Author: Jonathan Sarr

I won’t soon forget some of the early conversations about Evangel Classical School.  Before we had a name or a mascot, we had an interest in not being insular.  Trinity Evangel Church started ECS in order to serve some of her own people who wanted to educate their Marysville kids with the classical model.  But from the start, we were hoping to be able to extend blessing far beyond one local church.  Today, we serve families from over thirty different churches in the area, and I’d love for that number to double in the coming years.

The whole of the New Testament assumes believers’ mutual dependency.  This is how Christian community works. Further, if our aim involves actual cultural transformation, it’s silly to suppose that we can effect that ourselves, no matter how big our school gets.  Ergo, we cheerfully aim to lock arms with other Christian institutions in our cultural advancement efforts.  

But not every Christian institution – churches, schools, businesses, ministries, etc. – makes the most sense for us. There are lots of reasons for this, most of which are obvious.  

From time to time, and going forward, I’d like to highlight some of the institutions with whom we identify most readily.  You may hear these groups referenced around the school on occasion, and you may be benefited if I were to give some context for our glad identification with them.

First up: Trinity Evangel Church. 

First, full disclosure: I’m a pastor at Trinity Evangel Church, and I like it. I’m on the TEC payroll.  Feel free to take my comments with as many grains of salt as you wish.  I only wish to explain the happy association between the institutions and why it makes so much sense.

The connection between Evangel Classical School and Trinity Evangel Church is as old as the school, and were it not for the church, the school would not exist.

The mission statement of Trinity Evangel Church is a good one: 

We are laboring in joy to cultivate a Trinitarian community of worshiping, maturing disciples who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord over all the world. 

The term community here does not simply refer to the congregation of TEC.  Rather, this cultural work starts with the worship of the saints at Trinity and then extends outward from there.  Christians should influence and shape the culture in their neighborhoods and workplaces; their cups are filled up in their Christian contexts (e.g., church and school), and spill out in their other contexts.  When this happens, the Lordship of Christ comes to bear on society.

This is also the intent of Evangel Classical School.  Because Jesus is Lord, we are training our students to export their lessons and effectiveness in their own homes and churches and even (as they get older) their own clubs and sports teams and so on. Little by little, we wish to populate north Snohomish County with Christians who acknowledge Christ’s Lordship, and who have both the interest and the ability to engage culture accordingly.  

And the idea for this approach comes from the church that started the school in the first place.

This is the substance of the Calvinism of Trinity Evangel Church, and allowing for disagreement on secondary doctrines, it’s the philosophy of Evangel Classical School.  

By the grace of God, there are a number of healthy, effective churches represented at ECS.  As I am often asked about the relationship between TEC and the school, I answer: we are deeply associated, and hopefully this helps to explain why that is the case.  May our association with other churches soon be as deep.  

Risus est bellum!
Jonathan 

What is the most important thing in teaching? 

At ECS, some of our curriculum is published by Memoria Press.  Their spring catalogue included a very good article by Martin Cothran entitled “Principles of Pedagogy.” In it, Cothran argues that a major distinction between classical education and modern education relates to how each regards content versus delivery:

“The most important thing in teaching is not the how, but the what. Pedagogy does not determine content: Content determines pedagogy. Modern educators tend to put more emphasis on pedagogy, subordinating content to technique. Classical education aims to do the opposite.“

Incidentally, pedagogy is “the science of how to teach.”

Cothran goes on to argue that the modern culture’s obsession with psychology and soulless behavior modification has elevated teaching methods to preeminent levels in teacher training programs rather than ensuring that would-be educators actually have something to teach (that is, a mastery of content). This passes the sniff test when one darkens the door of a neighboring middle school or university.  He’s got a point.  

Ironically, Cothran reminds his readers that “The original definition of psychology was ‘the study of the soul.’ Classical education understands that in order to form the souls of our students—which is what teaching is—we must first know the form of the human soul.”  He’s right. Also, moderns have redefined psychology to be the “scientific study of mind and behavior,” which is necessary if we are going to deny the existence of the pupil’s soul.  I mean, if the pupils in the desks don’t have souls, when what should we do? 

