Parochial School Initiative
Dearly Beloved,
On Easter Sunday this year, I made an announcement in church about our parish taking on a new ministry which will be transformative in the life of All Saints Church and the community around us.
After months of deliberation and investigation, the Vestry voted, at its monthly meeting on Monday in Holy Week, April 11, to establish a parochial school here at All Saints Church. They also set aside funding for the hiring of a principal, who will superintend setting up the structure and all the attendant necessities of establishing and operating a school. That person will begin work this summer, with the anticipation of enrolling students and opening the school in the Fall of 2023.
Classical Christian education is a movement which has been gaining ground in our country for several years. This, of course, is driven for various reasons, but there are two to which I would I would like to draw your attention. The first is that current, modern education models are not educating children in a coherent and holistic way. Education in our society has fallen prey to what has been called “teaching to the test.” Secondly, and most importantly, much of what passes as education has become openly hostile to Christian piety and virtue. To put it bluntly, education in our society no longer recognizes Truth, and so fails to instill the same in our children. As parents, grandparents, and Christian leaders and educators, it incumbent upon us to take responsibility for educating our children in a classical and Christian way so that they may be properly prepared to take the reins from us one day, striving to transform the world for Christ. One significant step to bring this to fruition is the establishment of our parochial school, following the classical Christian education path.
Classical Christian education has been briefly defined as “the transmission of the culture of the Church through a faculty of friends who love the truth by cultivating virtue in the students in body, heart, and mind, and nurturing their love for wisdom and faithful service of the Lord Jesus Christ.”1 This is an education that is grounded in piety and guided by theology. Piety can best be summarized as, “…let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28, ESV) The theology that guides this piety is found in Holy Scripture, the Tradition of the Church, and sanctified Reason. It is our intention to pass along the culture of the Church, cultivating “piety, virtue, and wisdom, as the students grow in the grace of Christ.”2 In doing so, this will be education from the heart of the Church.
This brief discussion outlines our rationale for the establishment of our parochial school. As I indicated above, the school is intended to be a ministry of this parish, in particular, an outreach ministry, which will impact the community and society around us.
With that in mind, we have two essential and guiding principles which will be manifested in the actual operation of the school. The first principle is that this education must be affordable, especially for lower and middle income families. We intend to avail ourselves of public and private funding to ensure that any family which wishes to access this form of education will be able to do so. This will, of course, necessitate fundraising in various ways to provide scholarship opportunities to fill the need families may have. More on this aspect will be forthcoming in the future. The second principle will be the hiring of competent teachers and staff with the scriptural understanding that the “laborer is worthy of his hire.” (Luke 10:7) This scriptural guidance essentially means that the teachers and staff should receive proper recompense for their efforts. We will endeavor to appropriately compensate these individuals, not only to help us retain these competent professionals, but also to express our appreciation to them, as they help us to “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).”
Since the school is a ministry of the parish, it will operate under the auspices of All Saints Church. It will not be a separate entity. In order for it truly to be a place of education from the heart of the Church, the Rector and Vestry will remain the final authority in all matters. The principal, teachers, and staff will be employees of All Saints Church. The principal, once hired, will work directly with me in the establishment of the school. I have already agreed in principle, with a particular educator, to fill this position. I will inform all of you next week after I inform the Vestry at its monthly meeting this coming Monday.
All of us have a role to play in this worthy endeavor. There will be many opportunities in the future for “hands-on” involvement, such as facility upgrades, furniture procurement, classroom essentials and supplies, classroom and recess helpers, fundraising, etc. But right now, there is one role for all of us and it is our Christian duty—pray! Pray that God’s will be done in this new ministry at All Saints. Pray that He will open the doors of success by bringing students into our parish home and benefactors into our parish family. And don’t forget to pray in Jesus’ Name for He has promised us, if we do so, the Father will grant our request!
- DIRECT us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works, especially our school, begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God bless each and every one of you as we move forward in Christ and live His Gospel!
Fr. Erich
p.s., Continue reading with some announcements below.
1. Clark, K. and R.S. Javi, The Liberal Arts Tradition, 3rd edition, 2021, p. 3.
2. Ibid., p. 4.
Announcements
Sunday Lunch Schedule Change
· Reminder: Due to Shakespeare performances, there will be no Fellowship Luncheon this coming Sunday, May 8, after the 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion. The fellowship lunch will return on Sunday, May 22.
All Saints Playground Dedication!
· Our new playground is finished! A special thank you to all who came out and worked and/or made donations to make a new All Saints playground possible. Please join us next Sunday, May 15, immediately following the 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion (around 9:15 a.m.) as we gather to dedicate the new playground and praise God for this new addition to our church!
Vestry Meeting
· Vestry meets Monday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall.
Sunday School Classes
· All Sunday School classes meet weekly at 9:45 a.m. Confirmation classes have started for our youth. Please pray for Callen and Giuliana as they begin their journey to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Wednesday Bible Study
· Our Wednesday night group are studying the Book of Esther. All are welcome to join us after Holy Communion each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., in the parish hall.
Tuesday Bible Study
· Our Tuesday morning study are in the final chapters of the Book of Hebrews. These chapters give great insight on how to live as Christians. It is not too late to join us! Tuesday Bible Study meets weekly at 11:00 a.m. in the parish hall.
VBS 2022 – Registration and Volunteers
· We are currently accepting registrations for Vacation Bible School 2022. Please direct family, friends, and neighbors with young children to our website, allsaintsmillsriver.org, so that they may register online. We are filling up quickly!
· If you would like to volunteer at this year’s VBS, please see Dss. Cynthia! All volunteers, please plan on meeting Sunday, May 22, following the 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion.
Shakespeare Performances
· Abi and Chloe Byrd will be in two Shakespeare performances at All Saints, Friday, May 13 at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. If you would like to reserve a seat for one of these performances, please use the link sent via email from All Saints or speak with Rebekah Byrd, and she will help you reserve a seat.
Flower & Sanctuary Candle Charts
· Many dates are still available! Charts are on the bulletin board for the giving of flowers and sanctuary candles. The suggested donation for flowers is $50.00 and it is $10.00 for the sanctuary candle.
Food Bank
· Bread of Life in Transylvania County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs.
