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Dear NCS family,
It was Eliphaz. The dude nearly tripped me up. Bildad was clearly out of line. Zophar? Don't get me started. But, Eliphaz...wow!
He nearly had me.
About a month ago, as we were reading through the book of Job as part of our annual
Crusaders Charge into Summer Reading effort, I encountered Eliphaz in Job 4-6. As you will recall, Job has just lost everything--family, possessions, home,
everything--and he has been approached by "friends" that are offering him "counsel". And, as you read through the counsel of Bildad and Zophar, we can clearly see that they are off the rails and Job needs to be picking smarter friends.
But, Eliphaz? I was beginning to think that that perhaps he was legit. In a fashion, the more I read, the more that he was really starting to make sense. So much so, I got worried. I went back to the Bible reading plan we sent out at the end of the school year and realized that we had labelled these chapters, "Job Receives Poor Counsel from Worldly Friends" and I wondered if we had mislabeled Eliphaz. At the last minute, I went to a
Bible commentary by a respected pastor and went back through the counsel of Eliphaz illuminated in that light. And, finally, I could see a bit more clearly where my perspective had been off track. More alarming than that, however, I realized how tempting it is for worldly counsel to undermine the wisdom of God.
And, that, my friends, is what our students are up against every day. The mission of Northwest Christian School,
the mission that brings this community together starting Wednesday, is to
"provide a Bible-based program of education that enables students to develop a Christian worldview". But, it's been said that "worldview is more caught than taught". Simply stated, that is the risk that our students face. We live in a fallen world and it seems as though our culture is in freefall, perilously plummeting away from the pure plumb line of God's word. Our kids are inundated with conflicting and insidious worldviews every time they watch Netflix, listen to the latest hit on Spotify, or catch a movie with their friends.
But, do not be discouraged by this dire appraisal! Where sin abounds,
God's grace is always  so much more abundant! (Romans 5:20) As school resumes this week, the form of God's grace that I'm most excited about--that abounds all around us--
is the partnership between the Christian home, the local church that you attend, and the Christian school. We
need each other to accomplish our mission.
In your students' classrooms, no matter the grade or the content area, we will be asking the questions that help grow Christian worldview. More specifically, using specific academic tools, we will be teaching the required critical thinking that helps them, over time, to begin independently discerning opposing worldviews. These tools are "Biblical Integration" and the "Biblically Integrated Essential Question". They hold a place within our curriculum maps and within every lesson and every lecture.
But, you can help too! I get very excited when I think about dad and mom reinforcing these same lessons and questions every time the television or radio is switched on. And, it is easy to do. To the right,
and available here as a download, is a poster that hangs in every NCS classroom as a reminder, a prompt if you will, of the sorts of questions that our teachers use to illuminate worldview--both Biblical and those that stand in opposition to God's word. Consider using these questions at home. The next time you are watching a television program with your kids, consider asking (taking a prompt from the second BI question), "What does this show teach you
about you? About your faith, identity, and purpose? Does that agree with what we see in God's word or disagree with it?" You may be pleasantly surprised by the sorts of conversations that are generated.
 If you are a real go-getter, there are some other wonderful resources out there. In particular, Summit Ministries has put together a host of materials that can help your family in discerning worldview. Consider sitting down with your children, or even just you and your spouse, and taking Summit's Worldview Check-up.
(That link is right here!) After a few questions, you can begin to dial in to some meaningful points of conversation. Even further, if you want to connect the dots between certain ideas and principles and how those ideas and principles harmonize with Christian worldview, consider visiting this Summit link which helps draw out the points of comparison pretty clearly.
(That link is right here!)
Sorry, Eliphaz, it just doesn't look like it's going to be your year at Northwest Christian! In fact,
with parents, faculty, and students working in harmony, it looks like it is going to be a very, very good year.
Grateful for the opportunity to serve this school and your family,
Geoff Brown
Superintendent
Northwest Christian School
(623)225-5573 (cell)
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| Crusaders, Mark Your Calendars Now! |
| Crusaders, Mark Your Calendars Now! |
It used to be that the spring musical was the busiest time of year for Crusader actors and actresses. But, fall has also turned into a busy time of year for the Northwest Christian Fine Arts Department! Each fall, the department sponsors the NXNW Film Festival, a high school film festival, at a local theater. The anchor of that event is a film produced by Cabin Fever Films and directed by Damon Evans which features a student cast. As well, in addition to the school's annual spring musical, the school is pleased to present a play each fall.