It’s fitting at this point to suggest one place where I’d push back on Mr. Cothran’s argument, though some may call it splitting hairs.  He says that “the most important thing in teaching is…the what.”  At ECS, while we believe that the how and what of teaching are important, we would say that the most important thing is the who, both instructors and the instructed. I’ll list three quick reasons why I say this.  

First, a good man will not teach bad content.  The material being taught simply cannot be divorced from the person doing the teaching.  Just as the man who would be the mouthpiece of God to a congregation must meet certain character criteria, so the character of the teacher matters a good deal if he would stand before his students without hypocrisy or reservation.  

Second, we are built for fellowship. Knowledge is inextricably linked to wisdom, to be sure, but to what end? Fellowship with the Father and with one another.  Education must first be about people who live in fellowship with other people, and about shaping souls to build culture.  This is central to our school’s own cultural efforts, from recess to conflict resolution (including discipline procedures) to conversations in the parking lot after school.  It’s why we love Matthew 18 so much!

Third, we are imitative creatures who will become like our teachers when our training is complete (cf. Luke 6:40).  It’s not a matter of if, but rather when or who? 

Each of these deserves more fleshing out, but that must suffice for the moment. In fact, there’s a lot more to the whole article, including a great working explanation of the arts and the sciences, as well as a fleshing out of the ethos, pathos, and logos.  But I’ll let you read it if you’re so inclined.

For now, as you’re making plans for next fall, and as you’re talking with your friends and neighbors about education, bear in mind that we are not just a secular school alternative; we are working to form souls rather than modify behavior, and that is not splitting hairs; it makes all the difference.  Increasingly, secular schools are abandoning the things we depend on: objective truth, objective morality, and the existence of the soul.  Can what they’re doing be called education?  Aristotle would say, “No, sir.”

Risus est bellum!

Jonathan

Hello, Raggant families.

It’s hard to believe that we’re nearly finished with another school year. In some ways this year has been a real challenge, but in most ways it’s been fantastic.

It is not hard to find the thumbprints of God on ECS school year 2025-2026. From curriculum to culture, we have seen a lot of good. Admittedly, we lost a good number of families this year, which is a hard providence.

Often in times like this leaders offer glib platitudes as they try to rally their people to a better future. These are well-intentioned, but often ring hollow. I get it…and I actually mean what I’m about to say.

Because we love the families that have left, we’ve spent a lot of time and energy considering how we can make our offering better. So as hard as it’s been, I think it will be good for us long term.

An evidence of God’s favor in this came at the Fundraising Feast a couple of weeks ago. One board member suggested afterward that the Feast provides perhaps the best glimpse of the ECS community culture. It’s hard to disagree. There’s nothing like a visit to the school for Matins to get a feel for the school culture, but our community goes beyond that. That wonderful evening out at Swans Trails featured good food, merrymaking, and fellowship.

We also raised some money! In gifts and pledges we received $96,182. That is fantastic and will really help us as we round out this year’s contracts. Now we are working in earnest to set budget numbers for next year, and tuition payment plans are coming in, helping us to figure that out. Thank you for your part in all of this.

As we stood in the kitchen at home over the weekend, I was speaking with my daughter, who will graduate on Friday night. Her head was obviously spinning as all of these lasts kept coming and going while graduation approaches furiously. I told her, “Take time to enjoy it. These things only happen once.”

That’s my encouragement to you, as well. Take time to enjoy it, because we will blink twice, and then Orientation will be upon us. AAH!

Risus est bellum!

Jonathan

This year we have been working to consider afresh our Other Graduation Requirements in our monthly assemblies.  

