Spiritual Formation

VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

SPIRITUAL

FORMATION

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

OVERVIEW

At Valley Christian Schools, we are passionate about helping our community grow in its relationship with God through an intentional pathway called Spiritual Formation. Through interactions with Christian teachers, mentors, campus pastors, biblical teaching, and meaningful life experiences, students thoughtfully begin to answer the questions, “who is God?” and “how am I developing a relationship with Him?” Even our youngest students can explore how to live out their faith on our campus and in the community.

FORMATION

WAY OF THE WARRIOR

For over sixty years, Valley has impacted over 9,500 students and their families. Our VCS community strives toward a primary mission: to point people to Jesus. The Quest for Excellence is how we accomplish God’s unique call on our community, but God’s kingdom’s mission through Valley Christian Schools is to reach Silicon Valley (and beyond) with the good news of Jesus through education.

We believe a well-rounded education goes beyond classrooms and test scores. A comprehensive education weaves social connectivity, character, and identity formation into our academic pursuits. In 2022, VCS launched an initiative to focus on building faith, character, and virtues in our students on their Quest for Excellence; we call it, “the Way of the Warrior.”

The Way of the Warrior ethos is:

• Wisdom. The Warrior seeks to become wise on the journey of education (Proverbs 1:7).

• Honor. The Warrior takes ownership over their attitude, actions, thoughts, and feelings today (2 Corinthians 10:5).

• Courage. The Warrior knows resilience is indispensable (Proverbs 12:28).

• Sacrifice. The Warrior seeks the heart and mindset of Christ with whomever or whatever is in front of them (Philippians 2:2-8).

These virtues are foundational for students, transformational for our community, and define what it means to be a Warrior. Imagine the impact of a worldwide Warrior Community that demonstrates wisdom, honor, courage, and sacrifice in all thoughts, words, actions, and relationships. We believe the Way of the Warrior can shape how we lead, serve, and impact our world.

Steve Dang (’02) Chief Ministry Officer & Campus Pastor

Imagine the impact of a worldwide Warrior Community that demonstrates wisdom, honor, courage, and sacrifice.

BIBLICAL UNITY AND WELLNESS

Spiritual Formation is for everyone and is interwoven into everything we do. Jesus said the greatest command is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:28-33). Here at Valley Christian Schools, we seek to care for the whole person through K-12 Wellness and the entire community through K-12 Biblical Unity.

BIBLICAL UNITY

Biblical unity is a process for the whole community of Valley Christian Schools to find belonging based on biblical examples of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Establishing belonging has three major elements: seeking unity, listening better, and reconciling differences. We want to understand and honor everyone in our diverse community of ethnicities, national origins, cultures, languages, abilities, and beliefs.

• Cultural education and celebrations throughout the year

• Healthy relationships curriculum and program development

• Parent focus groups about cultural conversations and God’s commission

• Monthly Biblical Unity articles and reflections for the community

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

~Deuteronomy 6:5

WELLNESS

Psalms 139 tells us that God created our innermost being, and we are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. He designed us to have thoughts, feelings, passions, gifts, and purpose, all packaged in a physical body. Each part of us needs care and attention to ensure we thrive and live the life God created us to live. The Wellness team ensures our community understands these parts of themselves and learns how to care for and honor each of them. We desire to provide:

• Pastoral care for the whole person

• Opportunities for our community to care for each part of their being

• Social, emotional, and spiritual resources to support our community

• Embedding healthy coping strategies and social emotion learning strategies into the school day

• Investing in and supporting parents

ELEMENTARY FAITH

Students thrive in a Christ-centered learning environment where they are built up, encouraged, and poured into by dedicated teachers. Every student is encouraged to grow in their personal relationship with God and foster the values of wisdom, honor, courage, and sacrifice, which we call “the Way of the Warrior.”

SPIRITUAL LIFE

• Biblical perspective integrated into every subject

• Bible classes focused on teaching stories, thematic concepts, and Bible verse memorization

• Fun and lively weekly chapels that include student-led prayer, a time of praise and worship, and messages to help students grow in their relationship with God

• Service opportunities in the past include writing letters to members of our military, participating in the fire department’s toy drive, donating bug nets, creating care packages for the local community, donating turkeys to City Team, and coordinating a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank

• Character education alongside academics with biblical foundations and practical ways to live by faith daily

• Care for the whole student, which weaves spiritual, social, and emotional well-being into their experience at VCES

• Multiple service projects available per year

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

~Micah 6:8

JUNIOR HIGH FAITH

In Junior High, God can do His most formative work in us by shaping our identity, purpose, and belonging. In Junior High, we focus on community, service-learning fellowship, and practical ways to connect faith to everyday life. Through interactions with Christian mentors, campus pastors, chaplains, biblical teaching, and connection groups, VCJH students can explore their faith journey on campus and in the community. Spiritual Formation for our students weaves faith with a student’s social and emotional well-being in partnership with Biblical Unity and Wellness.

