Finishing 2020 Strong, Together

Finishing 2020 Strong, Together

By Dr. Gary Fisher

I trust that you have enjoyed some of the stories that have been shared by our students as part of our Thanksgiving messages. I also hope that you have experienced some rest and restoration that comes from Thanksgiving and a time to draw together with family. We have so much to be thankful for and it is important that we spend time in sincere gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed on us. 

Now, as we turn our eyes towards the future, we are excited to greet our students back to our campus tomorrow morning. Our faculty and staff have been preparing to welcome students back and look forward to the “magic” that happens when we are all together. It will be great to see you in the carpool lanes!

Though we may have challenges along the way, we forge ahead and look forward to the opportunities we will have to interact and continue our efforts of “preparing tomorrow’s leaders to transform the world for Christ.” In the coming days, we pray that our students will experience an exceptional finish to the first semester.

Students are the object of our affection. As a reminder, please continue to safeguard our community by making sure that you are being wise in your decision making. If your student has been exposed to a situation that may place them at risk, or if your student is demonstrating signs or symptoms of illness, please have them stay home and engage in remote learning. Now that quarantine protocols are more restrictive, it will be even more important to enlist an all-in community effort.

We are best at and prefer in-person learning, but we have always stated that parents are the primary educators of their students and need to make the decisions that are in the best interest of their own kids. 

It won’t be long until it will be Christmas. Even though we have an empty nest now, my wife and I put up the tree a lot earlier this year. There is a peace and a perspective that comes over you amidst the challenges we face when we focus on our Lord who entered the world well over 2000 years ago. Our Savior is the shining reminder that hope is not found in our circumstances or with politicians, scientists or economists. We have every reason to be optimistic and joyful for a better day and an extraordinary future. Together, we will get through this season recognizing that “the light at the end of the tunnel” is none other than the Light that came into the world at Christmas.