Psalm 97:12

Psalm 97:12 states, "Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name."

The 41st annual BBQ/Auction is a testimony to this verse . . . we praise His name because of what He did this past weekend!  Beautiful weather, great food, wonderful fellowship! God was at the center of everything that happened once again.  Just a few highlights from the weekend:

• We sold over 2,100 chicken dinners.
• We hosted an alumni soccer game Friday night.
• We exceeded our budgeted income projection. (We are waiting on receipts for expenses.)
• We raised enough money to get air conditioning for the gymnasium.
• We raised enough money to pay for our new refrigerator.
• We were given 3 new ovens for the kitchen.
• We were blessed to have family, friends, alumni, and grandparents come together for this special event.

How can we not praise His holy name for what He has done?

A special thank you must go out to Heather Schreier, our BBQ/Auction Chair, and the multitude of men and women that supported her.  For the past year our Auction Committee has been meeting and praying for this weekend, and I know many other families were praying too.  Thank you; your prayers were felt.

In the middle of this wonderful praise I have a special prayer request.  Melissa Cochran, our elementary principal, will be resigning from her position.  Mrs. Cochran's last day will be this Friday.  Mrs. Cochran is resigning because her husband, Dan, lost his job about 2 months ago and was recently hired at a company in Connecticut.   Yes, I said Connecticut.  We will all miss Mrs. Cochran!  Mrs. Cochran has been our elementary principal for a little over a year and has been a true blessing as she has supported, challenged, and encouraged our elementary teachers and students.  Please pray for the entire Cochran family as they will be sorely missed.  The joy we have in all of this is knowing that God has the Cochran family and CCS in the palm of His hand; this may be a shock for all of us, but not for our God.  The Cochrans are looking for a home in Connecticut now; they are planning on moving in November.  Please show your support and love for the Cochran family with a kind word or note before they leave.

I leave you with the words from the Apostle Paul from Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

What Are You Passionate About?

Bill Hybels is the Senior Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and in his book Courageous Leadership defines vision as a picture of the future that produces passion.  Think about that for a moment . . . vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.  The next thought that comes into my mind, what am I passionate about?  My question for you - what are you passionate about?

I have the blessing and privilege to work with passionate people.  The teachers here at Conestoga Christian School passionately love the Lord and love the students they are entrusted to teach.  The parents of CCS are passionately committed to the growth of our school.  It is a joy to work with moms and dads who freely give of their time for the benefit of CCS.  The Board of Trustees embody the vision that Hybels talks about because they see Conestoga in 10 years and get excited about what we can be!  Every staff member, parent, grandparent, and alumnus know that God truly did begin a good work at Conestoga Christian School in 1952 and carries it on to completion until the day Jesus calls us home, just as we are told in Philippians 1:6.

When you think of the future of CCS, do you get excited?  I do!  I get excited about the future because of what I see on campus today.  Have you stopped and thought about what is happening on campus now?  Let me share just a few things:

• In the elementary building we have started Girls on the Run, Science Explorers, and a Math Club.
• In the middle and high school we have student leaders setting the culture of the school by leading in worship, focusing on prayer (evidenced in “See You at the Pole), and serving as chaplains and class officers.
• In athletics we are building community by sitting in the stands and on the hillside watching our student athletes compete for God’s glory.
• In our parents we have leaders stepping up to organize and run the BBQ/Auction, sacrifice to not only pay tuition but fund major projects like air conditioning for the gym, and be the policy makers of the school as they serve on the Board of Trustees.

These are just a few exciting things that are happening RIGHT NOW, but God also has us working on the future.  On March 20, 2015, we will hold our first Founders Dinner with our guest speaker Dr. Ben Carson.  We are expecting 1,000 people from Lancaster, Berks, and Chester counties to be in attendance - 1,000 people!  Who could have seen that coming?  God did!

Psalm 139 tells us that God knows everything about us.  In verse 16 we are told that all our days were written in His book before even one of them came to be.  God knew Dr. Carson would be at Conestoga, God knew that our students would lead in ministry, God knew our elementary school would participate in Girls on the Run - God knows everything.  In Jeremiah 29:11 God says that our future is one of hope and prosperity . . . now who can’t get excited by that!!