Alongside a student’s academic aspirations, we seek to foster the values of wisdom, honor, courage, and sacrifice, which we call ‘the Way of the Warrior.’ We desire every Valley Christian student to be formed into the likeness of Jesus, allowing us to reflect His love and good news to others as we lead, serve, and impact our world.

Everyone is at a different point in their faith journey, and our Spiritual Formation team is here to help our community grow in its relationship with God. Whether you are beginning to explore faith or ready for God to use you to serve His world, there is a pathway to help you take your next step. As a Christian school with a clear missional focus to reach the world with the good news of Jesus, we will encourage our students to grow in their relationship with God and be willing to give Jesus a fair hearing.

CURRICULUM

Every student is required to take a Bible class each year. Our Junior High Bible curriculum is shaped around the Trinity, with sixth grade focusing on God the Father, seventh grade focusing on God the Son, and eighth grade focusing on God the Holy Spirit.

Valley Christian Junior High offers students the opportunity to learn how to demonstrate God’s love at a young age. VCJH encourages students to serve, inspire, and motivate others on and off our campus in their everyday lives. Through action and love, students seek to advance God’s Kingdom with the redemptive power of the Gospel to transform our communities and the world.

SERVICE

Student Opportunities of Service:

• Operation Christmas Child

• Community Outreach Fellowship

• Student-led initiatives involving worship, prayer, and service on campus

• Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) Program

• Campus Leadership

• City Team

• Socktober

“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

~Luke 2:52

WARRIOR TIME

Spiritual Formation Warrior Time is a pathway and a process where students connect with staff and peers to develop meaningful relationships. In a post-pandemic world, healthy connections with others are essential for thriving. Our small group lessons tie into our broader chapel themes, offering practical applications, social skills, emotional insights, and opportunities for students to dive deeper. Our teachers are equipped with relevant lesson plans to develop relationships with students and help them grow in their relationship with God.

CHAPEL

Chapel is our opportunity to pause our busy weekly schedules to be encouraged in our faith. Faith and fun go hand-in-hand, so we seek to build an interactive experience to help students grow through a combination of music, games, fun, conversations, service, and/or guest speakers who connect biblical principles for everyday life. To learn more about our chapel experience, visit vcs.net/spiritualformation/junior-high-faith

• Weekly Chapels

• Bi-annual Spiritual Emphasis Weeks allow students to focus on their faith

• Each student participates in a weekly Warrior Time. Warrior Time is dedicated time to cultivating a student’s spiritual, social, and emotional well-being

DISCIPLESHIP TRACK

The Discipleship Track is an optional monthly gathering to help equip students with the essentials to grow in their relationship with Jesus. The Discipleship Track helps students connect to a community and explore topics such as: “how to read Scripture,” “how to find a church,” “why is it essential to serve,” “how to share your testimony,” and “why worship matters.” Our Discipleship Track leaders include teachers, chaplains, pastors, and students. For more information, visit vcs.net/spiritualformation

HIGH SCHOOL FAITH

At VCS, we seek to help students experience holistic Christian faith through weekly worship experiences, theological education, biblical unity, leadership development, character formation, wellness, and service learning. Spiritual Formation at VCHS weaves faith with a student’s social and emotional well-being in partnership with K-12 Biblical Unity and K-12 Wellness, preparing them for life beyond graduation.

We desire every Valley Christian student to be formed into the likeness of Jesus, allowing us to reflect His love and good news to others as we lead, serve, and impact our world. We believe Jesus taught and modeled servant leadership (Jn. 13:12-17), so we offer students the opportunity to put their faith into practice in their relationships, communities, and worldwide. Students can also cultivate their relationship with God through optional Discipleship Tracks, Spiritual Retreats, Bible Studies, clubs, and service trips (IMPACT).

Through interactions with Christian mentors, campus pastors, chaplains, biblical teaching, and meaningful service opportunities, VCHS students can explore their faith journey on campus and in the community. For our students, the Way of the Warrior is about personal formation on their journey toward graduation and beyond. As a Christian school with a clear missional focus to reach the world with the good news of Jesus, we will encourage our students to grow in their relationship with God and be willing to give Jesus a fair hearing.

