Current Newsletter - Christadelphian Heritage College

Newsletter Date
Volume 1, Issue 1
www.heritagecollege.ca
It was only a couple of weeks ago that I walked
into the Christadelphian Heritage College (CHC) and it
was bustling with students. This was quite a normal scene
along with the usual chatter, and groups of friends dotted
throughout the school who are briskly moving around to
drop off homework and prepare for the school day that
lies ahead. Of course from a teacher‟s perspective you are
hoping they are dropping off their homework and
preparing for the school day, but really the focus at that
time in the morning for academics and completed
homework is rather limited even from the most studious.
Well I digress, because as I walked into the
school on this particular morning, things were different.
The students had an air of excitement about them and
they were all looking at one another with curiosity. My
students were also looking at me with a particular interest. If there was lack of focus on „school‟ in the mornings
before, it paled in comparison to this day. That was
alright though because the minds of the students on this
day were particularly attentive to the faithful men and
women of God‟s Holy Word. Each was dressed up, not
in the usual neat and tidy uniforms, but as a Bible hero or
character that they admire. It was Pentecost Day! There
was Queen Esther, the Queen of Sheba, Lydia, Mary the
sister of Martha, David as a Shepherd, Moses, Aaron and
the list goes on. It was a day that reminded me of
Zechariah 8:5 “And the streets of the city shall be full of
boys and girls playing.”
This day was the culmination of a study on the
Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest, or the Day of First
Fruits, each a name for the Day of Pentecost. It was filled
with a flurry of activity. It started off like a regular day
with prayer, a devotion given by a brother in the local
ecclesial community and a song of praise. Following this,
each class came up one at a time to the front of the hall to
play „guess who‟. The remaining students would guess
who each student was dressed as. This would happen one
class at a time until all was revealed and the last feelings
of anticipation and mystery were gone. The students
came back to class filled with energy, enthusiastically
talking about little nuances of their costumes and how
recess will operate with their new apparel. Having settled
down, the regular routines of Math and English were
JUNE 2016
carried out. It was then „fun lunch‟ where all the students
were served waffles and ice cream and perhaps a healthy
side or two. Later in the afternoon, the whole school met
in the main hall to listen to a brother discuss some of the
main principles of the feast: patience, thanksgiving and
providing your best to God. The students felt quite
accomplished as they were able to fluently answer
questions having studied the subject earlier in the week.
Next, we all lined up to taste some food that would be
similar to what they had at the time including bread,
barley salad, and lamb. To conclude the day, a sister ran
through some Jewish dancing to absorb the last bit of
energy from the students.
What a special day that was! A celebration of the
handiwork and mind of our Heavenly Father. It was a
time where Deuteronomy 6:7 was applied: “And thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and
thou risest up.” While the principles behind this verse
extend far beyond the confines of CHC, it is nevertheless
a valuable opportunity to uphold them. As this little
school on the outskirts of Hamilton looked to bring glory
to God by putting into remembrance the Feast of
Pentecost, the schools of this world celebrate the glory of
man. They celebrate what is unholy, pagan, humanistic,
and they do so with no regard to their Creator.
As I walked out of CHC at the close of the day
with all the students gone and with the cessation of noise
that once filled the school, I was left in a thoughtful
silence. I could only be overwhelmed and so thankful to
our heavenly Father to witness and be involved in what is
styled in Psalm 127 “the heritage of the LORD”. While
the school itself and the children or “heritage of the
LORD” bring many special moments, memorable days,
and touching thoughts, it is not CHC‟s main endeavour.
With the blessing from above it is not only to create these
short moments of contentment, but to develop lives that
are whole-heartedly dedicated to worshipping the one
true God. Proverbs 22:6 states, “Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart
from it.”
cont...
