Our mission begins, “Eastern Mennonite School joins home and church in calling students to faith in Jesus Christ …” You might ask, “How is this possible when students represent 14 denominational categories and 52 different church communities?” At school we focus on our similarities in Christ rather than emphasize denominational differences. After all, Jesus gathered an interesting mix of disciples to carry out the work of proclaiming the good news of God’s love for all people. I believe our school community’s strength of Christian witness lies in our ability to celebrate the many rich heritages our students bring to the EMS table.
EMS strives to give students a daily diet of spiritual nourishment as part of our routine while encouraging church involvement as the place
for lifelong Christian community and influence. We preserve Wednesday nights for church youth activities and/or family time. Annually, we hold the Pastor’s Appreciation Breakfast that has become a favorite event of mine. Students invite and host their pastor and we staff simply love on our church leaders with gratitude for their lead- ership in our community. Students also hear from pastors periodically through our chapel program- ming. Bible classes, integrated topics of faith in all classes, lunch conversations, student-led Bible studies, team devotions, and Neighbor Groups all contribute to good organic spiritual foods.
Our students give me hope for the future. The affection, care, and respect given to one another exceeds the maturity given during my era of high school. We strive for EMS to be a haven of safety where the deepest of student questions, perspec- tives, and spiritual insights are shared confidently and without fear of belittle- ment. A place where, despite one’s background, they are sincerely beckoned just as Jesus called his disciples. As iron sharpens iron, thoughts deepen and values become owned as conversation and reflection occur over and again. Our dedication to learning together within a diversely rich Christian community produces amazingly articulate young people capable of making positive differences in the world.
This issue of Today highlights Pastor Lee Martin as one of our alums serving God through church leadership. In addition, we celebrate all our alumni with photos from Homecoming 2015. Like yesterday, our students remain a touch of heaven on earth.
