Build Your Kingdom HereThree years ago Strathroy Community Christian School’s (SCCS) strategic plan and vision were put

into place around the teaching found in Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s sadness over his city’s walls being incomplete, or in ruin, motivated his king to send him home to rebuild them. Nehemiah was successful

through the efforts of many people but ultimately through the Lord’s guidance and active role in his life. Once the walls were rebuilt, Ezra read the law of God to all the people that would listen so they would know God’s will for their lives. “And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:3). This is what we want at SCCS every year; an active and vibrant relationship with the Lord that impacts our lives, the people in them and the education we strive to provide.

Personally, I have been blessed to see the “walls” being rebuilt (or built for the first time) at SCCS in the past three years. At the time of writing this, SCCS has over 100 families enrolled at the school where we had 75 families two years ago! Numbers are not our goal, but this is a massive blessing directly from God’s hand as He is drawing people to Himself and asking them to have “attentive ears”. We pray that He will continue show His grace to SCCS for this coming year!

The board, staff, and students have also been convicted to have attentive ears during the past year. Our school theme, Build Your Kingdom Here, is a reflection of the prompting of the Holy Spirit on our thoughts and actions. During staff discussions we chose this theme as opposed to Kingdom Builders or Builders of the Kingdom. The difference may seem subtle but our theme is Build Your Kingdom Here which gives recognition to the fact that God is building His kingdom, not us. God is using us to fulfil His will, but we humbly walk in the knowledge that it is His kingdom and He is the builder!

The Lord’s Prayer has a phrase in it that states, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. Our prayer for this year specifically is that our students and staff will see heaven on earth during the 2013–2014 year. This sounds great, as an ideal, and most people would not disagree with this statement. Actually seeing tangible “bits” of heaven on earth is harder to assess unless we clearly state how it is we expect heaven to be seen.

This past June the students were involved in a process that allowed them to give their input on our core values for next year. Options were given but in the end the four core values which came

to the forefront, from staff and students, were: Forgiving, Loving, Self-Sacrificing and Service. These are the four areas in which we will focus on and encourage each other in in the coming

year so that His kingdom will come, His will be done on earth (at SCCS) as it is in heaven. Please pray for evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in these four key areas for this school year!

Blessings,Principal Ken VanMinnen

7880 Walkers DriveStrathroy, ON N7G 3H4 519-245-1934www.sccs.caoffice@sccs.ca

Providing quality, Christ-centred education

The Community ConnectionSEPTEMBER 2013

Message from the BoardOne of the many blessings of the summer is the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the slower pace of life; allowing for time and energy for relaxation, refreshment, and reflection. Reflection offers the opportunity for a backwards glance at the road behind us; take stock of our current surroundings, and a chance to dream about the future.

We are nearing the halfway point of the five-year Strategic Plan and have implemented many of the strategies of pursu-ing excellence through program and instruction, governance, financial stewardship, and community engagement. In pur-suit of our strategic goals, the Board makes decisions with a view of the vision: “to provide outstanding, transformative education of mind, body, and spirit so that God will be glorified in the Strathroy community”. The evidence of this vision coming to life is clear at SCCS and the Board humbly gives thanks to God for the commitment of the dedicated administration, staff, volunteers, membership, parents, and supporters. A vivid expression of living out the vision of SCCS is the graduation ceremony in June. If you were able to attend, I think you’ll agree that God’s presence was felt in a very big way! What we were witness to was a commu-nity coming together to honour our grade 8 graduates and an evening overflowing with love and gratitude for how God has blessed SCCS!

Over the next year, the Board will continue to implement the Strategic Plan and identify strategic goals for future development. Also, as we talked about over the past several years, the Board will continue to dig ditches fully expecting and trusting that God will bring the rain. We have experi-enced His abundant blessing and trust that He will continue to not only provide for us, but bless us “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). What a promise! As a Board, we humbly and gratefully lean into this promise.

Above all else, the Board desires to seek God’s will and leading of SCCS. Each Board meeting begins and ends with prayer that God’s will be done, the Holy Spirit’s will be pres-ent, and that our hearts and minds will submit to His leading. It is our heart’s desire to be unapologetically obedient to His calling and leadership.

