Of the many things in which we delight, few things compare to that of seeing God’s word take root in the souls of our children. Just as a fruitful harvest does not occur by chance, neither does such a desired end occur by accident. Rather, the Lord uses means to accomplish such an end.
Over the past few years, our faculty, administration, and board have been working together to set forth a Bible curriculum prizing our common commitments, respecting our differences, and cultivating an understanding and love for God’s word in the minds and souls of our children. To do this we have arrived at a three-pronged approach.
First, we have taken steps to insure that each child passing through our kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum will be very familiar with the story of God’s redemptive acts as recorded and narrated in Scripture. The narratives of the Old and New Testaments will be read three times in the grammar school, each pass through bearing greater depth and detail. This approach allows for a multi-year layering of truth upon truth. The basic questions dealing with who, what, where, and when will be addressed. Moreover, in the seventh and eighth grades, greater attention will be given to the particulars of each book. However, our goal is not merely giving a factual understanding of history. Rather from these necessary facts and truths, the students will be gaining the foundation to understand that such truths and stories are all part of the one story of Christ Jesus “who for us men and for our salvation” suffered on behalf of sinners.
Second, we have developed a systemic approach to Bible memory which allows for the memorization of 17 complete Psalms, the whole of Colossians and 2 Timothy, and 32 verses dealing with key themes. This system of memory is just that, a system. It is a system that takes advantage of our kindergarten-twelfth grade school, building and reviewing each year. It previews passages, gives deliberate time to the memorization of passages, and reviews already memorized passages. Moreover the review is not limited to one year. Rather, the memory work gained in one year is reviewed in later years. All of this is to insure a deeply held remembrance of God’s mighty and gracious word. Such a treasury of God’s word in our children’s minds and souls is priceless.
Third, we have committed our morning assembly each day to the reading and recitation of various Psalms from our memory program. To do this we rely on the upper school students to bring their Bibles with them (NKJV simply for a common version). Thus upper school students and lower school students are exposed to these rich passages meant to create and nourish faith, form our souls, and direct us in God’s worship. Furthermore, our opening assemblies will host the recitation of both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. These creeds hold forth the foundation of what we hold in common as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
All of this demands labor. However, this labor is for the enjoyment of a rich and eternal harvest, as the Lord would bless his word in the life of our children. Please pray that the Lord would bless his word in our children, school, and community. May the Lord bless now and forevermore!
