Family fun activities. Tour our modern facilities. Cookout. Win FREE tuition. On Saturday, August 14 from 11 am to 1 pm Indiana Christian Academy is having an open house that will include all of the above mentioned items. After an eventful summer, we have been working and preparing for the beginning of school. We are looking forward to the start of school and we hope you are too. Please stop by the school and join us for an exciting afternoon.
It’s that time again! Grab your sales ads and coupons- let’s get our school supplies! Supply lists will be mailed to your homes on Monday, July 26, but here’s a sneak preview of what you’ll need to start out the school year. We’re excited–are you? Follow these links to the lists: elementary-supply-list-2010 and secondary-supply-list-2010
It has been a difficult time for several families and for ICA this past week. In addition to the physical things that happened, destructive criticism of individuals and the school has taken place. This is personal, because people are on both sides of this situation, many comments have been hurtful and damaging, whether it was intended or not. I believe instead that this time is a time for prayer, spiritual growth, and support for those involved, rather than attacking people or blaming them.
Prayer should be a beginning point. Pray that God would work in all the lives involved—those who did this action, the families of these individuals, school officials, teachers, and students—none of us have arrived and God intends that this should be a growing experience for His glory. Pray that these young people would learn a vital lesson. Pray that the school would learn how to better minister to its students and would be able to better direct hearts to Christ. Pray for the spiritual encouragement of the families that have faced immense suffering and personal criticism. Pray that Christ would be exalted and glorified and that we would think of him before we think of our hurts.
Suffering is oftentimes God’s mechanism for spiritual growth. I believe that there are several things that we all can learn during this time of suffering. 2 Corinthians 12 gives us these points of learning: 1) God uses suffering to reveal our spiritual condition (vv.5-6), 2) God uses suffering to humble us (v. 7), 3) God uses suffering to draw us to himself (v. 8), 4) God uses suffering to display His grace (v. 9), and 5) God uses suffering to perfect His power in us (v. 9). May all of us during this time see our need for spiritual growth and let us draw nigh to God with tender hearts of change.
Support for those involved is equally important. There are many who are hurting, not just those who have had this action done to them. Emotions are running high. People feel betrayed, forsaken, alone, unloved, and confused. Many of those hurting are friends of those who committed this act and love the school that they have been a part of. We need to support all who have been involved. At this point, many have only thought of themselves and of their hurt. Rather than being a time of isolation, it should be a time of unification—placing differences aside. I believe that many of us, deep down, want the same thing. We desire that God would do a work in hearts, not only of the individuals, but also others that are involved, and that God would bring order quickly to this chaotic situation in the school.
Rather than discussing and posting our opinions on this subject, let’s remember that there are people involved—people who feel attacked and who are hurting. Instead, let us pray and grow spiritually and support those who are going through this difficult time.
We thank those of you who have prayed for the school and for those who have vandalized the school. It appears that the police have followed information that lead to the apprehension of suspects. No details are being released, but we are thankful for the Lord’s goodness in this event. We are reminded that Scripture tells us that “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Mercifully, the Lord has allowed these individuals to be caught, that in His goodness He has given them an opportunity to be confronted with their sinful deeds, and we pray daily that they will turn their hearts to the Lord in repentance and submission.
When a person thinks of vandalism, they don’t often think of something good. I confess that good did not come to my mind early one morning last week. As I received a phone call letting me know of severe vandalism and burglary at the school, I quickly rushed over to find out the extent of damage and the ramifications for the school. After waiting several hours on the police to complete their investigation, I was finally able to see all the damage firsthand. I was very saddened by the malicious efforts of those who would seek to harm the school, but was soon reminded of the passage of Scripture from the life of Joseph that states, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
“God meant it unto good?” Seriously? How can God take something tragic and make it good? It does seem like quite a contradiction. In the life of Joseph, this truth is appropriately illustrated for us. Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, was the favorite of the children. He had been given privileges that his brothers, who were significantly older than Joseph, had not been given. This set the stage for Joseph almost being murdered and sold into slavery as a teenage boy. After several years and through diverse circumstances, God saw fit to move Joseph from a slave, to a prisoner, to second in command in Egypt. Joseph, under God’s direction, saved the whole known ancient world from starvation in a severe famine. He came to a point in his life that he understood what God was doing and he could make this spiritually mature statement–”you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
Who knows how God will use the destruction of multiple classrooms for good? God does. In many cases, He uses the sinful acts of people, like in Joseph’s case, to ultimately accomplish His plan. I don’t know what God has planned for ICA, but I do know this–He is working in it to accomplish His good.