Will you commit to holding the Board in prayer as we direct SCCS? Please join with us in prayer that all at SCCS surren-der obediently to Christ, submitting to His Lordship, leader-ship, and call. We gratefully receive your support in this way.

Gabriella HoogstraChairperson of the Boardhoogstragsccs@gmail.com or 519-854-9374

From the FinanceCommitteeGod has blessed us in many ways at SCCS, and continues to supply our financial needs as well! Our school community is growing, and that has enabled us to hire a new teacher. (Wel-come Mrs. Tiffin!) We currently have no split or combined grades at SCCS! We praise God for making this possible, and continue to pray that He is glorified in the Strathroy commu-nity through our school!

From a financial perspective, there has been much activity behind the scenes over the summer. We thank those of you who returned your Tuition Payment Forms on time with pre-authorized payments or post-dated cheques. It considerably lightens our bookkeeper and treasurer workloads to have that administration run smoothly! At the time of the writing of this report for the newsletter, we are in “Year End” mode,

working on closing out the bookkeeping from the 2012–13 year, and ensuring that we have an accurate financial picture of that account-ing year. From this information will come the financial statements and reports that you will see in November.

As in past years, we continue to pray for strong prayer, volunteer and financial support for our planned fundraisers. We also encourage you to participate in the Voucher Incen-tive Program (VIP), which earns funds for SCCS, but ALSO earns YOU money that you can use to lower your tuition cost. And we especially pray for the members of our com-munity who are in positions of leadership for our fundrais-ers, who do A LOT of work to ensure that they happen successfully each year.

Did you know that the true cost of providing Christian Edu-cation at SCCS is over $15,000 per family?! Think about the actual tuition amount that SCCS is able to charge families…it is so much lower than that! That difference in TRUE cost and the tuition charged is covered by the extensive support of the SCCS community through donations, fundraising and volunteering. We trust that your family appreciates this work that is done on your behalf, and that you will find an area of passion and interest of which you can be a part! If you are looking for a way to help out, please contact Cathy in the office, and she can direct you to the people who need you!

The Second Chance Construction Store is now well into its second year serving Strathroy and community. We are located at the corner of Adelaide and Metcalfe in Strathroy, and accept donations of used, resalable furniture, construction materials, hardware, home and garden items, antiques, and lots of other interesting things!

The SCCStore was started as a Board initiative that came out of the Strategic Plan. Its purpose is to provide a sustainable, non-tuition source of income to SCCS and to help keep the costs of tuition low for families sending their children to SCCS. It certainly has achieved that goal—since opening on June 9, 2012, the store has had sales of approximately $150,000 and has earned a profit of over $75,000 for Strathroy Commu-nity Christian School. Praise God for his blessings to us! (This report was written in July, so those numbers are higher today!)

But the SCCStore is much more than just a fundraiser for SCCS. We are also serving a need in Strathroy and the community. We have helped families who have needed furniture on a very small budget. We are help-ing to divert A LOT of “stuff ” from the landfill. We are demonstrating to the community what can be accom-plished by a community of people who believe in a cause and are willing to share their time and talents to support it in a unique way! And we get MANY oppor-tunities to share with customers just why SCCS exists, and what makes us different from other schools!

Of course, the daily operation of the store would not be possible without the dedication and contribution of the volunteers who give of their time! We have “regu-lars” who take one or two shifts per week, and we have our “once-in-a-while” volunteers! We are thankful for everyone who gives of themselves in some way to help make the store a success! We saw a lot of new faces helping out at the store over the summer—teens, par-ents, retirees, past parents, future parents…all working together for the shared cause of quality, Christ-centred education in Strathroy. We want to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has been a part of the success of the store! And we urge every family at SCCS to make an effort to volunteer at the SCCStore in some capacity…because every family is sharing in the lower tuition! Contact Joy at store@sccs.ca to let her know how you can help!