On the first day of school,  Mr. Higgins talked about being Watershed Raggants, or people who are characterized by our OGR’s. Sean challenged the students to be as ignorable to the world as a rooftop is to raindrops. And at the roof’s ridge, that raindrop must choose which way to go, but deal with it he must.  Other men worked to offer more on the OGR’s:

• In October, I talked about being Stout Image Bearers.
• In November, Mr. Chuck Weinberg talked about being Generous Disciples of Christ. 
• In January, Mr. Grant Weinberg talked about being Prodigious Learners.
• In February, Mr. Martin talked about being Copious Producers.
• In March, Mr. Olson talked about being Thankful Stewards.
• In April, Mr. Bowers talked about being Jovial Warriors.

If Mr. Higgins provided one introductory bookend in September, I wish to suggest the other bookend, just in time for the Fundraising Feast. 

Watershed Raggants are Formidable Feasters. 

This is from Oxford…

formidable: inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.

From Merriam-Webster…

formidable:causing fear, dread, or apprehension; having qualities that discourage approach or attack; tending to inspire awe or wonder; impressive.

What a glory it would be if that described our feasting.  

Of course, this all presupposes the existence of someone to be threatened by our feasting.  We know that our enemies exist, but we think of them rarely.  Simply considering the devil himself (though he has lots of associates), it is no reach to imagine that he enjoys our feasting about as much as Grendel enjoyed the evening entertainment at Heorot (that is, not much!).  

While there’s a lot more to say about each of these, let me me just briefly list what I think the OGR’s have to do with formidable feasting: 

Formidable Feasters are STOUT because feasting requires substance of character. 

A Formidable Feaster is iron where gluttons are balsa wood.  A formidable feaster is a lion when gluttons are little kittens plucked from the bathtub.  

Formidable Feasters are GENEROUS because they know that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). 

If you are selfish, you cannot be a Formidable Feaster.  Feasting comes from a generous heart; gluttony comes from a selfish heart.  If you come to the banqueting table selfishly, whatever it is that you are doing, it’s not feasting.  

Formidable Feaster are COPIOUS because it’s impossible to feast too much.  

Copious means “abundant in supply or quantity.”  Formidable feasters do it a lot.  And while feasting is work, it’s far more work to have the right heart than it is to have the right menu or place settings.  The feasting we’re talking about is weaponized receiving – if it’s receiving good gifts in such a way as to show off the Giver of the gifts – can this be done too much?  

Feasting is more than eating.  Overeating is easy; over-feasting is impossible. 

Formidable Feasters are PRODIGIOUS because God’s blessings are great.  

Feasting usually involves food, and while fast food has its place, it does not require the same level of feasting copiousness that is required of Tri-tip, chicken, psalm singing, coffee, dessert, and more singing.  Receiving these well involves some skill, muscle, and care. 

Formidable Feasters are THANKFUL because they understand grace. 

Just as the generous man knows it is more blessed to give than to receive, so the Formidable Feaster recognizes that his thankfulness is itself a gift to the givers.  

If you are at a feast full of thankful people, the atmosphere is sweet even if the meal is scanty.  

Formidable Feasters are JOVIAL because they know they know that laughter is war.  

Joviality will be an outflow of thankfulness and generosity.  And without it, the world will not care about our feasting, our receiving, or our efforts to honor God through our feasting.  Dour feasting is an oxymoron.

Perhaps this all strikes you as abstract or ethereal.  Then please come on May 16 to join the festivities!  The springtime Fundraising Feast presents a fresh opportunity to feast formidably.  Every year these feasts get better and more potent, and I’m praying that this year’s will continue that trend. Please come to receive with us, to hear about the current state of things at the school, as well as the many evidences of God’s favor we’re enjoying.  

The location is Swans Trail Farms. The cost is free.  The party starts at 5:30. There’s no childcare available, but students in grades 3-12 will be performing, and they’ll be engaged and fed when they’re not singing.  