Sometimes, as a teacher, I wonder just how much the students are progressing. Of course they all develop academically
when you contrast the beginning of the year to the present, but are we achieving spiritual progress? Last month I got my
answer. Only a short moment following the conclusion of the Wednesday Night Bible Class, a young boy hurriedly
manoeuvred his way through the rows and plopped himself next to me on a vacant seat. With a huge smile of satisfaction he
looked at me and without saying anything promptly gave me a notebook. He was one of my grade 3 students and he knew that
I would be most happy to see his notes and written Bible lessons from the address. After reading his notes, he again looked at
me and enthusiastically remarked, “I am going to take more notes at meeting and lecture too. I love doing it!” He then grabbed
his notebook and trotted off through the brothers and sisters that had now begun to mingle. For me, I was happy. What more
could I ask for than to see a student who wanted to engage with the Bible and please God, knowing that taking these notes
would help him to have a better understanding of God‟s character. This was not simply about achievement, but it was about a
simple, sincere love for God.
On a personal level, I want to mention that before this year, I knew of CHC and thought it was great in principle, but I
never knew more than that. It was just an ongoing school, with some volunteers that would help out here and there. What I did
not know at the time was that it was a labour of love, a group of believers that are patient, thankful, and look to put God first by
creating a safe and spiritual abode for the children - all lessons learned the other week looking at the Feast of Pentecost. For
this and all those who I had opportunity to work with, I am grateful. I look forward to when this endeavour will be reflected in
a more perfect way in the Kingdom age, “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy
children.” Isa. 54:13
Faithfully your brother in Israel‟s hope,
Bro. Josh
Gr. 3-4Teacher
...the Bible character day with
the waffles and whipped cream
and chocolate chips, dressing up
as Moses. “It was delicious!”.
...pizza on an English muffin
and the Leapfrog Day cupcakes
that Aunt Jessica made. “They
were fun!”
I want to meet Jacob .
I want to meet Jesus
because he is nice.
...to meet David.
I‟m looking forward to
fighting Russia.
I am looking forward to
playing with animals in
the Kingdom because
they will be different.
...about praising
God. “Hallelujah”
means “praise the
LORD”. We should
always pray to God.
...how powerful
water is. Water is
like God‟s power.
...good and evil. Good
and evil relates to the
chaff and the seed.
The chaff blows away
so it doesn‟t live in the
truth it‟s whole life.
The seed doesn‟t blow
away. It will stay in
the truth it‟s whole life.
We don‟t want to be
like the chaff. We
want to be like the
seed.
...that we need to
think about our God
because we can go
into God‟s temple
gates. God is so
strong He is like the
powerful waves of
the ocean.
...God‟s mercy.
God‟s mercy is so
much that it‟s like the
stars.
...that God stands firm
while His enemies fall
down. We also learned
to be kind, loving and
do as you want to be
treated. Finally we
learned to not accuse
people or lie, and not to
want other peoples‟
things.
...that we don‟t want to put our trust in
ourselves, but in God. David is an
example because when he was chased
by Saul he still trusted in God.
...that we shouldn‟t let our tongues speak evil.
If we say something mean to someone , it will
pierce their heart.
...Psalms. I love that
they are exhortations to
praise God and turn
when we are in trouble
to Him. If we do what
it tells us we will
become citizens of
Zion and he will listen
to our prayers.
...Revelation. I like
Revelation because no
matter how much you
learn, there is still so
much left. It also
symbolizes all the
events that will take
place before the
Kingdom.
...1 Kings. I like 1
Kings because of
when Elijah mocked
the prophets of Baal in
18:27, because who
knows, just maybe
Baal was having a bad
dream? (Just
kidding!)
...Revelation. I like
Revelation because it
explains about the
Kingdom.
...Esther because she
was faithful and brave
enough to go before
the King, knowing he
could kill her easily.
She trusted God to
keep her safe.
...Deuteronomy. It is
because its story has a
lot of lessons and it
was the first book I
knew.
...Psalms. I like
Psalms because
everyone who wrote
the Psalms are
practically telling
their story again in
different words.
...Ruth. I find this
story interesting
because of how
willing Ruth was to
leave Moab, and stay
with Naomi even
though her family, and
everything that she
knew was back in
Moab.