The Second ChanceConstruction Store

Do you have a passion for repurposing?Join a group of people on Monday nights for some fun repurposing items for the store. They take items from the store inventory, and repaint them, or alter them in some way, to increase value and “unique factor.” You are welcome to join them if you would like a fun, social night out…creativity is not necessarily required…sometimes there are more ideas than available painters.

I’m in!

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord... (Ephesians 6:7)

Volunteerism at SCCS: Bringing glory to God

Engaging in life-changing work Being involved in a community

Creating change

Are you in? Contact SCCS today to see where you fit!

www.sccs.ca 519-245-1934

The Voucher Incentive

Program (VIP)is Back!

The SCCS Voucher Incentive Program is into its second year! We thought you might like to know some statistics…• 48 SCCS families participated in the VIP last year• From October 1 to May 31 $8,723.74 was earned as tuition credits from participating families • The highest tuition credit earned was $698.24• Approximately $10,000 was raised for SCCS from October 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013• Over $625 was earned by non-parents who allocated their rebates to the Tuition Assistance Fund• Seven grandparent families allocate their rebates to their grandchildren’s tuition• Our top-selling gift card is for Loblaw’s (Superstore)… over $190,000 from May to July!

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask. Do you buy groceries? Gas? Shoes? Do you go on an occasional date night to a restaurant or to the movies? Are you a faithful regular at Timmies? If you answered YES to ANY of these questions, then the VIP is for you! Just by do-ing the things you already do anyway, you can support SCCS.• Yes, it takes a little bit of pre-planning and organization• Yes, you do have to pre-pay for the gift cards• Yes, there is a benefit to doing both of these!Under the VIP, you get 50% of the rebates that you earn. There are no hidden fees, no catches. The rebate that SCCS is offered by the stores is the rebate that we show you on the order form. Any order costs, bank fees or other charges comes out of the SCCS portion of the rebate. You can track your accumulated rebate anytime online!

Our goal for 2013–14 is 100% participation.We would like to raise $15,000 for SCCS, and return another $15,000 to YOU PARENTS in the form of tuition rebates. So, if you do not already participate, PLEASE go to www.sccs.ca/vip to get signed up! Orders can be placed online 24/7, or you can place one standing order for the whole year…we have worked very hard to make this program easy to use and understand! If you have any questions, or need some assistance getting that cash flow worked out for your first VIP order, contact the VIP administrators.

Wingfield Lost and FoundIn the midst of a record drought, wells on the

Seventh Line are drying up. A search to locate a new well on Wingfield Farm ensues, but distrac-

tions abound: a high-tech cattle drive, a battle with yellow jackets, a feud with a red-tailed hawk, an

eccentric line-up of water witches and a well-driller who is only too happy to perforate the ground at forty

dollars a foot. Is it the end of farming

for Walt and Maggie, or can the precious liquid be found?

More than an environ-mental comedy, Wing-field Lost and Found is a whimsical reminder that searching can turn up more than what is lost and teach us the value of more than what is found.

The SCCS auxiliary invites you to join us on Saturday,September 28 at the HCC/SDCI auditorium at 8 p.m. for our presentation of the final play in the Wingfield series! This has become something of an annual tradi-tion for many people in the Strathroy community, and it is with mixed emotions that we come to the

final presentation of this fundraiser!

Come help us make it a great one! Tickets avail-able at the SCCStore, Hamstra Carpet One,

Sunshine Bakery, or by calling Anna Bakelaar at 519-245-6791.

Calendar of EventsSept 3 First Day of School, Grades 1–8, Chapel at 8:30 a.m.Sept 4 First Day of School for JK & SKSept 13 Welcome Back BBQ & Meet the Teacher Night, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. @ SCCSSept 17 New Family Night at 7 p.m.Sept 27 Terry Fox Run Sept 28 Wingfield at SDCI

Welcome Back BBQFriday, September 13This is our School Year Kick-OffBBQ & Meet the Staff Evening.5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Plan to visit classrooms andteachers during this time. Enjoy a meal with friends!Cost: Free will donation

Invitation to All New FamiliesAll new families are invited to the New Family Night at SCCS, happening on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 p.m.This is a time to get your questions answered and to connect, in person, with your mentor family and some other members of SCCS. If you have not been assigned a mentor family before September, please contact the school office and we will get you connected. You are welcome to bring your whole family, or simply send a representative to ask questions and snack on some goodies. We look forward to getting to know you!