RSVP to Aisha Bone by May 9: abone@evangelcs.org

Risus est bellum!
Jonathan

We have about a week left for our current families to reenroll for next year, so I thought it fitting to offer some perspective on why ECS is not a homeschool co-op…even if we do think that homeschooling is great.

When a private school administrator lauds the virtues of homeschooling, pay attention.  When he points out its deficiencies, there may be a conflict of interest.  I get it.  

Maybe suspend your squinty-eyed skepticism for a moment and consider the context. I’ve gone on record before saying that homeschooling is awesome.  I still think that in principle, though my sentiments must be qualified.  Homeschooling done well requires the sort of parental investment that Deuteronomy 6 requires. Unfortunately, some stop listening at that point, when the next part is also important: not everyone can do it well.  

What do I mean by this?  Homeschooling done well features certain kinds of fruit.  For instance, the child/trainee is marked by….

• Deep family fellowship and loyalty.
• An interest and ability to shape culture when his training is complete.
• The skills to worship robustly, produce copiously, and learn prodigiously.

But this sort of fruit is no more unique to homeschooling than it is guaranteed to come from it.  Neither is it guaranteed fruit of an ECS education, as much as we aim for it. As a pastor, I want this for all my people.  I am jealous for the blessing that comes from obedience for all of them.  As one invested in our church and schools’ (Evangel Classical School and Comeford College) bigger work of societal formation, I realize that ECS is one weapon in a big, generational cultural project.  It is not a silver bullet, a panacea, a guarantee of success or anything.  It is an avenue for faithfulness and a help to parents as they work to do more than merely educate their children.

You read that right.  ECS is about more than education proper, it’s about soul formation of the next generation of culture-builders.  It is the responsibility of our teachers to keep before them this question: How am I going to help the image-bearers before me to realize their potential?  It is a long (and also quick!) project that involves skill acquisition, reps, drilling, discussion, singing, and all those other regular features of daily life at our school.

“So far, so good,” says the homeschooling mom.  “We can do that from home or when we’re on vacation.”  And right you are.  Your mileage may vary, and it may look different from day schooling, but technically you can “do” a lot of those things at home.  But how does a conversation about The Bondage of the Will or Frankenstein around the kitchen table compare with one facilitated by a teacher and involving a broad host of perspectives?  Does rhetorical training differ when your audience comprises a dozen peers rather than your little sister? Does the singing around your kitchen table compare with the singing at Matins?  

Recognizing these differences does not make me a homeschool hater. Homeschooling has great strengths, including cost and flexibility.  Some people actually, really cannot afford private school tuition, but there is always a steep cost to all education…and sometimes it involves dollars. Private education costs a lot of tuition dollars; homeschooling costs a lot of time actually administering lessons; both models cost a lot of our selves if we do them right. Public schooling costs tens of thousands of tax dollars per year, per child…but if you send your kids there it may well cost their souls.  So cost is inescapable.  The question is a matter of how much cost we are willing and able to incur as we educate our children and live by faith.

I’m going to finish this by speaking personally about why we, the Sarrs, choose to send our kids to ECS rather than homeschooling them.  My wife and I were trained as educators, and I am 100% certain that I could not duplicate my children’s ECS education at home.  

There’s nothing in Deuteronomy 6 that prohibits the inclusion of multiple voices in our children’s training, even if the ultimate responsibility belongs to parents.  Further, the whole of the New Testament assumes Christians’ mutual dependency.  Many of the people that my children love and respect the most are the teachers at their school. This does not absolve me of responsibility, but rather constitutes a multiplication of my parental efforts. The female teachers of ECS all have the green light to speak into my daughters’ lives and offer perspective and input that reinforce what we’re trying to do at home.  

Likewise – and this is a particularly uncommon grace to ECS – a cadre of godly men get to encourage my son in ways that only support what we are trying to do at home.  Whether it’s the male teachers or myself, my son cannot escape the presence of men who are striving for godliness, and we (my son included) would not want it any other way…even if it meant being able to save on tuition dollars or travel whenever we wanted (common reasons given for homeschooling).  

