It is hard to believe that spring is almost upon us – almost as hard to believe as the craziness of this winter.  Spring is a time of renewal.  It is a time of hope.  It is a time of looking ahead.  I am doing a lot of “looking ahead” these days.  My two kids, Andrew and Rebecca, were able to shadow at Westminster Catawba Christian School last week – which gave them a great picture of what the future will be like for them (and they both had great days at WCCS!).  We continue to ready our home for a timely sale – and will soon be on the hunt for a new home in Rock Hill.  I have had the privilege of talking with several WCCS faculty and staff members about the remainder of this year and next.  I have even been a part of a couple interviews for prospective faculty/staff members for the 14-15 school year.

As I look to next year, I have a lot of “hopes.”  I hope that our transition to WCCS is a smooth one – everything from the responsibilities that I will take on to my wife managing our move to our kids adjusting well to the change of schools.  I hope that God provides us with the ability to sell our home and purchase a new one in a timely fashion (we are praying for a late June move).  I hope that our family is able to transition to our new church home at Westminster Presbyterian Church.  I hope to establish strong relationships in a short period of time with the entire school community – board, faculty, staff, parents, students, alumni, grandparents, future students, etc.  And, I hope that God will see fit to use me to lead WCCS well.  While the list of “hopes” seems long, I do have what I believe to be a GREATEST HOPE.

Before I share that greatest hope, I have a favor to ask.  Would you be willing to step out and leave a REPLY to this post sharing your family’s GREATEST HOPE for WCCS in the next year.  This would go a long way in helping me get to know you better. I believe it would also get all of us thinking and hoping and praying to those ends.  All you need to do is to click on the “LEAVE A REPLY” button below.  Please share your greatest hope, and then, to help me out, list your family members and how they are connected to the school.  This will be a big step in helping me get to know more about you.

Thanks in advance for your participation.  I will follow up with my GREATEST HOPE soon.

On Sunday, February 2nd, WCCS was featured in the “Ministry Moment” at WPC and I was asked to speak on behalf of WCCS. I expect that this opportunity means different things to different people. For me personally, however, this was a great honor and privilege as it reinforced one of the foundational pillars on which WCCS was established and is sustained – that Westminster Catawba Christian School is a ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Allow me to explain…

First, WCCS is a ministry… This is crucial! We must remember that our school exists for the glory of God and for the expansion of His kingdom – not for our glory or the expansion of our kingdoms! This may seem obvious and would actually be easy to remember if it weren’t for that indwelling sin that causes ALL of us to lean toward our default setting of self-importance. Numerous decisions are made daily on our school campuses. It is so easy to first think, “How does this affect me and my world?” rather than “How does this represent Christ and His kingdom?” As a ministry, we must be outward-focused. When we are, I honestly believe we are at our best because we are working as God designed us!

Second, WCCS is a ministry of a church… The fact that OUR school is a ministry of a church is a great blessing and safeguard for the school. It is a blessing because it means that we are partnering in ministry with the sponsoring church AND all of the other ministries of that church. We are not alone in ministry. We are not the lone light seeking to point our students to Christ. We are sharing a similar story with a similar desired end – that glory of God and expansion of His kingdom noted above. It is a safeguard as it provides an extra layer of accountability to the leadership of the school. The school will not change her doctrines or foundational beliefs on a whim or fad. She has the responsibility of remaining true to a body outside of herself.

Third, WCCS is a ministry of the particular church, Westminster Presbyterian Church. WPC plays an integral part in the pursuit of the mission and vision of the school. It is true that WCCS is governed by the Board of Trustees. However, this is intentionally done in association with WPC. The majority of BOT members must be members of WPC. At least one elder from WPC must sit on the BOT. All of this is done to further guarantee what was written above and to reinforce the connection between WCCS and WPC! For me, this should be a great comfort to members of WPC – including those actively involved in the school and those who are not – as they can be confident that WCCS will remain true to her call as a ministry! BUT, I also believe that this should be an even greater encouragement to the school families from other churches as they can be confident that the mission, vision, core values, and doctrinal beliefs of WCCS will remain. While I am still very new to the WCCS family, I have already heard numerous parents state that they appreciate the commitment of OUR school to the use of the educational system to develop a biblical world view in pursuit of God’s unique purpose in every child. These foundational beliefs WILL NOT CHANGE as long as WCCS is a ministry of WPC! What a joy!

For many, the “Ministry Moment” is just another opportunity to see what is going on at a particular church. For me, however, last Sunday was a great reminder to me that God has had a plan for WCCS since the very beginning and that HE is going to use the partnership between the church, home, and school to receive glory and to further His kingdom.

That brings up another topic… you can expect to see another blog post in the near future about the necessity of the partnership between church/home/school!!!