Welcome back! It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year at ICSV. We had a great turnout at the New Family Orientation on Tuesday. At least 150 parents and students were here, and that doesn’t include all of our staff and faculty who were available to greet everyone. Our secondary student ambassadors did a wonderful job of making the new students feel welcomed at our school.
This year our theme is Stand United. One Mission. One Message. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi: “Stand united, singular in vision [with] one Message, the good news.” As we continue to grow in size, it becomes more important that we make it a priority to maintain our unity as a community with a shared mission and message. What is our mission? As a school, we promise to do our best to provide “high quality, individualized education, equipping students with Christian character to impact the nations of the world.” We also emphasize respect and esteem for others and want every student to be “valued and empowered with truth and knowledge for life.”
Our message is Christ. No more. No less. All those who believe in Him have their sins forgiven and have a restored relationship with God. Before Christ came and gave His life for us, this good news was not available to everyone. The Apostle Paul explains it this way: “The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.” No matter what your cultural or religious background, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! We will love and respect you because you are a wonderful creation of our Heavenly Father. Your students will be valued and appreciated. That is our Mission and Message in a nutshell.
During our opening assemblies on Wednesday, I challenged the students to go out of their way to make the new students feel welcomed. I encouraged them to truly value and love their teachers and classmates, with a love that puts others first. And I asked them to keep unity at the forefront of what they do here, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or on the athletic field.
This year, we choose to stand united. God takes great pleasure when He sees His children supporting each other in community. My prayer for this school year is that we will remain focused on our school’s mission and that we would demonstrate God’s love to each other as we walk out our message of love and acceptance. We are truly excited that you are here!