn some of our community character traits this year, connected in Christ, there are times when we will notice that there is an intersection of a few of them resulting in new discoveries.

Last week I wrote about compassion, how vital it is, but how difficult it can be as well.  In light of how our contemporary society works, compassion for those with whom we have a problem or issue is counter-cultural.  Our culture tells us that when we disagree or have an issue with someone, the proper way to go about it is to either a) put up a public and vocal protest about it (social media makes this even easier than ever before), or b) to 'suck it up' and move on.

Honesty and Integrity, as well as collaboration, are other traits we are looking to deliberately focus on and develop in our students and in our community.  A few times a year, I hear the phrase: "We didn't want to be the complainers....." or "I would have told you about this sooner, but I didn't want to bother you...."  I know the principals hear this as well.  

If we have an issue with someone, one of the easiest things we can do is discuss it with close friends.  While this can be healthy, we need to watch closely that our discussions remain guarded to protect everyone.  If there is something bothering you, as soon as possible, take it up with those involved.  Problems are dealt with appropriately, quickly, and the right information can come to light.

Proper handling of conflict or issues is an act of compassion, an act of collaboration, and an act of integrity.  While it may seem odd to suggest that complaining or stating that something isn't right is compassionate, the alternative is far worse.  If we allow conflict or issues to fester or spread without being dealt with, they can become toxic, fodder for gossip, and destructive to anyone involved as well as to our community.  

Attached to today's newsletter is NACE's dispute reconciliation policy.  This policy applies and involves everyone in our community - employees, parents, supporters, and board members.  Please review it so that you know how to issues should they arise, but also so that you can encourage others to deal with them appropriately.  'Have you talked to _____________ about this?' should be a quick reminder to one another to resolve problems.   Matthew 18 provides sound advice from scripture not only to settle disputes but also to proactively protect the Christian community from itself as we know we all fall short at times.  Speaking the truth in love is a habit that goes a long way to developing character and a growing healthy community of learning that is connected in Christ.

Compassion

Compassion seems simple. On the surface, compassion is a trait in which we feel sorry for someone and try to help. This wouldn't be wrong, but there is so much beyond a simple empathetic posture that is embodied in a character trait of compassion.

As we move through some of our 'Connected in Christ' character traits, they align well with how we understand the course of God's redemptive hand in history (some of you will know this as the creation-fall-redemption framework). God's creation gives us reason to be curious and to delight in his work. Our story takes a turn, however.... because of humanity's decision to disobey and to move away from God, we live in broken relationship with Him and with the world. There is hurt, there is pain, there is suffering. In fact, scripture describes the world as 'groaning' under the weight of our sin (Romans 8:12)

This calls for a response. God showed His compassion by designing a rescue plan for us and for his world. He calls us to exhibit also this compassion for creation, and for one another.

Students and teachers deal with this on a regular basis in their classrooms. On some level, it is easy to have compassion for the person who is seeking help and wanting to be assisted. It makes us feel good to help. What is it like to have compassion for the person who doesn't want or feel they need it? How about the person we don't know or feel threatened by? So much of our world right now lives in a tension of fear and negativity because we don't take the time to identify with and understand one another. It's easier to label what we don't know or understand as 'wrong' or 'harmful' or even 'unchristian' when in fact we haven't taken the time to understand their story.

Compassion is a response to pain and suffering and conflict. We may have caused it, or we may see it unfold in front of us. The next time your kids (or you!) see hurt or pain in the world.... ask them 'How can we be compassionate here?' Sometimes it will be obvious. Sometimes the answer may be "I think I just need to better understand who that person is and what they are dealing with...."

We live in a broken and fallen world, but God is active in it around us and through us. How can we complete this learning target: "I can show compassion by _____________."

I look forward to hearing more stories of surprise from our students, teachers, and you about how compassion is being expressed within and beyond our learning community.