And this says nothing about the influence that godly friends are having on my children.  I actually really like my kids’ friends, and I’m glad that they’re in their lives.  Their sparring partners are also their buddies.  

Maybe in the Millennial Kingdom homeschooling will be the norm…but I tend to doubt it.  When the zeitgeist is holy there will still be a different set of benefits to multiple teachers for a student.  As for now, while we think our model is best for the reasons I’ve enumerated, what we need most is the grace of God in our educational efforts.  May God be kind to effect that in each of your families “when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,” or whenever else you are discipling them (Deut. 6:7).

Risus est bellum!

Jonathan

Happy summer, Raggant families!

Plenty has been afoot in the hallways of Evangel Classical School, and I’m glad to bring you a few updates.

Fundraising Feast Follow-up

I’ve been able to offer some in-person updates on the Feast, but a written one has not yet gone to you all, and I’m sorry for the delay. If you were there, you’ll be aware that our ambitious aim was to raise $100,000 for scholarships for the coming year.  Apparently neither the Lord nor the feasters were intimidated by this number, as we collected $104,000! To say this helps us out is a profound understatement.  Whether or not I should be, I am surprised by this, and profoundly grateful to the Lord and to all of you who helped us to meet our goal.

But the work ain’t over yet. Read on for more.

Enrollment Realities

No doubt owing in large measure to our tuition increase, we’ve experienced significant attrition this year, even since the end of the school year.  We currently have about 165 students registered for the coming school year, with open seats in all of the grades.  Of course, if you know of faithful evangelical families who would be a good fit for our school, it’s not too late to encourage them to inquire for the fall!  

Personnel Changes

We bid a fond farewell to Grace Olson, Joel Wright, and Nadene Rothenberger, who will be moving on to other life chapters this year.  Grace will be headed off to New Saint Andrews in a couple of weeks; Joel will be homeschooling, traveling and changing his pace this coming year; Nadene will be focusing more time on her family, especially as her grandchildren keep increasing in number.  We expect to see them around the school.

We are bringing aboard Mr. Ian Lugg (father of five Raggants: Job, Ruthie, Ella, Ava, and Selah), who will be teaching Omnibus, Pre-Algebra, Algebra II, PE and Skills for us.  Bazen Hevia will also be around in a similar role to that filled by Grace Olson last year, meaning that she’ll be something of a Swiss-army knife, assisting and teaching in a support role according to our needs and her abilities.  We’re very excited to welcome these two in our teaching ranks. 

Secondary Offerings

We keep working to refine and improve our secondary (i.e., grades 7-12) course offerings, and here are few changes we’re introducing this year:

Five Omnibus classes:
    ⁃    Omnibus I (7th grade, Phil Olson)
    ⁃    Omnibus I (8th grade, John Giddings)
    ⁃    Omnibus III (9th grade, Ian Lugg)
    ⁃    Omnibus III (10th grade, Sean Higgins)
    ⁃    Omnibus V (11th and 12th grade, Grant Weinberg and Jonathan Sarr)
    ⁃    Art, 2 days per week, Anna Liden
    ⁃    PE, 2 days per week, Ian Lugg
    ⁃    JH and HS choirs offered 2 days per week alternatively, Sonja Sarr

All of our 7th-12th grade students will be placed in PE at the beginning and they will have the opportunity to request a switch to Art.  Schedules and Drop/Add forms will be available for pickup at Orientation on August 22.  

As you can see, we’ve been busy, and it’s probably a good thing, since school starts in just over a month.  Meanwhile, enjoy the remaining days of our glorious Northwest summer, and we’ll see you soon!

Risus est bellum!

-U. H.

The year that the US celebrated 200 years of independence from Britain, educational pundit Howard Kirschenbaum offered a working definition of the popular educational theory dubbed “Values Clarification.” He offered this definition:

“An approach that utilizes questions and activities designed to teach the valuing process and to help people skillfully apply the valuing processes to value-rich areas in their lives” (Kirschenbaum, 1976, p. 103-4).

