A different perspective

I think this is the first, if not only, Covenant Connection that has been written from the rooftop.  A few weeks ago, I challenged our students to meet and surpass their past fundraising achievements for the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation - our local health care facility.  Quickly and quietly, they did just that, culminating in our annual 'Jerry's Peach Bud 10k' on Friday morning.  I challenged them to offer up to their families and neighbours the opportunity to support the sick in their community.

So, as a result of their diligence and work ($8300 and counting...), I am now sitting at the top of our school building... literally.  It's a beautiful day, and I'm enjoying basking in their fundraising results.  (The newspaper photographer is here documenting my 'perch').

A new position gives you a different perspective.  Often in the daily rush of activity, one can get stuck in seeing only the immediate.  Taking a bit of time out to see a more 'global' perspective lets you see your context better.  Looking out over the town of Smithville and across the Niagara region, I am wondering... "What would happen if Covenant Christian School disappeared tomorrow?  Would people notice?  Would there be an impact?"  As a leader, one certainly hopes so, but it also gives us pause to consider the 'serving' aspect of our tagline.  How else can we grow in our impact of showing Christ's love to our region?  In other words, how can we make sure that we are an integral part of our community and our region?

Our students are NOT the future of the church or leaders of tomorrow.... they ARE the church; they are leading already TODAY.  Taking hold of opportunities like fundraising for the Peach Bud Run and our local health care facility, and having students grow in character, learning, and service is one big way that Covenant is making a difference.

As we move forward to complete this academic year and lay plans for next year, we remind ourselves that if we plug in to God's power, it is then that we can shine as Children of Light.... here in our school, in our community, and beyond.

Field day Grit and Life Grit - Honouring God in HOW we do things.

It's the beginning of 'Field day' week. I have to admit that there's a huge sense of anticipation for me. I LOVE track and field. After coaching it for 15 years, it becomes a bit of a way of life, if not a bit of an obsession.  Not coaching it now is difficult for me. I find myself often wandering over to classes doing their running practice, to the gym during a high jump practice after school, or just to watch a class through the window as they prepare.

I wasn't a stellar athlete as a kid myself, so what was it that kept me coming back for more?  The challenge, the team atmosphere, and the encouragement to develop and improve.  Fast forward many years to now. I've heard of so many tough stories of kids who hate field day. For every kid with a ribbon, there are plenty more who don't have any, and that is difficult, especially for the sensitive, or driven/competitive child.  

Coming in to my second field day at Covenant, I am so grateful to the many people who have structured how we do field day. I LOVE the way we celebrate this event.  Cross-grade teams, cheers, support, standards instead of ribbons for achievement, not specific placement (1st, 2nd, 3rd). It paves the way for a great day where each student can and does contribute to a team's performance and experience.

In my experience as a student and as a coach, I have never seen a student athlete grow in their ability without a heap-load of encouragement. Growth in ability also mandates that they needed to pick themselves up time and time again after multiple failures.  Any of my athletes in the past who didn't know how to deal with failure were the ones who quickly abandoned the work because it was 'too hard'. We all know how important sticking to a commitment, pushing through tough times, and building resilience is in life.  Surrounding kids with the encouragement of a team when the tasks get difficult is one small way we have to remind them that sticking with it and giving their absolute best is valuable. Every point counts!!

Chris Horst writes about how he watches his son navigate his field day (unsuccessfully), but then uses that experience to continue to encourage grit. http://www.dadcraft.com/developing-grit/ Our kids will experience failure, they will be discouraged, and they will want to give up.  Like Chris, I pray that we will be able to find ways to help them develop character through it... to become determined, and not see the 'win' as the ultimate goal.  (read his story!)

John Bloom writes about how we find many examples of people in the Bible who developed grit as central to their service.   http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/true-grit  I'm sure you could develop an even longer list of your own!

As we enter field day week, encourage your children to work hard, play hard, encourage well, to honour God in their best efforts in their activities, and to demonstrate grit.  It's activities like these (and so many others at Covenant) that help them develop and learn to love the journey of growth that God continues to work out in each one of them daily.

Teachers

I want to share with you this morning the experience I have working with a group of  Christian Educators. Most of you are aware of the fact that each of them teaches classes, prepares lessons, works through assessment and evaluation of each student's progress, leads extra curricular activities, and commits themselves to ongoing professional development and excellent education at NACE.

What many of you don't see is the time that is spent behind the scenes in care of the children here. Outside of formal class time and time interacting with students is a great deal of collaboration that supports their craft. Specifically, our devotional time on Friday afternoons and on Monday mornings are times that not only root us in the gospel, but also spur on conversation about how we can serve our students better.

Last week Friday, following and during devotions, specific students were held up in prayer. One for the day she had just had that was difficult; another for struggles outside of school, others who are having issues getting along. The prayer time is important for each of these children, but so is the subsequent 'problem solving' time that occurs. It's amazing to encourage and witness a community of believers (a cloud of witnesses?) rally around a teacher's care and effort to reach a specific child or group of children. This staff is not only concerned about your son/daughter's academic achievement... they care deeply about their emotional, social, and spiritual well being!

Today, we began the day and week again in devotions, ready for a new week. It's raining out, and somewhat grey, but inside our staff room were voices raised, words of encouragement, and the stoking of a fire where the Spirit himself dwells in us and in our teaching, and in the regular care and concern for our kids!

