Fellowship, by definition, is a friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.
I have been a parent of Scofield Christian School students since 2016 and will be until our youngest graduates Scofield in 2031. That's quite the span of years, and I am excited about the opportunity to watch Scofield Christian School come alongside families to continue to grow and mold children into what I liken to sandcastles.
The parent-teacher fellowship at Scofield Christian School (SCS) can be compared to a group of sandcastle builders. This team of builders, hand-selected by a single, reigning contractor, is essential in building distinctly important functions while constructing the walls of over 200 "castles" built upon the land of an eternal kingdom each year since 1961.
The development of Scofield Christian School students is ever-changing between pre-school through sixth grade. In pre-school, the beginning groundwork of the figurative mini-castles must be strong and broad. As the castles' walls rise to new heights, change shapes, sizes, and viewpoints, the construction must change reinforcing strength to withstand new elements and potential hazards to the structure. The parent-teacher fellowship must shift as students enter into and navigate the late elementary years while preparing to enter middle school. At Scofield, our teachers have the privilege of reinforcing Biblical values. Perhaps nothing is more difficult in the world today than raising and educating faithful children, especially when they reach the teenage years. Being part of a Christian community like SCS means not having to try to do it alone. Teachers coming alongside parents to assist them in this task is an incredible privilege.
The teachers at Scofield Christian School come alongside parents as they seek to raise their children in a Christ-centered home. They teach from a biblical worldview, continually pointing the students to Christ while praying that they grow to serve God faithfully all their lives. As a parent, it is a great privilege to partner with like-minded followers of Jesus who push children to exude the fruit of the spirit and love Him. At Scofield, one will witness transparency and humility among the staff of SCS and a feeling of wanting to partner to help grow children academically and spiritually.
Like a family on a beach building their unique masterpiece of a sandcastle, each parent and staff member of SCS holds a shovel that digs, lifts, and pours sand into the buckets used to construct the walls of these little unique and special castles. Into these castles is poured wisdom, love, knowledge, patience, gentleness, encouragement, discipline, truth, redirection, scripture, and understanding. These stable, well-rounded structures, built by many, allow each castle to stand firm despite the world's elements. Intended by an enemy to be destroyed may lead to ongoing repairs, renovations, and reinforcements. But the firm foundations of the walls, built during each castle's formative years at Scofield, help the structures remain strong against the tide, enabling them to stand tall within the Kingdom.
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
"If you're God's child, the gospel isn't an aspect of your life, it is your life; that is, it is the window through which you look at everything."
- Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies: A Gospel Devotional