Event Highlights

Welcome to Our New Families!We thank the Lord for the new families that He has brought to SCCS this year! Please make them feel welcome when you see them!

The Bos Family – Darryl & JohannaJune (JK), Ellie (SK), Jeremiah (Gr. 1), Raina (Gr. 2), Isaiah (Gr. 4)We are looking forward to being part of the SCCS community again!

The Brown FamilyWe are the Brown family – Randy, Trish, Faith (Gr. 5) & Cadence (Gr. 2). We enjoy spending time together as a family playing games, camping, four-wheeling, snowmo-biling, or watching a movie. We are very excited about a new school experience, and look forward to a great year at SCCS!

The Buesink FamilyWe are George and Kelly Buesink. We have two boys, Judah who is start-ing JK this coming September, and Malachi who is two, and our little girl Gloria who was born on April 25th.

George grew up in Strathroy and attended SCCS, and is now busy running his own business – Buesink Welding. Kelly attended Ebenezer Christian School in St. Thomas and is a homemaker.

We are excited for our son Judah to start at SCCS in Sep-tember and happy that he will be taught a Christian-based curriculum. We are excited to join the Christian school community and hope that our children make new and last-ing friendships through the school. George and I have such great memories from our school experiences and we hope our kids can have the same. Most of all we hope and pray that our children can grow in the Lord by attending this school.

The DeJong Family – Klaas & JeannetteCalvin(Gr. 4), William (Gr. 6)

The DeLancey FamilyWe are the De Lancey family from Komoka (mom and dad: Tammy and Kelly, kids: Corey- Gr. 5, Joel-Gr.1, and Kylie & Rachel-JK.). Over the last couple of years we have been involved in a mid-week Awana program at First Lobo Baptist Church. We enjoy spending time together as a family. In the summer we like to go swimming and boating. In the winter you will often find us at the ice rink or out on the snowmobile trails (when we actually have snow!!!). Corey enjoys playing baseball with the DKMB Rivercats. Joel enjoys playing in the Mount Brydges’ Cougar hockey and Del-Ko-Brydge soccer leagues. Kylie and Rachel have participated in introductory swimming and skating activi-ties. Mom (Tammy) works hard to keep the family orga-nized! Dad (Kelly) has been involved with “Touch a Truck” in past years with the entry of his race car, antique tractor, and hook-lift truck. We are looking forward to forming new friendships at SCCS in the months ahead!

The Elijah Family – John & KathyWesley (JK)

The Feddema FamilyWe are the Feddemas: Johnny, Berthiene, David & Joshua. Johnny works at Hemming Farm Equipment in Nairn, Berthiene is a homemaker. David will be starting in Senior Kindergarten in September and is thrilled to be going to the same school as his cousins, Joshua gets to stay home yet for one more year and then big boy school will start for him. We live in Kerwood and cash crop. The boys love going for rides on the equipment. We attend the Providence United Reformed Church of Strathroy and we look forward to what SCCS has to offer as we start this next chapter in our lives.

The Felkar Family – Ryan & KellyTucker & Beau (Gr. 6)

The Hoogstra FamilyZack is our oldest with his little sister Reseda, trailing right behind. Brian operates Rainbow Ridge, located in Strathroy, while Kristi is the supervisor for Sonshine Daycare located in Mount Brydges. We attend Hope Community Chris-tian Reformed Church in Mount Brydges. Zack is excited to begin JK this September.(Or perhaps just riding the school bus….)

The Johnson Family – David & JenniferHaley (Gr. 5), Samuel (Gr. 7)

The Kemmerling FamilyHello! We are the Kem-merling family and we live in Southwold. Peter farms and runs our Sow farrowing operation. Sarah is a high school teacher and together we look after our two boys: Thomas 3½ and Lukas, 1½. We first heard of SCCS through Kevin and Heather Minten and are very excited that our Thomas will be starting junior kindergarten this September. We love meeting new families and are look-ing forward to becoming part of the SCCS community.