In Grade 7 this year, I had
many favourite things. I
liked how the Math-U-See
workbook was set up. It
was a nice transition from
the A Beka Book. It made
math easier and more
enjoyable! I love the music
classes at CHC too! I also
liked Excel, taught by
Uncle Frank. He gave us
fun yet challenging work
sheets. Finally, this year
we plan to go to Canada‟s
Wonderland, which will be
amazing! This year was a
great year!
At CHC this year I‟ve had so
much fun learning many
different subjects and
lessons, such as science with
Uncle Frank, M.U.G. Shots
and music with Aunty
Nicole, Bible memory verses
and baking with Aunty Janet,
as well as art with Hannah.
Going on field trips and
taking turns riding “shotgun”
with classmates is a highlight
in the school year, but I think
the absolute best parts of the
year have been hanging out
with friends, and hearing the
devotions each morning.
There were so many good memories this year, that I had a difficult time choosing
which ones were my favourites; but I made up my mind and chose the Open
House, and writing our picture books. Singing is one of my favourite things to
do, so obviously Music was one of my favourite classes. In our Music class, we
practiced singing songs as a choir for our big Open House presentation in April.
We practiced and practiced; before I knew it, it was the Open House! It was
wonderful. Everyone was dressed in their best uniforms and sang beautifully.
The only thing I missed was my friend, (who was on vacation) to be there beside
me. My next favourite memory was writing our story books. One day it was announced that we would be writing and illustrating a fable! I was ecstatic! It was
very educational, and helped me realize how difficult it is to write a book. Next
year I will be graduating into high school, and I will definitely miss being in the
grade 7/8 class!
I‟ve attended CHC since Kindergarten and my years here have been wonderful. The field trips
and fun lunches were truly memorable. The teachers were encouraging, and if I ever needed help
I could rely on them (I hope to help teach at CHC in years to come). CHC, which stands for
Christadelphian Heritage College, is a Bible-based school which ensures strong roots for all who
attend it. One important lesson I‟ve learned at CHC is don‟t procrastinate. For those
pre-graduates, don't forget that Bible study always comes first!
The main thing I like is how
much more work I get done
as opposed to how much I
got done at home. I also like
the morning devotions
everyday and Bible Study
we have on Tuesdays. I
think it‟s great that every
day we devote at least a little
time to studying God‟s
Word.
We can work on
things like Kids
Camp workbooks
and Bible Study.
I like how simple
and easy it is to
access my
schoolwork and
grades.
My favorite thing
about CHHS is Bible
Study. I think my
favourite classes were
done by Uncle Jason
Hensley on Hezekiah.
...being able to go through the challenges of high school in an environment where
everyone around me believes the same things I do, and even though the people on the
VLC don't believe the same things I do and can sometimes be hard to deal with, as
soon as I move my face away from my computer screen, everyone around me is there
to support me and help me to get through any of these trials. For example, when we
were going through heavily evolution orientated science, we were able to watch a
class by Uncle Stephen Palmer, to help us to be able to combat the evolutionary ideas.
CHC appreciates all donations and will provide taxable receipts upon request. Please make cheques payable to
CHC. Please note that CHC has charitable status.
Thank you for your kind support.
Dates to Remember
June 18—Work day at CHC (9:00 am)
June 21—Wild Waterworks
September 1 —CHC Kick Off BBQ
September 6—First day of school
A special thanks to our Heavenly Father for
allowing the school to thrive. May He continue to
bless this effort as we await the return of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We also thank our teachers,
devotional speakers, and volunteers, whose help
is greatly appreciated.
Volunteers Needed
CHC is always in need of volunteers to help in many different ways; for example, teaching,
teaching assistants, lunch monitors, after school monitors, devotional speakers, and cleaning.
If you are able to help in any way or would like to find out how you could help, please contact
Sis. Judy MacFarlane (Book Rd. Ecclesia).
Any amount of assistance is very helpful and much appreciated!