Fall Discipleship at TRS
At The Redeemer's School, we are committed to the holistic development of our students. Our approach to education is not exclusively about filling young minds with knowledge; it is also about nurturing the souls of our young image-bearers. Taken from God’s Word in Mark 12, we have developed our own framework to guide us in defining and refining our measure of success. The second pillar central to this framework is Soul | Spiritual Formation.
In Mark 12, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, and His response is the foundation for our educational philosophy: "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”
While we have many facets to our discipleship process, one of the ways we nurture students’ spiritual formation is through our weekly chapels. We have a Lower School Chapel for K4 - 5th grade students and a Middle School Chapel for 6th - 8th grade students. Our weekly chapel services are a time when we can worship God through song and invite diverse voices from our community to share encouragement from God’s word, share their testimonies, and illustrate how God has worked in their lives. These moments of prayerful reflection and inspiration help students connect their understanding of the lessons they’re learning to their own life experiences.
“My favorite chapel speaker was Miss Stephanie because of the way she explained how she got to know God and how it made me want to know God, too,” Sixth Grader Kensley Benjamin said. “My favorite speaker was Nathan Stevenson; I learned that you should love your enemies like you love your family,” Seventh Grader Jordyn Walker added. “My favorite chapel speaker is Mr.William; I learned that if you entertain sinful ways, your bond with God will begin to fade away,” Seventh Grader Tristan Vance said.
We also believe in the value of instilling a strong foundation of scripture memorization from a young age. This practice goes beyond rote learning – it equips our students with a deep reservoir of God’s Word that they can draw from in joyful moments and challenging times.
By the end of last year, our First Grade students had memorized a substantial amount of Bible content, including the 66 books of the Bible, The Lord's Prayer, The Ten Commandments, The Days of Creation, Romans 10:9, The Fruits of the Spirit, and the Parts of the Armor of God, all with book and verse references. They've also read the birth of Jesus, learned to find specific Bible passages, and engaged in meaningful discussions about each scripture.
Middle school students are currently tracing the arc of God’s redemption story, starting in the book of Genesis and working forward through the books of the Old Testament. They are finishing up the book of Leviticus, discussing how a holy God graciously offered unholy people ways to safely come into His presence.
“While studying the book of Exodus, I drew a menorah on the board to illustrate the shape of the golden candlestick inside the tabernacle,” Mr. Jonathan Eastman, Middle School History and Bible Teacher, said. “I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of my students drew the menorah on her test as part of an answer!”
Another important facet of spiritual formation at TRS is our class devotionals and Middle School Bible classes. In our Bible classes, students not only learn additional scripture but are also challenged to articulate language for how they can apply these teachings to everyday life, both inside and outside the classroom. This approach to education empowers our students to thrive intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, where we are raising future community leaders whose hearts and minds are truly nourished.
Mrs. Henry, our second-grade teacher, shares her thoughts on experiencing students’ spiritual formation. “We want our students to be familiar with the stories of the Bible, as well as the overarching themes throughout the whole of scripture,” she said. “This year, we added a daily morning worship time as a whole school, where we read a verse, sing a song, and pray together. It’s been a great way to come together in unity, and center our hearts, minds, and spirits as we get ready to go about our school day.”
“I love it when the upper-grade students participate in morning worship,” she said. “It is sweet when a student is reading God’s word and the younger students listen eagerly. I also love it when the students sing and praise the Lord together. I can imagine this must be what heaven will be like someday.”
“After having tried a lot of different topics and teaching styles last year, I am grateful to have found a method that is bringing some results,” Mr. Eastman said. “The students read out loud a lot from the Bible in class, and it is this familiarity with the Word of God that I feel is powerful. I am hoping that through this process they will realize that the Bible is packed with meaning and that they don’t have to be a seminary professor to understand it and profit from it.”