This year's NXNW Film Festival will take place in four auditoriums at the AMC Deer Valley 14 on November 14th. The evening will see the debut of the sixth Northwest Christian student film: "Scapegoat". This year's movie--mysteriously billed by Evans as "an Escape Room story"--promises to be a thriller-mystery filled with all sorts or twists, turns, and surprises.
This year's fall play will see a new director: Don Crosby. Though Mary Jane McCloskey will return for the spring musical, she has asked Don to take the lead within the fall play. With a rich background in student dramatic productions at both the high school and university level, Don is ready to run with Northwest Christian's fall 2019 production of "Smoke on the Mountain".
More information on these fall efforts is forthcoming, but until then, mark your calendars for auditions after school on August 29th and 30th.
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| Crusaders Have A Growing Number of Club and Team Opportunities Available |
More teams, more clubs than ever in the new school year
At Northwest Christian, there are a wide variety of strategies to connect students with one another and with mentors for the purpose of growing academically, physically, and spiritually. Over the years, athletics has proven to be an incredibly effective platform for this concept. At the same time, faculty and student-led clubs also provide forums for growth and leadership.
The school is thrilled to announce that the Cactus Christian Schools League is adding sixth grade teams to our competitive sports program. This year, we are adding sixth grade teams for volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, and cheer. Information on this opportunity is available in the athletic office and will be coming home with your student.
At the same time, there has been tremendous growth on the campus in terms of clubs for both primary and secondary students. For our elementary and middle school students, ASAP (After School Advantage Program) and AAA (for middle school) allow students with similar interests to come together and find growth above and beyond what the classroom offers. These opportunities include the Jr. Crusader athletic program, Jr. Crusader Cross Country, Robotics, STEM, Math, and much more. More information on this will arrive in your email inbox separately and come home with your students over the first few days of school. For secondary students (both middle and high school), aside from the State Championship-caliber athletic program (with four purple banners added to the gym last year!), there is a growing number of clubs to grow students spiritually, academically, and physically. More info on those clubs is below. Secondary students that are interested in learning more about these clubs directly from the club leaders can express their interest at THIS LINK.
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On July 31st, the whole cast of faculty and staff returned for the start of a new school year. But, instead of reporting to campus, the entire group filled every lane at the local bowling alley for "Crusader Bowl-a-Rama". The morning was spent playing team-building bowling games and giving out some fun awards and prizes.
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| Northwest Christian "Growing and Going" Campaign Continues to Move the Campus Forward |
There are still many developments ahead!
Three years ago, Northwest Christian began the journey of campus improvement under the banner of "Growing and Going". In that the school is responsibly paying for the enhancements with cash and avoiding debt, the pace has been determined by fundraising. More information on this effort can be found at this link.
The summer of 2019 saw several steps within this plan realized. The most significant change has been to the library. The space which the library occupies was adjusted to include the addition of a new elementary technology room as well as a space for elementary art. (Before and after pictures are above and below.) As part of the developing plan, however, these spaces are not the ultimate destination for elementary art and technology. The near horizon holds plans for the construction of a new kindergarten classroom building and  expansion of the Early Education building. When that change happens, rooms will shift once more and art and tech will migrate towards a 'specials classroom plaza' on the south end of the campus. At that point, the rededicated library space will become what is being termed as the Crusader Creation Commons. The Crusader Creation Commons will follow a "Maker's Space" concept in a form: a space reserved for technologically-inclined students to experiment with 3-D printers, die-cutters, cameras and video editing equipment, graphic design tools, a music recording studio, and much more.
The other significant change on campus was moving the Mini-Crusader program (infants through early walkers) into the Early Education building. This move will allow for improved classroom space, a new outside play space, and increased security. That security includes a brand new entrance to the preschool. Parents, students, and visitors will need to secure permission to enter through video cameras placed outside a second, secure gate.
The Northwest Christian team was courageous in the adjustments required to facilitate these and other improvements that families will see upon return in the fall. All said, twenty-one classroom moves took place.
To hear about the next phase of the Growing and Going campaign, please make plans to attend the annual fundraising dinner at auction taking place at the Phoenix Art Museum on September 28th. The theme for this year's event is "Shaping the Future" as that attendees will be the first on campus to learn about forthcoming projects that will increase the quality of programs for all ages on campus--technology, early education, and fine arts.
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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Crusaders, Mark Your Calendars Now!
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It was a packed house every week of the summer as Garry Kaiser's Christian Worldview/Creation and Evolution seminar at the school. Last night was no exception as that the event has consistently drawn over forty attendees. |
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