What is it we do here?

Have you ever been on a unique trip or taken in an especially meaningful experience and been asked afterward “What did you do?” or “What was it all about?”. Without being able to recount the entire experience in one sitting, it’s challenging to share the event in a way that does it justice.

One LCES school year, or the succession of many of them, are very “full” and their impact is hard to share. To the captive ears of families who are often inquiring at this time of year, my answer to “What is it you do here?” often goes something like this:

Bible is a course of study here. Starting with the rich narratives of the mighty acts of God in the Old and New Testament right from JK onward, our students hear daily from God’s Word. In an overlapping, cyclical rotation, students continue to expand their understanding of who God is and what he calls them to do as they mature in wisdom and faith.

There is a devotional nature to what we do here. Each school day begins and ends in prayer in a group setting. Before everything from mealtimes to leadership meetings, from parent-teacher interviews to camp trip excursions – we ask the Lord to lead us and the Holy Spirit to guide us. Monday morning chapel sets the tone for the week and staff bookend every week with time together with God.

All curriculum is taught as being connected and whole. Every square centimeter of this earth belongs to God and declares his glory. In each subject area, we consider the world as a whole – a broken, sinful world – but a world fully redeemed by Christ. Art, science, geography, language studies, music all of it is part of God’s good creation and we study it with love for our creator.

Community is a part of what we do. Families at LCES gather together with the common wish to be part of the Joshua’s expression of “...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Conflicts and problems happen within us, but with the starting point of God’s command to love one another we work for healing and enjoy surprising unanimity.

Our teachers are professionals with faith. Who is with your child for 30 hours per week? At LCES, the answer to that question is this: our committed staff not only happen to be trained and qualified to teach, they see their task as their life’s calling given by the Lord. They are not simply free to be openly Christian in their interaction – it’s a requirement.

Praise God for the opportunity to be part of quality, Christian education. SJ