As we wrap up the 2015-2016 school year at Westminster Catawba Christian School, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  God has blessed mightily and is, as always, deserving of praise!  He has established our school and called us to educate students to bless our world as disciples of Jesus Christ.  He has brought families to our school who are joyful seeing our children walking in the truth.  He has provided the faculty, staff, and administration to see to it that the education received prepares our students for Kingdom work even beyond the college years.  He has blessed us with a sponsoring church, and many church partners, that spur us on to bless our world.  The list of blessings really is too long to share in the form of a blog.

In the first week of this school year, I had the opportunity to lead a devotional with our seniors on their retreat.  My hope, at that point, was to encourage them to finish well.  They did just that last Friday at graduation.  I believe that one very big reason that they did finish well is that they had tremendous teachers who shared the truths of the gospel with their students in word and in deed.  My text for the devotional in August was Hebrews 13:7 that says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

I have been reminded of the implications of this passage in many ways as we come to the end of this year.  At graduation last week, Mr. Keith Falde took the opportunity to “speak the Word of God” to the graduates in his commencement speech as he shared multiple favorite passages from the book of Proverbs.  I watched numerous teachers blessing their students with favorite Scriptures as the year came to a close.  Even the Kindergarten Program for parents had our five and six year olds reciting Scriptures, sharing the truths of the gospel, and even singing the Lord’s Prayer.  The leaders at WCCS have spoken the Word of God to our students!

The passage above also calls on leaders to live in such a way that we would want to encourage followers to imitate their faith.  But, the only way for a follower to “consider the outcome of their way of life” imitate the faith of a leader is to really know that leader.  Again, I am amazed at the relationships that have formed at WCCS between our leaders (teachers) and our students.  I have watched younger students saddened as they realize that their beloved teacher will not be moving on to the next grade with them.  I have seen and heard older students encouraging their classmates to take a class or play a sport or join a club just to be able to have a particular teacher or coach.  And, I listened during our senior chapel where several of our seniors identified their teachers as “friends that will be missed next year.”

WCCS is a special place.  We are not perfect.  But, we can say without equivocation – Remember your teachers (and coaches and directors and staff and administration) who HAVE spoken the Word of God to you… look closely at their lives and how they live and serve the King in His Kingdom… and be like them as you imitate their faith!