Curiosity

Sometimes curiosity gets a bad rap.  Apparently, it killed the cat, or so they say..... It can get us into trouble, especially as children.  How many times were we as children reminded to 'mind our own business' when we pried into our parents' world?  How many times were we told not to worry about things we questioned about or cautioned against exploring parts of the world that are dangerous? Certainly, curiosity can lead to dark and dangerous places from which we need to adequately protect our children.   But what is that seemingly insatiable need to explore and know more that is built into us and into each child?  It is a gift from God that He created us with - a pre-existing condition that prepares us to fulfill His blessing and command:  "Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it..." " (Genesis 1:28a)

In an article she wrote for Chrisitan Parenting, Sharon Miller reminds us that our task "...is to raise children who want God. When our kids inherit a holy curiosity, they will never stop exploring their infinite Creator and never stop asking for more of him."  It's why our Community Character traits begin with curiosity.  It is that posture of excitement and desire for more that sets us up as people who seek God and to fill His creation.  It is central to our task not only as guardians and rulers of creation, it is also central to our need to know God more and to connect with Him.  In order to be a student, we need to be curious; and God, knowing that, built it right in!  

It also reminds us that we don't need to answer every question that our kids or students ask with a factual answer.  Sometimes they need to wonder, to exercise their curiosity, to search for wonders in creation, to search for God.  The next time your child asks 'Why?' (and perhaps it will be the 100th time that day!), thank God for planting curiosity in each of us, and pray that we as a school community can celebrate that need to know, desire to learn, and thirst for God in our students!

Connected in Christ

By now, you have all been introduced to the six character traits that surround our schools' themes this year. These six traits are part of a longer story that originated more than a year and a half ago when we asked the NACE community 'Why?'

Why do you send your kids to a Christian School? Why is Christian Education important? What do you hope for in Christian Education?

These important questions revealed some important data which included a number of things that we would all expect: We knew that the foundational world-and-life view that keeping Christ at the centre of all we study was important. We also knew that we all desire a safe and loving place for our students where we know that they will be cared for as children of God and image bearers of Him.

One other item surfaced loud and clear at that time: You had a deep desire to see your children live out their Christian faith in a real and tangible way - not just as head knowledge, but as heart and hands knowledge as evidenced by character and service.

As a teaching staff, we dove deep into this concept to uncover what character traits we could intentionally develop over the long term that would not only encourage deeper learning and academic excellence but ones that would model Christ and discover His story in our lives.

You will hear more about these six character traits over the coming months and years. We don't intend just to 'teach' them to our kids. We intend to make them central to who we are and how we do things as an entire learning community - entering with Curiosity, and responding in Joy. Working with Compassion, Collaboration, Integrity, and Perseverance in all that we do.

In living and working together, we are connected together, to God's world, and in Christ.

Blessings to all of you as we enter into a new year of living, learning and serving together to God's glory!

Helping the Kingom come about

The title of this week's ED-you-cate comes from a chapter of a book by Henri Nouwen called 'A Spirituality of Fundraising'.  Nouwen is one of my 'heroes of the Christian faith' and I have grown to love his writing over the years.  This little book is no exception.  It was required reading for an administrator's conference I attended last week, where we were inspired and encouraged to articulate our organization's mission in the world, and how that related to the kingdom of God.  

I spent the next evening with a large group of 'friends of NACE' at our annual board fundraising dinner event, and shared for devotions the following passage from Nouwen's book:

Fundraising is a very concrete way to help the kingdom of God come about. What is the kingdom? Jesus is clear that if we make the kingdom our first priority, "all these other things will be given you as well' (Matt. 6:33, NJB). The kingdom is where God provides for all that we

need. It is the realm of sufficiency where we are no longer pulled here and there by anxiety about having enough. 'So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself" (Matt. 6:34, NJB). Jesus also compares the kingdom to a mustard seed," which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade' (Mark 4:31–32, NJB).

