Making His Name Great

EXCELlence!

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

"Excellence" is one of our school's core values and our focus for the 2011-2012 school year. We want to line up EXCELLENCE with the WORD OF GOD not with the cliches or trends of man.
So, we define Excellence as always improving rather than perfection, as we know none of us are perfect, and we also keep aware that an attitude of "good enough" is directly in the way of success or excellence. May we keep in mind Colossians 3:23 which reminds us that "Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." May we never settle for something less than what God wants for us! And may it bring Him the glory and fame!

20 Years

2011-09-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

20 Years...Definitely a long span of time from the perspective of a 5 year old; yet, a fragment of history in the memory of a grandparent. For us, at Traverse Bay Christian, it means: more than 3,500 days of school, over 40,000 lessons, around 1,260,000 minutes of class, and most importantly many growing and changing lives through Biblical Education. We give God all the Glory for what He has done through His faithful people in this ministry. And may His name be made great as we celebrate 20 Years of Ministry this 2011-2012 school year!

Donuts with Dad!

2011-04-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows donuts are good, but they were excellent this morning! A big thanks to all the fathers who made their way to the school this morning to spend some time and have a donut with their child(ren). Our hope is that all our dads were honored this morning! What a blessing for our school to continually witness the family as it should be with involved and caring parents. Thanks to all the dads, and may God bless your leadership and homes!

Busy Month

2011-02-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Wow! February is almost over, and that is hard to believe. Looking back, however, the accomplishments have been tremendous! We give God the glory for all of it, and pray that we will be wise with all the opportunity He has placed before us. Here is just a list of some of February's blessings because of Him!

- Successful 3rd Annual Poetry Slam on our own campus this year!
- Time of blessing for mother and child relationship at our first Muffins with Mom breakfast
- Even more great gains in our technology department led by Mr. Mead- A solid time of fellowship at our 3rd Annual Centre Ice F3 (and no major injuries :) )
- Great worship times in our chapels led by our student worship team and local pastors/teachers
- Big vision and direction from Mr. Mason our new Development Director
- Some great volleyball matches and student witness coached by Mrs. Erickson and Mrs. Kurtz

*If you'd like to hear more, call the school office at 231.929.9504 and we can send you our quarterly publication The Soar.

The Body of Christ

2011-01-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

It is very encouraging working with the Christian community in Traverse City! As we minister and disciple our young people, the blessings and support of the local church are energizing. A special thanks to New Hope Community Church and the groups/families who were willing to give tuition assistance to several families at the school. May God's name be made great through this obedience and unity!

Christmas Time

2010-12-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

The wonderful season of Christmas is upon us. Here at Traverse Bay Christian School, it is our desire that our hearts and attitudes will be worshipful and pleasing to the Lord. It is exciting to see our students think about purchasing good gifts for their family and friends at our Christmas Shoppe. It is a blessing to see our students doing extra work and chores outside of school to raise money for those less fortunate through the Gospel for Asia Christmas initiative. And it is wonderful to see our kids wanting to give back to their community through giving to Toys for Tots, working at the Community Meals Program, and signing up for Christmas caroling at the Pavilions, TenderCare, and the Goodwill Inn. May our Lord be blessed! And may everyone make Christmas meaningful this year!

Bear Fruit

2010-11-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

On the heels of Evangelism Week at Traverse Bay Christian, we are already seeing fruit from our students. This is exciting as we understand that growing is a process. To start, two of our older students went to one of our younger classes and shared their personal testimonies. Secondly, one of our first graders decided for herself that she wanted to follow Jesus, and she prayed and testifies to it! Finally, one of our lower elementary students shared her faith and prayed with another little girl she met in a park last week! May His name be made great!

Good Work

2010-11-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

We were reminded today to "remember to do good." God wrote a reminder note to us in Hebrews chapter 13 about this very thing. All it takes is seeing a need that someone has and getting right in there to help, just like the good Samaritan. May we be thankful in the things we do have, so much so, that we are not worried about what we do not have; so that, we have time to help those who truly do not have.

Cross-Country Champions!

2010-10-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

To think we started the cross-country season with only three boys and almost ten girls, one would think the girls had a solid team. And they did! However, through friendships, the boys' hard work, and obviously, the Lord's hand, we ended the season with our boys' team taking both major championship titles! We won the TC Central Invitational and the T.E.A.M All-City Championship. Congratulations to our boys and girls for a successful season; eleven of our fifteen runners medaled or ribboned at the All-City! A big thank-you to parents and coaches for all the support and work. Go Eagles!

