Newark Christian School (NCS) is part of World Impact’s Focus Area to Demonstrate Compassion and Justice. The school began more than 30 years ago; World Impact missionaries saw the failure of the local public schools and responded to the academic needs of the Bible Club children we were working with.
Our tuition is low, on a sliding scale according to how much income each family has, yet it is still not easy for families just getting by to come up with the monthly tuition. We have begun adding the tagline, NCS: Building disciples for Christ to our letters and literature to remind both ourselves and our families that yes, the hard work and financial sacrifice is worth it.
Each week in chapel during this academic year, students and teachers recite Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Don’t we all need frequent reminders of certain basic truths of the Bible? Week by week, our chapter teachings for kindergarten through fifth grades focus on the men and women of Hebrews 11 who obeyed by faith.
Is it worth it? Students learn biblical conflict resolution skills in third grade and other classes that may very well save their lives later on as they grow up in New Jersey’s most violent city. Yes, that is worth it. A new sixth grade student who is struggling in many areas climbed into his mom’s car after school one day and asked her for the first time to play Christian music. He then shared with her that for the first time in his life he feels like his faith in the Lord is growing now that he is at Newark Christian School. That seems to be worth it. Every student has one to three sponsors who help fund their education, and one fifth grader recently wrote to a sponsor that, “At Newark Christian School I’ve learned so much about being kind to others and trusting in God in all I do.” A third grader wrote to a sponsor, “I like Newark Christian School because sometimes God touches my heart through worship songs at chapel.”
Middle school students learn to research, prepare and make a presentation before others as they “become” their characters on Biography Day in October and then for President’s Day in February. These students also grow as they struggle and overcome obstacles to memorize the book of Colossians this year, and many of the same students memorized the book of James last year. In a similar way, second grade students memorized and recited large portions of the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke for the Christmas Program. Who can place a value on learning to do the work of memorizing, and then to overcome fears and present yourself confidently before others?
Even in times of discouragement, it is important that we remind ourselves that yes, our work at Newark Christian School can be demanding, but it is always worth it.