For now, we covet your prayers not only for the school, but also for the individuals that were involved in this act. In God’s mercy, we pray that He will bring His justice to the situation. Our continuing prayer to God would be to not allow these individuals to get away with this sinful act, but to bring conviction to their hearts in hopes that they will turn to God in repentance and faith (Proverbs 28:13). For us, we are praying that we will continue to look to the Lord for His guidance and that we would trust Him implicitly in every situation. We also ask Him to teach us to be more like Him and that we would have hearts that would be willing to learn.
The text for one of my favorite songs, says it this way–07-in-all-things-god-works-for-our-good
And this we know in the journey of life, whether green rolling hills or the deserts bare and dry, in all things, God works for our God, for those who love the Lord.
In the lush verdant valleys where we walk sure and strong, or the rugged terrain unsafe and long, God has promised his help, “Fear not, I will guide you, take my hand for my promises are true.”
In the seasons of life times of joy or despair, victory and defeat. “I know the plans I have for you,” says your God. “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future. Believe in Me. Trust in Me, for I am your God.”
May God receive the glory for all the good that He is accomplishing in us.
We are grateful to be able to offer a high-quality education at an unheard of price. We are going to be displaying several billboards around town. You can see what will be posted by clicking this link indianachristianacademy_billboard. In addition to the high-quality education that we were able to offer last year, we are looking to expand our course options to help round out our options for our Junior High and High School students. Check out our Course Selection form to see our course offerings for next year.
We are looking forward to next year’s slate of classes. In order to best provide the classes that are needed for the students, we would like for them to fill out a course selection sheet. This sheet will help us plan accordingly for the fall semester so that we can have the classes available at the times that each student needs. Course selection forms should be submitted by June 15th to assure that the proper classes will be provided. Follow this link to obtain a course selection form.
We are excited to be doing Camp Outta Here again this year. This camp is designed for our 1st through 6th grades. As school finishes up, we will be using this time for a combined academic, athletic, social, and spiritual emphasis for our elementary students.
Last year, the students said that it was the highlight of the year for them. These three days are part of the required days of attendance for the school year, but typically this is not a problem because students are disappointed when they have to miss due to sickness.
Each day is full of fun and excitement for each student. From games and team competition to Bible bowl and snacks, students have something that they enjoy. Activities this year include the popular “Teacher Chair Races”, “Water Wars”, and many other exciting games. The cost for the three days is $5. This helps cover the cost of the snacks that each student will be devouring.
Students look forward to Tuesday, May 25th for the beginning of Camp Outta Here and the theme FBI vs. CIA.
What a great night to conclude our elementary spring soccer with!! It was a beautiful afternoon with a slight breeze. The teams were evenly matched. Both games were deadlocked at the end of regulation. Coach McCarthy said, “It was great to work with these young people–3rd and 4th and 5th and 6th. I was proud of the way that they improved during the season.” The teamwork and spacing on the field improved greatly. We are looking forward to the future of ICA soccer. Thank you to all the parents and relatives who joined for our end-of-season celebration cookout. We enjoyed the fellowship and food!
The Indiana Blood Center will be coming to the gym at ICA to draw blood on Thursday, May 6. The gym will be opened from 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm for your convenience. This is your chance to help the ICA show the community that it cares about them. Please come and give if you are able.