Grandparent's Day

2010-10-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

So, our much anticipated Grandparent's Day was truly a success. Our students were encouraged to identify and express possitive examples of their heritage; they were also provided means to express this graditude to their grandparent and/or special guest. From that platform, most of them were able to realize the value of their family's heritage and appraise these valuable family relationships. It is our hope that all our grandparent's and guests felt appreciated and honored. Thank you for making it a memorable day!
One of our classes even made a list of "100 Reasons Why You are GRAND," from which the following are a few of those excerpts:

7. You love me.
9. You look lik and remind me of my art teacher.
11. ...when I offer you something, you are thankful.
15. You take time for me.
17. You made my mom be born.
22. ...when you walk on the road to get the mail and you let me talk to you.
26. You inspire me - you are my hero.
28. You let me have coffee whenever I want.
40. You like to laugh with me.
56. You give me hugs.
57. You fix my stuffed animals when they have holes.
59. You are nice to everyone.
64. You helped me with my cursive all summer.
73. You like to think about me.
75. I like it when you do funny stuff.
89. You laugh when I laugh.
91. You're a Christian.
100. I would never be as good a person without you.

We all need grandpa's and grandma's. Thank you grandparents!

Like Minded

2010-10-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Is there not strength in being "one?" The Lord is truly speaking to me about being like-minded or "oneness." The faculty recently attended the ACSI Convention in South Bend, and every year the testimony is the same. There were great resources, great preaching, great learning, great professional development, and great networking opportunities; however, most of the time, the most marveling aspect is to see that we are a part of the great work that God is doing around the world through Christian Education. We are not the only ones: we have the same core convictions, we know each others' sacrifice, we understand the vision, and we see God working the same way. His work is good work and accomplishing much!
"May they be as one as We are one...so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as you have loved Me." -Jesus

See You @ the Pole!

2010-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

We joined many other Christian students around the world as our entire school body surrounded the flag poles at Traverse Bay! It was a blessing for students and staff alike as we interceded for others in our government, churches, community, homes, and schools. To see the hearts of these students through prayer is an encouraging testimony for the future of Church and country! May our Lord be pleased and His name GREAT!

Priority

2010-09-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

When I really just take a step back from the busyness of the hour, day, week, which helps remove my self from the worldly thinking and self-preservation that so easily prevails in every aspect of our culture, I can see a little clearer. I can see even more clearly the priority of our children, their upbringing, and education. Our world is changing at a faster and faster rate, and that makes the steadfastness and life of God's Word an even greater amazement to me. Let's continue to give our children Truth, consistently, so they have the correct foundation to learn, grow, think, adapt, and succeed.

Check out this video:
Did You Know?

Full Day

2010-09-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is our first full day of school, and it is on track to be just that! I remember my schooling and those first few days of school. It was so exciting and exhausting. But much of it was filled with things that do not help me now or even matter to me for that matter... On the contrary, our students get to start each day with prayer and a good look into God's Word. Many of our classes even sing songs and have praise times. Then, they continue to learn about the world around them through lenses of Truth. Math class, language arts, science, history, geography, and social skills all taught with the foundation of a Biblical perspective by teachers who model what they teach and know what matters most... I sure wish I received a Truth filled education everyday as a young student. Just think of all the Truth, love, skills, knowledge and know-how these children are getting and in return can now give! That's a full day!

One Week

2010-09-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

We are only seven days from the start to a new school year! Does anyone else like a fresh start to something? While we are always sad to see one year end and reminisce on all the Lord has accomplished through our ministry, the excitement for a new year is always a rush. The planning, the work, the long hours of preparation always coming to a culmination of students and parents glad to be back at school. It is from that point which our hopes and vision propel us through excellence to achieve and succeed. Now we are excitedly looking ahead to what God has in store for a school that wants to "shine" for HIM!

Library

2010-08-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

Can't wait until everyone gets to see our new Library! It is a blessing; praise the Lord. The best part is to see how God provides through the talents and resources of His people. There were countless hours and resources poured into this endeavor, many of which no one will know. May our students continue to learn to love books, reading, and thinking! Thank you to everyone who had a hand in making this project successful!

Enrollment

2010-08-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Another family went through the enrollment process this evening by completing the parent interview, and I can honestly say this is one of the most exciting parts of Traverse Bay Christian School! To see another family dedicated to truth and desiring to raise their family on the foundation of God's Word is encouraging. To be able to carry on the calling of this school, the mission of this ministry, by partnering with another family to raise up this next generation is an honor and a blessing!

Start

2010-08-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of our school's first blog. How great! We are Traverse Bay Christian School in Traverse City, MI. Our calling is to partner with parents and churches to give our next generations an education that is eternal and true. Feel free to blog anything that glorifies our God, Savior, and Holy Spirit as we strive to make His name great in the Grand Traverse region!