Even a seemingly small act of generosity can grow into something far beyond what we could ever ask or imagine (see Eph. 3:20)—the creation of a community of love in this world, and beyond this world, because wherever love grows, it is stronger than death (1 Cor. 13:8). So when we give ourselves to planting and nurturing love here on earth, our efforts will reach out beyond our own chronological existence. Indeed, if we raise funds for the Creation of a community of love, we are helping God build the kingdom. We are doing exactly what we are supposed to do as Christians. Paul is clear about this: "Make love your aim" (1 Cor. 14:1, NJB). (Nouwen, 2004)

That evening, amongst the great service(thank you, NACE board!), excellent food, and fantastic entertainment it was obvious we were in a community of love, and that they, in turn, were supporting our schools as communities of love.  The kingdom of God depends on small and large gifts alike, and He will bless those far beyond what we could ever imagine.  With your time, your talents, your resources, and your finances give knowing that you are a part of the Kingdom, where we are making love our aim!!!

Everything is different, everything is the same

Christian Education Week 2017 at both CCS and JKCS is a 'wrap'. What an exciting time to be in our schools as students eagerly awaited and greeted visitors, as people experienced us for the first time, and still others who have watched us grow since before we had our own buildings. Many, many wonderful interactions took place over the past two weeks, but an underlying sentiment struck me, in the words of a few of our grandparents in discussion with me: "Wow, education has changed a lot in the past few decades.... and is that ever a good thing!"

The grandparents have changed a great deal as well! One image that will stick in my mind for a long time is that of a visiting grandparent couple taking a 'selfie' on their smartphone with their grandchild in the classroom. At the moment, it was a major mental shift for me, but also seemed so normal and natural. As they looked around, they noticed other things that are 'different': the desks and chairs aren't all in rows, there isn't necessarily a textbook and workbook for each subject, technology is present but not front and centre, the principal and teachers are not filling positions of authority over students but of relationship WITH students.

"Why is it a good thing that things have changed?", I asked.
"The kids are at the centre." was the answer.
Simple, yet equally profound. This will stick with me for a while.

Just as nearly every workplace in our society has changed (some dramatically) over the past decade, so has the education work/learning place. I've had a few visiting parents come in to see JKCS or CCS, hoping to give to their children "the same experience I had as a kid." It's an interesting conversation that ensues. "Everything is different, and everything is the same," is one of my answers. We do not 'do' education the same way I experienced it when I attended Christian School. Students engage in learning experiences very differently than the traditional teacher-directed format of the past. However, we still teach and weave through everything we do that God is the LORD of all, that Christ is the saviour of the world, and the Spirit is active in our lives and in our everyday. In fact, decades of experience and research has taught us new ways to make this relevant and alive for students.

What is so exciting for me? That fact that grandparents are encouraging us to forge forward. They have seen generations of change and perhaps aren't so afraid of it. They certainly are passionate and excited about our current growth at NACE and the ways in which they see their grandchildren thriving. To God be the glory in each new day, with each new change, and in the ways in which we continue to seek Him in all that we do.
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The Christian Courier, a Reformed Biweekly publication, released a special Christian Education Issue on April 24, 2017. The whole issue is a great discussion about Christian Schooling in Canada. One column, in particular, was a fantastic read. By Kathy Vandergrift entitled 'School bullying: Zero-tolerance to mutual respect'. I have included it at the end of today's print version of Journey/Connection. If you are reading a digital version, you can access it here: https://goo.gl/S9ApgG