May 2-6 is officially 'Teacher Appreciation Week'. While this may be another reason that stores give us to come in and purchase something, I would encourage you to find a way to share with your child(ren)'s teacher(s) our appreciation for the care and support they provide daily. An encouraging word goes a long way to bolster and fire up a group that is in the midst of 'winding up' the school year! 1 Thess 5:11 " So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."

The celebration continues

We are breathing a sigh of relief around here after a busy, but WONDERFUL Christian Education Week.  What a blessing it was to share our school with so many visitors - pastors, grandparents, senior friends, and yes, parents!  It was not only a reminder of the treasure we have in this school, but to the very wide reach of support we enjoy.  

This week, we are paying special note to some of our partners in Christian Education.  This morning, we were encouraged by our literal neighbours at Smithville Christian High School as their principal, Ted Harris led our staff in devotions.  He shared words from 1 Corinthians 3: "It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.  For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building."  There were even elegant words of poetry as he expounded on our unique relationship!

This week we will also be spending some time with our sister school John Knox Christian School in Stoney Creek who are celebrating Christian Education week. On Wednesday, we will travel down with grades 1-8 to view their drama production "Not your average Joe."

Knowing that we are not chasing a vision of Christian Education on our own, but do so alongside other schools is a treasure.  Please pray this week for the great work that goes on across our region, our province, our country, and our world in service of planting seeds, watering them, and proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christian Education Week

Here we are!  This week we at Covenant are on display!

This is always a special week as we invite the 'pillars' of our community to come through and spend some time with us.  Our gallery of art and student work has been set up through the building.  Our spring musical production is running through final rehearsals. Our pastors are coming to visit on Wednesday the 20th, and our long time and faithful supporters (grandparents and senior friends) will spend the morning on Friday with us.

Finally, our parent open house is scheduled for 2:00-3:00 on Friday afternoon (the 22nd).  You have likely come by to see your kids in action before, but this is a time where we fling open the doors and welcome you in to seeing a classroom in action.  While this week is not a typical week, and there is a lot of extra hustle and bustle, the things we are doing are routine:

Living for Jesus, Learning for Life, Serving with Gladness.... this is commonplace at Covenant, and we are deliberate about each of them.  The character of our students and teachers character and how we live is important.  We seek Jesus faithfully day after day in even our simple interactions.  You will see life... real life throughout our hallways.  Students engaged not just in learning about the real world, but engaging in it.  Service learning comes alive in our chapel activities, but also internally as we serve one another, and as we reach out to the world.

In our final work of the week, you will see how a Christian school interprets a common folk tale, and how God speaks through simple actions of even a bickering community..... because at the end of the day, that is what we are:  Not a perfect Christian school community, but one that struggles with its own brokenness.  God reminds us who we are, how to relate, and that we are loved... and that He longs for us to seek him and live in unity:  "May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me."  John 17:23b  Now that is living as children of light!

Come see us this week, as we plug in to God's power.

A Cloud of Witnesses, a Community of Support

We were treated this past Saturday to an evening of 'Upstanding Comedy' with Timmy Boyle who provided the entertainment for the annual board fundraiser.  The evening was capped off with some very humourous antics involving our fearless Executive Director.  If you were not there, you'll have to ask around, but it involved a duet, long hair, a headband, and some creative harmony.  The rest may be floating around on the Internet for your enjoyment.

The evening was not only fun, but a reminder of the amazing support we have for Christian education.  Long time supporters, new to NACE friends, family connections who traveled in for the event, staff from both school sites, and of course our board of directors all spent a few hours celebrating the gift of community over great food and laughter.

Not forgetting that this event is a fundraiser, it's exciting to report that we were able to raise over $18,000.  It's wonderful to experience the ongoing excitement for what Christian Education has done and is doing in the lives of our students and families.  A big thank you to the board and their support network (spouses, friends and family members) for pulling together an evening of celebration.  To God be the glory!

Though your sins are as scarlet

Though your sins are like scarlet....

I'm not going to lie.  The snowfall last night and this morning were not my favourite thing ever.  I actually like winter, but sometimes in this part of the world it seems to take a while to go away....

Last night I was out on the highway after a family visit driving home.  The snowbanks underneath had all melted, and the fresh blanket of snow covered everything.  There was no grass showing, there was no pavement showing... even the edges of the road were covered by the blanket of white.  It was dangerous driving so we took it slow, but the extent to which everything was now covered over and made white struck me. 

God's resurrection power over sin and death didn't only cover over my little area of sin.  It covered everything.  There are many stories in the Bible and otherwise of people who think they are 'too far gone' to be loved by God.  Over and over again, Christ reminds us that his grace is sufficient.  We need to be reminded of just how all encompassing God's redemption and grace is.  As good as the creation was when God spoke it into being, as deep as we are affected by sinful decision, so deep and far and wide is the love of God that it blankets and covers over everything.  Just as the new snow shows no evidence of anything underneath, so all encompassing is the power of the cross.

In our staff devotions this morning, Mrs. DeHaan shared the song "Glorious Day" by Casting Crowns.  As I pondered the snow cover, the lyrics of the Easter Sacrifice in that song wonderfully encompassed this truth we live with:
One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me...

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

Perhaps I'll continue to grumble about this late snowfall for the inconveniences it brings, but I will also give thanks for the picture of grace and purity with which it has blessed us!