The Mitchell Family – Mike & AmyElla (Gr. 5) and Emma (Gr. 7)

The Moore Family – Joe & MarlaRichard (JK)

The Riehl Family – David & MarcellaJacintha (JK)

The Switzer FamilyOur family is happy to be living closer to our extended fam-ily after living in Yellowknife for seven years, although we did fall in love with the North and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there and the friendships we made. We have been blessed with three amazing children, Madelynn (7), Lauren (4) and Owen (2). Mark is passionate in his role as a financial security advisor, and Amy loves looking after the affairs of her household, along with working two days a week at Masterpiece Financial as a marketing assist-ant. We are thankful to be part of the Harvest London church family. We enjoy being outdoors and spending time with one another and with friends and family. We are excited for Lauren to experience Christian education at SCCS.

The Walls Family – John & TammiAiyana (JK)We are very excited and looking forward to our daughter Aiyana starting school at SCCS!

The Woodiwiss Family – Warren & RitaLogan (Gr. 1), Lily (Gr. 4)

The Family of Tina and DanielI’m happy to introduce my family to friends of SCCS. There is my hus-band, Tina, Daniel and myself in our family. My husband Geunjin, runs a company of engineering in Korea. I had been run-ning a language school in Korea for about 15 years when I left for Canada. I decided to challenge a new world where I had never been. Canada is the best country that I would like to live and experience. I hope that my kids see many things in this country, Canada and experience dif-ferent cultures.

A friend of mine lives in London and she recommended to us to study in Canada, especially London. So I looked for a good school for my kids and I selected SCCS. I am satisfied with my life in Strathroy and I expect that my kids and I can enjoy our life more and more.

“The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7a

Mrs. Stephanie TiffinMy name is Stephanie Tiffin, I am very excited to be joiningthe SCCS community this upcoming year as a teacher and community member. Christian education was an invaluable investment my parents made in my life and I am pleased to partner with parents to invest in our children today. Acts 2 depicts an inspiring picture of what community looks like, and I am thoroughly looking forward to sharing in this with Strathroy.

After finishing elementary and secondary school in Brampton, I headed down south to play soccer and study at Milligan College in East Tennessee. I finished my de-gree at York University in 2009. I felt the Lord open doors for me to travel down under to Australia for Teacher’s College in 2011. While studying there I was able to meet my mom’s entire side of the family; the weather wasn’t too bad either! Upon returning home I was blessed with the opportunity to teach grades 2 and 6 at London Christian Elementary School.

This summer as I prepare for the upcoming year, I will also be preparing for another special date. On August 10th Chad and I will be getting married in London, kicking off a new school year with a new name – Mrs. Tiffin. Thank you for already making me feel welcomed here at Strathroy. I am elated to see what God has in store for us this school year.

Mrs. Stephanie GowanHello, my name is Stephanie(De Vries) Gowan and my husband Josh and I have recently relocated to London after teaching for five years in a remote northern First Nations community. We also taught in Honduras for a year at a bilingual Christian school. My interests include sports and travel and spending time with family, friends, and our playful husky Mukwah. I look forward to joining SCCS to build into and be enriched by this wonderful faith-based community.

Mrs. Gowan is taking over the resource responsibilities of Mrs. Megan From. Mrs. Gowan will be teaching at SCCS for 40% and also working at London Christian Academy. We welcome her to the staff of SCCS!

Mr. Darren HakkerHello! I’m the new director of marketing for SCCS. My role is to work closely with school committees, the principal and the Board in a number of areas to help SCCS continue to thrive.

I run my own marketing firm, working primarily in the areas of strategy, consulting, copywriting and design to fulfill the needs of my clients, which are charities and small businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario.

I’ve found great success in grant writing, securing hundreds of thousands of dollars for my clients, and hope to secure funding for projects at SCCS. If you know of granting orga-nizations or have connections with businesses which may support community projects, please contact me directly at dhakker@sccs.ca or 519-491-0404. Let’s have coffee!

Welcome to New Staff Members

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Darlene, Aubree and Darren Hakker