Happy 35th Anniversary Welcome back to ICSV! We are so excited to have all our students back at school on campus! We have enjoyed seeing everyone and starting 2021-2022 together. This is our 35th year as a school, so we plan to celebrate God’s faithfulness to ICSV throughout the school year. Our first event will be an all-school assembly outside next Friday, September 3, at the end of the school day. This year’s theme ties into our 35th anniversary and also the events of the last couple of years. This year we encourage you to “Thrive in 35!” We don’t want to just continue to survive during this time of Covid. We want our school community to learn what it means to thrive. What do we mean by “thrive?” We are defining this as “to grow vigorously, to flourish, to develop, to be successful, to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.”

Covid is not just going to disappear, so we need to learn how to thrive during these uncertain times. As Christians, it is important that our roots be planted deep into the soil of God’s Word and be positioned to be nourished by Him so that we won’t wither. In fact, when we do this, we will thrive! Simply put, we need to keep our eyes fixed on God. Our single desire should be to see God glorified no matter what the circumstances. God is the one that makes it possible for us to thrive. From God we draw all of the following:

• Our grace and peace
• Our purpose
• Our joy, strength, and hope
• A right attitude
• The power to persevere
• Provision for our personal needs
• Lasting contentment

So, I encourage you not to focus on how overwhelming our circumstances may appear. That is just surviving. Instead, focus on how great our God is. This is thriving! Wishing you a wonderful 2021-2022 school year! Happy 35th Anniversary!

Because of His Faithfulness,

Dr. Sharon C. Brobst, Director

Ryley Heppner, The Gospel Coalition, Canada, “How Do I Thrive during COVID-19”