I have been in education basically all of my professional life. When I started in this profession as a young adult just out of college, I can remember thinking of it as more of a job than a calling. As I have lived this profession for 33 years, all of them at Valley Christian High School, God continues to reveal that it is so much more than that.
As we focus on Christ’s coming this Christmas season, it is so appropriate to look at the role of Christian education as well. Christ came to Earth to redeem what was broken. He also enlists us as Christian servants to do the same. II Peter 1:5-11 states, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For it you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
At VCHS we are educating our students to be productive and knowledgeable about our Lord Jesus Christ so they can be effective agents in the work Christ came to Earth to do. This happens on a daily basis at the school in specific subject areas. It has been so encouraging as the Administrator of Valley Christian to see our students live that out.
Their examples are numerous: leading worship, giving of their time to minister to children in a dilapidated hotel, being able to decipher what type of worldview a piece of literature is written from, and speaking words of wisdom in chapel are just a few of the many examples.
Let’s praise God this Christmas season for that wonderful gift of salvation and thank Him that we have a school that helps students grow in their faith and become effective agents for Him.
Dan Kuiper
Administrator/Principal