The Journal of Education Leadership offers this additional commentary on Kirschenbaum:

“Kirschenbaum did not assert that values clarification will be the one true answer for humankind, as it does not provide all of the answers. Yet, Kirschenbaum’s work does explain a process for valuing. The author posited if people engage in this process, their lives will have more positive value and they will become constructive global citizens” (Kirschenbaum, 1976).

“Does not provide all the answers?” Gee, ya think?

This is wrongheaded, and quite different from what we are trying to do at Evangel Classical School.

Values Clarification’s baseline assumption is that values are things to be discovered. At ECS, we believe that values are things to be given.

Our aim is not to help students discover what is true or false, good or bad, beautiful or ugly. We don’t need to discover what God has given any more than a car needs to discover gasoline. It needs to receive, and then operate accordingly. Rather we want for them to know and love what is true, good, and beautiful.

Education is fundamentally moral, and to try to educate without a defined sense or morality is like trying to sail without a boat. Further, without a fixed standard, we are the determiners of what constitutes the moral or the valuable.

This is silly! There is a fixed order to the universe, physically, morally, and otherwise. If it were not so, the laws of physics would be the suggestions of physics, and we’d have no bridges with structure under tension, nor would we have internal combustion engines, utilizing a series of controlled explosions to get you from Arlington to Marysville. We’d have reckless robbery and murder in the streets and chaos would reign. A man today is considered courageous when he says he’s a woman, but a man who is five feet tall is thought to be a bit imbalanced when he identifies as a seven-footer.

Every math teacher ever has realized that 2 + 2 = 4, yet few can (or will?) say why that is the case. I have no interest in helping grammar students discover the sum of 2 and 2, but I want them to know it as a fact; I do want to train them to figure out more of what God has ordered.

With a fixed starting point, we can sing Happy Birthday harmoniously and beautifully; without a fixed starting point, it sounds like the cacophony of a hundred voices singing in 103 different keys.

We believe that culture is a baton to be passed on to the next generation. Values are inside that baton of culture, and our values must be based on the revealed word of God, not the fluid and real-time discoveries of fallen men.

Yet it’s been said that the best of men are men, at best. Our notions of what God has said may be wrong. But here we have the grace of God’s Word to which we can appeal to retreat. And this is where the academic part of education comes into play. With our educational model, we are working to train students to better understand the world that God has created and ordered, with little interest in moral self-discovery. And when their training is complete, they will have not only something to say, but the ability to say it, with the authority of men under authority.

Let us abandon any efforts to help our children discover their values and instead help them to love what God values. Doing so will prove infinitely better than letting them determine their own morality.

• —The U.H.

To nobody’s surprise, the Sarr household is far from perfect.  A few nights ago, I lost my cool with one of my kids.  I didn’t appreciate her line of questions, and I blew up.  The moment was precipitated (and followed) by some laughter and fun moments, but – strangely enough – nobody remembers them.  What do they remember? What did everyone want to talk about the next morning?  Dad getting mad.  Though I apologized within minutes and fellowship was restored, the teachable moment was immortalized, and with it, a memory…and not a good one.

The next morning, I took the opportunity to debrief about it with one of the witnesses to the situation to this effect: Nobody cares about what happened to provoke me.  They care a lot about how I responded in the moment.  The same will be true of you. If you want to have influence, you cannot lose your temper, and you cannot lose control…whether it’s in your living room…or your classroom.  This principle applies across a host of contexts.  

As for us parents, a fair question to ask of ourselves is this: What will our children remember from their time with us?

The regular is important and formational; the irregular is memorable. When I ask my kids about highlights from the last year, they never say “meals around the table,” or “car rides home from church.” Instead, they say, “the time we went hiking with the _______ family,” or “the time when we went to the zoo and had a picnic in the back of the van,” or “when we went to ______.” 