Growing and Stretching our Faith

I am writing this at the middle point of two Christian Education Weeks at NACE. Last week we welcomed well over 1000 visitors through our doors and hallways at Covenant to see what Christian Education is all about.  Now we're ready to do the same at John Knox!  Student work is on display, songs and acting practices taking place, our classrooms are a little more 'open', and the regular 'busy' of school life is even busier!!
These weeks place us in contact with all kinds of people.  Some are our dedicated founders - those who worked to establish our schools.  Some are family supporters, excited to see how Christian Schools are working in the lives of their children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.  Still others are new to Christian Education - just beginning to see what happens at John Knox and Covenant, and by extension, at Christian Schools rooted in the richness of the gospel woven through every moment of the day.
One of the lessons that I'm continuing to learn is that we are always on stage. Some of the most rewarding conversations that I've had over the past days, weeks, and months are with those who have recently discovered Christian Schools and the unique blessing that we enjoy.  One of those was last week with a grandparent who shared with me that she just wished that she had known about Christian Schools when her own children were school aged.  She is now excited to support the decision that her children have made to become a part of the Christian Education Community, and sharing that with anyone she meets.
I, and I think we, need to remember that there are opportunities every day, and especially in our own Christian Communities.  The good news of God's grace is relevant always, and applicable at all times.  There are always those who are struggling with their faith, those who are new to the message of the gospel, and those who are discovering Christ's work in the world for the first time.
Christian Education doesn't stop at grade 8, at grade 12, at post-secondary studies, or ever.  Our faith is never at a state of completion or arrival.  It is always growing, always stretching, always renewing not only so that we can share the good news, but because we are presented with the opportunity to do so!!
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." - Acts 20:24

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Some of you will have caught our 'Niagara Christian Schools' broadcast that we are undertaking with the help of Scott Street Church in St. Catharines and in partnership with Smithville Christian High, Beacon Christian, and Dunnville Christian Schools.  These programs are broadcasting on WDCX 99.5 FM on Sundays at 12:45 on a show entitled 'Voices of Niagara'.  The first three episodes have highlighted the group of schools, and then Covenant and John Knox individually.  The voices of teachers, parents, and students all attest to how God is working through our schools.  If you missed them, we have downloadable recordings available online at:

Episode #1 (all five schools): https://goo.gl/cqOh6n

Episode #2 (Covenant): https://goo.gl/43x2nH

Episode #3 (John Knox): https://goo.gl/xg8yaz

Episodes #4-6 will highlight the other three schools over the next few weeks.

www.voicesofniagara.ca

www.niagarachristianschools.ca

Walking from Palm Sunday to Good Friday

We are now in Holy Week.  Many of us celebrated Palm Sunday in church yesterday, many with actual palm branches, commemorating the day in which Jesus comes into Jerusalem, knowing full well that it was here that he would meet his 'end', so to speak.  He was greeted with all of the adoration deserving of a king, with shouts of admiration. 

In a very powerful devotional experience years ago when I counselled at a kids camp, we walked up 'cross hill' as it was affectionately known, to the wooden cross erected there, overlooking the camp.  Each child brought forward a slip of paper forward.  Mine said 'Kevin's Sins'... each camper had a personalised card they had made with their name.  We nailed each of the 100 slips of paper to the cross and the kids were allowed to leave once their paper was hung.  I have a photo of that cross up in my house still: cross with sins attached and kids playing on the field below... 'released' as it were from their sins by Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

The next time many of us will be in church will be to celebrate and mark Good Friday.  I've always found this an uneasy transition.  It's kind of like a movie or a bad dream where everything slowly starts to unravel and gets worse and worse. How did we get from the triumphal entry with shouts of 'Hosanna!'  to screams of 'Crucify Him!' less than a week later?  It has underscored for me the fact that Jesus' disciples and his followers, and indeed the world, misunderstood who He really was and what He really was there to do.

I wonder about our own faith walk.  How much of our own view of Christ is made into what we want him to be?  When we approach God in worship, do we really understand fully what and who He is?  I'm inclined to think that we also need to do this Holy Week walk.  Where have we made God into our own object?  Where have we sold him short?  How have we misunderstood and underestimated his power?  In what ways do we need to acknowledge our own sinfulness and take it to him on the cross?

This week, may you experience the heaviness of your own sins, may we as a group of people acknowledge our own shortcomings and the ways in which we have often made God into something of our own crafting, and may we all end up at the cross - the only thing that can release us into Joy.  May we be ready to release our sins to the healing power of Jesus' death and resurrection.  

May your week, in this way, be truly Holy.