Influence
The e-newsletter of Wilmington Christian School
October 2019
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Focus on Worldview
Spotlight on Students
Homecoming 2019
Upcoming Events
Annual Fund 2019
Influence is produced and distributed once a month to keep the WCS family (past and present) connected to the WCS mission of cultivating Godly influencers.
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Focus on Worldview with Dr. Roger Erdvig
What lenses do you use to look at the world?
Theodore Roosevelt didn’t always wear his famous round spectacles. In fact, we find in his autobiography that it wasn’t until late in his childhood that he even realized that he was terribly nearsighted. Though he loved to study nature as a boy, he recalled that he was “always at a hopeless disadvantage” and befuddled...
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Spotlight on Students
Fossil Dig
Late this summer, WCS rising 9th grader Jeremy B. spent time in Stratford Hall, VA. digging for fossils in a youth program sponsored by the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society. A member of the Paleontological Society, Jeremy has an extensive fossil collection at home and would like to eventually become a paleontologist.
Field Hockey Team Service Project
On Saturday, September 21, WCS's varsity girls' field hockey team served at the Deep Roots Homeless Shelter in nearby Earleville, Maryland. The team's work project involved weeding and preparing the shelter's gardens, which are designed to provide food and meaningful work for residents. Service is an important way that WCS teams and groups develop friendships and experience the joy of serving in Jesus' name.
2019 WCS Graduate "Killing it" at UMBC
Kamani Conteh, who anchored the WCS varsity volleyball team, has moved on after graduation to play outside hitter on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County women's volleyball team. With a team-leading 2.81 kills per set, Kamini is establishing herself as a key asset at the NCAA Division I school.
Homecoming 2019
Homecoming 2019 is almost here, and we want YOU to be here too. Enjoy a few games. Connect with old friends. Be a part of chapel. Visit beloved teachers. Come celebrate the rich legacy of WCS!
Thursday, 10/17
3:30pm - Middle School Boys' Soccer v. Sanford @ home
3:45pm - Varsity Girls' Field Hockey v. Archmere @ Hockessin Montessori
5:00pm - JV Girls' Field Hockey v. Archmere @ Hockessin Montessori
Friday, 10/18
8:00am - Alumni Chapel
2:30 - 6:30pm - Food trucks on campus
3:00pm - Girls' Cross Country @ Brandywine Creek
3:00pm - Boys' Cross Country @ Bellevue State Park
3:30pm - Middle School Girls' Field Hockey v. Newark Charter @ home
4:00pm - JV Girls' Volleyball v. MOT Charter @ home
5:30pm - Varsity Girls' Volleyball v. MOT Charter @ home
7:00pm - High School Bonfire
Saturday, 10/19
9:30am - Board Member Reunion Brunch
10:00am - Alumni Volley Ball
11:00am - Alumni Field Hockey
12:00pm - Alumni Soccer
2:00pm - Varsity Boys' Soccer v. Glasgow @ Home
7:00pm - High School Homecoming Dance
Upcoming Events
- Fun Run! - Oct 4
- Homecoming 2019 - October 17-19
- Parent University - November 14
View the WCS School Calendar
The Wilmington Christian School Annual Fund is the primary source of giving to the mission of the school. This year, we are dedicating the Annual Fund to advancements in areas of our school that will help to prepare our students for the task of influencing the culture. Through your investment, you are helping to raise up leaders who will shape the future for generations to come.
To realize our bold mission, we are asking for your bold support. Our funding goal this year is $500,000. Last year we topped almost $350,000, which was up from just $70,000 in total giving four years ago. Clearly, the support for our mission is growing, but we need YOU to make our plan for the future a reality!
To join us in our mission through giving, visit https://www.wilmingtonchristian.org/support-wcs.html.
Developing a Biblical Worldview & Cultivating Godly Influencers
Theodore Roosevelt didn’t always wear his famous round spectacles. In fact, we find in his autobiography that it wasn’t until late in his childhood that he even realized that he was terribly nearsighted. Though he loved to study nature as a boy, he recalled that he was “always at a hopeless disadvantage” and befuddled because he couldn’t see—and yet was “wholly ignorant that [he] was not seeing.” When he finally got his first pair of glasses, “an entirely new world was opened” to him.
This is a common story… an elementary student struggles with paying attention in class but then gets glasses and everything changes. An aspiring tennis player can’t improve beyond basic proficiency until he gets glasses and suddenly he can see the ball just as it hits his opponent’s racquet and his game instantly improves.
These are great analogies for another kind of seeing—how we see, understand, and navigate the world around us. Philosophers call this a worldview, and as its name implies, it functions as the lens through which a person views the world. But beyond merely seeing, our worldview dictates how we live in the world.
Our worldview lens is shaped over years of influence from our family, our culture, the time in which we live, and even our own choices and habits. If the influences in a person’s life have been consistent with God’s view of the world, then his or her desires, thoughts, and actions will naturally reflect a Biblical worldview. Conversely, if the influences in a person’s life are not consistent with God’s view, then we should expect to find that his or her desires, thoughts, and actions are not consistent with God’s ways. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
When we survey our parents about their experience at WCS, we consistently find that they send their kids here because we are a Christian school filled with Godly mentors who are committed to providing Godly influences for their students. Wise parents recognize that there is nothing more important than immersing their children in environments that influence them to develop a Biblical worldview. Taking our cue from Teddy Roosevelt, we can see how foolish it would be to send our kids out into the world without the proper glasses.
But worldview development is not just for children. At any age, we should be actively involved in learning to see the world through lenses that are genuinely Biblical. The cultural issues we face today are complex and volatile, and we as Christians can’t afford to stumble around with poor eyesight.
There are many resources available to help us refine our worldview lenses. Three in particular are super accessible and all three are podcasts that I regularly listen to. The first is The World and Everything In It, which is a daily half-hour news show that reports on current events from a Biblical worldview perspective. Second is Breakpoint, which is a 5-minute daily reflection on one cultural hot-button issue. Finally, The Briefing is a half-hour, deep-dive into the things everyone is talking about, from global warming to transgender boys participating in girls’ sports. I can assure you that a steady diet of these kinds of Biblical worldview-based podcasts will shape how you see the world.
When I was in first grade, I got my first pair of glasses, and I remember riding home from the optometrist looking out the window amazed at what I saw. Colors were more brilliant. Everything seemed to pop in full 3-D. I saw words everywhere that I had never seen before. At school, I could even see what Mrs. Sloat was writing on the chalkboard. Just like President Roosevelt, having the right lenses to look through literally changed my life.
How about you and your kids? Are you wearing the right lenses, seeing the world the way God sees it?
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