Bridgeway Christian Academy
ACSI Region: Southeast
Program Objective: to strengthen relationships within the staff through corporate praise and worship as well as a testimony and prayer time
Summary of Program
We at Bridgeway Christian Academy (BCA) have begun a unique new program that will have an incredible impact on our students. Most new and innovative school programs are directly connected to students. We have incorporated many new student programs at BCA, but we strongly believe if the teachers are not also introduced to fresh ideas that have direct bearing on them, the students will not receive the quality of instruction they deserve. Therefore, the whole person of the teachers (their body, soul, and spirit) is our focus. Following the example of Jesus—who regularly set time apart for worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship with His friends—the administration at BCA has begun Late Start Thursday. We are also still conducting our weekly staff devotions and meetings.
In the great majority of Christian schools, if not all of them, a regular chapel service/assembly is conducted to help feed and teach the spiritual part of students. We have taken this practice a step further. On Thursdays once a month, the students start school an hour later than they normally do, and the staff members use that time to have their own praise, worship, testimony, and prayer time. A time of praise and worship, led by our musicians, starts off the morning. Staff members then break into small groups in which they offer prayer requests and pray in response to the requests. Some also give personal testimonies, which have been incredible sources of encouragement to the other staff members.
As is often the case with new ideas or programs, there was some concern about the way the staff and parents would perceive Late Start Thursday. The administration thought that some might see the program as merely a decrease in instructional time or an interruption in the routine of the students. However, this devotional time has proved to be very valuable not only to our staff but to the students as well. Our teachers have come away from these meetings spiritually refreshed and recharged. Meeting together has also been a fantastic way for teachers to develop stronger relationships with one another because it is hard to pray and share with others without getting to know them in a deeper way.
These results have in turn filtered their way down to our students, who have Christian teachers now more ready than ever to teach them with the understanding and awareness of their calling to be Christian school teachers. The program has also had an impact on the administration as they watch the Body of Christ feed, nurture, and lift one another up.
There are many schools that have a time of prayer or teaching or possibly even a time of worship. However, these times are typically conducted either before or after the school day, when teachers are rushed, tired, or both. By building these activities into our school day, we are conveying the message to the students and their parents of just how important we believe the spiritual part of a person is. At the same time, our staff can refuel together in an unhurried, nonpressured environment that lends itself to the optimal growth and education of the children we serve. We fully expect Late Start Thursday to be one of the most fruitful programs our school has ever implemented.
Late Start Thursday 7.4