Of course this does not mean that the meals together or the routine of corporate worship are unimportant; of course they are! It’s just to say that they’re going to remember the out-of-the-ordinary events just as much as they will the mundane…for good or for ill.

Perform a test.  Ask your children what stands out from the last year for them, and the odds are high that it will not be the mundane, but rather the uncommon moments that they mention.

This is perhaps an unfair standard, and perhaps even unrealistic.  Nobody can be perfect all the time, and as soon as we blow it, we can be sure that the kids will remember it (unless, of course, your blowing it is regular, which is a different problem, and a big one).  But as regards the irregular and memorable loss of patience or control, I would say three things:

1. Repent quickly. Blowing it affords the opportunity to build trust and credibility by quick repentance.  Pretending you didn’t blow it only confuses and insults the intelligence of everyone who saw you do it.  Owning it with humility and without excuse and seeking forgiveness will restore fellowship and build trust and credibility.  A man who repents before he’s caught or confronted is a man who can be trusted.  
2. Receive grace.  Blowing it introduces the opportunity for grace to cover your parenting (or teaching, or working, or neighboring…). Of course we don’t fail on purpose so as to bring about an opportunity for grace (Paul anticipated this notion.)  Where grace exists, grace is abused.  But in order for grace to be abused, it has to be present in the first place. Ideally, your home will be filled with grace, and you will have opportunity to give it and receive it. But when you receive it, give thanks in return while extending grace to others.  This is a fragrant aroma that draws others in. 
3. Repeat.  Move on and do better next time, leaning on the Spirit to direct your work.  Strive to ensure that even the standout moments are good ones.  Work to grow and eliminate those standout bad moments.  While we may not realize it in this life, if there are no lapses to stand out, the pleasant memories will crowd out the bad ones!

In the end, we want for our young people to want to be around our homes and classrooms.  We cannot expect these places to be devoid of sin, but we can expect them to be devoid of hypocrisy and full of grace.  

What will they remember from their time with you?

—The U.H.

We bring you the first Raggant Standard of the spring.  Wild as it seems, we are on the homestretch of the school year.  Once spring break is behind us, the school year is over in a blink.  

At present, we are in the throes of enrollment, budget planning, staffing, and summer planning ahead of next year.  Spring sports are in full swing, the spring concert will be here before we know it, and the seniors are looking to finish well their time with us.

One highlight of the spring is our annual Fundraising Feast.  If you’ve ever been before, you’re aware that we are more concerned with feasting than we are with fundraising.  Although there is an obvious and important business side to running a school (making the dollars rather important), making our needs known in the context of a feast is fitting.  I’ve written about this before, and – even if only to remind myself – I do so again now.

We ask a lot of the Lord, and it’s fitting for us to pause and give Him thanks and praise for His grace.  The Feast affords us such an opportunity. The Feast orients us, reminding us that our blessings are from Him. 

How we feast says a lot about us.  The world apes our festal celebrations with vapid determinations to be happy.  Examples abound from secular “Thanksgivings” to pride celebrations where the celebrants glory in folly.  Our Fundraising Feast is not like that.  It’s a substantive and Christ-centered party that features good food, good music, good conversation, and merry people.  We work hard to put on a first-rate party, then show up, ready to receive.  

And receive we do!  Every year I am blessed by the concentration of God’s blessing in one place for three hours.  When I see the sorts of people God continues to bring to our circle, when I am blessed by the students (many of whom number the Feast among their favorite nights of the year), I am reminded that God is at work at Evangel Classical School.  At that time we invite people to help us keep it going, even if the most important element is glorifying God in our feasting whether or not we give a penny to the cause of ECS.  

This year, our first $100,000 will go to our Scholarship Fund.  We have so far awarded just over $70,000 in financial aid ahead of next year with a host of pending requests, and we wish to continue assisting families who cannot afford the full tuition.  These dollars enable us to do so.  

