Education
I want to take this opportunity to invite you to attend the Open House and the Dedication of our newly renovated High School. The date is Thursday, November 13, with the Open House from 5 to 8 PM and the dedication at 7 PM. The question really is what does it mean to dedicate a building and why is this important? The Scriptures, particularly the Old Testament is filled with stories of how God’s people dedicated their work, their land, their crops, their buildings, their children, and themselves to God’s service. We too feel it is important to recognize that we want this building and the learning that takes place in it, as well as every person that walks its hallways to be used by God to build His kingdom. We do not think that God literally requires a building in order to do His work; but rather this school building is to be used by us – staff, parents, and students - to carry on God’s work, to allow us to carry out our calling of teaching and learning in a manner that will equip our students and staff to be kingdom builders and world changers. We are dedicating this building to the task of preparing young men and women to be disciples of Christ. It is a building in which we will bring God praise and honor through our worship. However, we do understand that every aspect of our school and our entire life is really worship; what happens in every classroom - science rooms, media center, commons, hallways, athletic fields and tennis courts; every aspect of this school does indeed belong to God. Worship is not something we get to add to a school experience because we are a Christian school, it is the very core of what do every day – during every minute of the day at Holland Christian – and not just at the High School but every building, every campus. This is our work, this is our calling, and this is our purpose. We are also called in the Scriptures to live in community and within that community. It would seem to me that if as a community we build something it should be God’s not ours. It should then be used to build up the entire body – the body of Christ. So then dedicating that building to God’s use is not just a good thing to do, it is critical. Also because we have claimed the name of Christ as part of our own – Holland Christian Schools – we must make sure that every public proclamation that we do belongs to God, is backed by actions as well as words. This is not to say that until this building was officially dedicated we were not really working to God’s glory but rather it demonstrates the importance of celebration and ceremony within a community. There are times when you need to come together to celebrate God’s faithfulness and His presence in our lives personally and as an institution. If anything, we do not celebrate often enough – also the importance of ceremony is that we acknowledge the deep significance of this claim to be followers of Christ. It is in such a ceremony that we nurture a sense of covenant. We, as a body, promise to use this building to the glory of God and are willing to be held accountable to live up to those covenants and promises made with each other and before God. That is not to be taken lightly. Indeed we are told in the book of Proverbs that unless the Lord builds the house the builders’ work is done in vain. Throughout the 108-year history of Holland Christian we maybe have built or occupied 20 buildings or more. Each one served the body well and for a specific purpose and time but this school is not about buildings – it is about the people and what happens within the walls of those buildings. Again what we are dedicating is not really the bricks and mortar but it is what happens with the relationships and the instruction occurring within the walls. We are recommitting, by our words and actions, to continue the work that was begun by the generations of school supporters that came before us, to offer this school, these buildings, and everything that happens in and around those buildings to be used for God’s work and that we are pledging to continue this work for benefit of generations yet to be born. So, won’t you please join us on November 13 – Open House from 5 to 8 PM and a Dedication celebration to take place at 7 PM. Come and make that promise with us to do God’s work everyday, in every classroom, in every activity, in every square inch of the school building – all of our buildings – those that are new and those that have been part of the system for years. This entire school system belongs to God and we should count it as a privilege to be able to use it for that very purpose.