BIBLE CLASSES

Bible classes for every grade level are designed as part of our four-year Spiritual Plan, including introductory classes for students new to Christian teaching.

Classes focused on the following areas:

• Studies in the Bible’s Old Testament

• Studies in the Bible’s New Testament

• Philosophy of Religion & World Religions

• Service Learning: on campus, in the local community, or around the world

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Every year, VCS students and faculty teams travel the world on short-term service trips to places like Alaska, Seattle, the Philippines, El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, and Thailand. Students must complete 25 hours of Community Service each year, though many serve above and beyond our requirements. In addition to service projects, VCHS hosts several impromptu campus-wide service projects throughout the year, including food drives, clothing drives, and fundraising for various nonprofits such as Martha’s Kitchen and CityTeam.

CHAPEL

Chapel allows students to pause from their busy academic schedules to be encouraged or challenged each week. Through a combination of engaging music, relevant teaching, reflections on Scripture, conversations, art, and various Chapel formats, we help students connect faith to everyday life. The Spiritual Formation Team crafts an intentional calendar throughout the year to help students build their faith by rooting themselves in the good news of Jesus, Scripture, and community (Colossians 2:6-7).

• Weekly Chapels help students grow in their relationship with God through a time of musical worship, teaching, Scripture reading, prayer, and conversations with Christian leaders in various industries

• Bi-annual Spiritual Emphasis Weeks allow students to focus on their faith

• We invite students to experience various Chapel formats to help students connect their faith to everyday life and experiences

• For 2023-2024 we are launching an additional chapel opportunity called “Graceline Chapel” for students who want to go deeper into worship and Scripture

DISCIPLESHIP TRACK

The Discipleship Track is an optional monthly gathering to help equip students with the essentials to grow in their relationship with Jesus. The Discipleship Track helps students connect to a community and explore topics such as: “how to read Scripture,” “how to find a church,” “why is it essential to serve,” “how to share your testimony,” and “why worship matters.” Our Discipleship Track speakers include chaplains, pastors, and students.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHRISTIAN COLLEGES

Our passion for Christian education extends beyond high school. We are continuously building partnerships with top-level Christian universities and colleges with admittance and guaranteed scholarship for VCHS graduates who qualify. Our current partnerships include Biola University, Azusa Pacific University, and Grand Canyon University.

ALUMNI MINISTRIES

ONCE A WARRIOR, ALWAYS A WARRIOR

After graduation, our Warriors join a network of 9500+ alumni worldwide. Through our Alumni Association, our commitment is to continue encouraging and praying for our alums after graduation. Our network of ambassadors are stationed around the country and beyond. Our hope is for graduates to find connections wherever God leads, whether in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Waco, Dallas, Nashville, New Haven, New York, Boston or even Paris, France. Be on the lookout for our many alumni road trips, events, and reunions near you by visiting alumni.vcs.net

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

~Proverbs 22:6

COMMUNITY FAITH

We are passionate about serving our whole VCS community. Whether a student, parent, alumnus, faculty, staff, or one of our partners is around the world, we want to help you grow in your relationship with God. We host several ways for our community to grow together throughout the year. Here are some ways to get involved:

• Elementary, Junior High, and High School PTPF (Parent Teacher Prayer Fellowship)

• Community worship events (i.e., Convocation, Encounter)

• Prayer Intercessors

• Parent Connection Groups by region

• Community Events (i.e., Homecoming, Christmas at the California, Festival of the Arts, Convocation, Encounter)

MISSION STATEMENT

Valley Christian Schools’ mission is to provide a nurturing environment o ering quality education supported by a strong foundation of Christian values in partnership with parents, equipping students to become leaders to serve God, to serve their families, and to positively impact their communities and the world.

VISION STATEMENT

A world where every student pursues their personal Quest for Excellence™

FOUNDING STATEMENT

Valley Christian Schools supports the homes and churches of students in providing an education that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible, as reflected in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Valley Christian Schools is committed to a Quest for Excellence™ in all of its educational programs, and provides a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum with a rigorous college preparatory program. Firmly founded on Christian values, Valley Christian Schools challenges youth to aspire toward lives of character, service and influence while pursuing their individual Quests for Excellence

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To support VCS, please call the Extend the Gift Advancement O ce at (408) 362-7644.