The next $40,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by some generous friends of the school (for a possible total of $80,00) to go toward our playground project!  $80,000 can go a long way toward finishing the turf and installing some equipment for the students. This campaign will continue for the rest of 2024.  This sort of a gift is unfamiliar to us, so it will be fun to see how God multiples and stretches these dollars.

I put this out for your prayerful consideration and anticipation ahead of our Feast.  Here are some details:

When: Friday, May 10, 2024, 5:30pm.

Where: Swans Trail Farms

Cost: Free!

RSVP: Aisha Bone (abone@evangelcs.org) or 360-502-6950 by Friday, May 3. 

Seating is limited, so securing your seat early is recommended…and then be sure to come!

I hope to see you there!

Risus est bellum!
Jonathan

(and) Grumbling is Sewage

The ECS grapevine is small and thriving. I hear things that “people” say, whether I want to or not. Likewise, other people hear reports of stuff that I’ve said. Some of it is even stuff I actually have said. Ha. And I hear that not everyone is happy about everything that’s happening at the school. Shocker, I know.

That they would be displeased with some things is unsurprising. So am I! That they would find a degree of enjoyment or catharsis in commiserating with others who cannot be a part of the solution is variously sad and frustrating and also unsurprising.

On one hand the abuse of grace presupposes its existence! Like all people, Christians who become accustomed to a gracious culture tend to take it for granted. They forget that the blessings surrounding them are gifts. This forgetting is very easy to do, and it usually gives way to some sort of grumbling.

Grumbling is immature. It comes from a disregard for what we deserve. It not only presumes that we deserve good things, but it also presumes that we should get to decide what those good things are. We think we should get to determine how others are going to bless us. This is a wrongheaded, and not a characteristic of a mature person.

Grumbling is also unproductive. When a discontented John Doe tells me that “lots of people agree with me” or “I’m not the only one who feels this way,” my options are limited. The other people typically remain nameless, so I can’t follow up with them…if they actually exist. I can choose to listen to Mr. Doe, and A) I’ve rewarded him, and B) I may have rewarded only him. Alternatively, I could do nothing, and further alienate Mr. Doe, giving fuel to the rumor that I don’t listen to people. That leaves me with a third option that I’d prefer every time: Listen to the feedback, and move forward on principle whether John Doe likes it or not. (And I really hope he likes it!)

Grumbling is also toxic. Toxic things are poisonous, and they infect organisms from the inside or the outside. They spread and they do their nasty business with inexorable effect unless they’re arrested. In the Christian life, confession and repentance are the antidote to the toxicity of grumbling. Reaching that point on your own is a lot more fun than being escorted there by someone else. But as we’ve seen, grumblers are immature, and they often need that escort.

We all have responsibility in this. In your travels, if you hear grumbling on the part of administrators, teachers, students, parents, one another, or out of your own mouth, your marching orders are clear: in Christian love, kill it! Ha ha ha!

We needn’t pretend that we have everything sorted out. Quite the contrary! But for sake of the collective joy and blessing of our community, as well as for any real hope of actually getting better, be a drama stopper. And there’s no quicker way to kill drama than to adhere to Matthew 18 in conflict resolution while encouraging others to do the same.

We learn rather quickly how rare a “big deal” is when we are faced with the hard work of loving confrontation. It’s easier to grumble than it is to go to your brother when he has sinned against you. But don’t grumble. If you can, let love cover the sin. If you can’t, have the conversation with the offending party. Don’t let yourself give way (or audience!) to toxic grumbling.

We want for Matthew 18 to be a warm blanket smothering the flames of discontent and warming chilled relationships.

We want for Matthew 18 to be our ninja skill when it comes to maintaining fellowship. After all, fellowship is what we are made for.

In fact, when it comes to spiritual aromas, fellowship is like freshly-baked cookies and grumbling is like sewage. What sort of fragrant gravity could a community of Matthew 18 practitioners produce? Let’s find out!

Risus est bellum.
Jonathan