The Great Reward of Christian Education
Thirteen years ago, my family began the journey into Christian education. Prior to having children, I had no clue what a difficult decision choosing a school would be. In fact, in the 1970’s and 80’s, when I was a school-aged girl, I knew very few kids who didn’t attend the local public school around the corner. My mom had no inclination and very little impetus to even consider such a thing as private school, but times have changed. By the time my first son was headed off to Kindergarten, we lived in a post 9/11 world, complete with an almost daily does of news about school shootings, sex-trafficking, gang wars, and drug lords. My fragile mother’s heart simply could not bear the thought of sending my son into a school system no longer interested in the Bible, prayer, or the Pledge of Allegiance. In retrospect, I suppose my decision to send my firstborn to a private Christian school was based primarily in fear, but times have changed. By the time my second son was swinging a lunch box, I was fully committed, and my commitment was no longer fear-based. I had begun to see the fruit of having my children surrounded on all sides by a consistent biblical worldview.
Today, I have four children who have been attending Gramercy Christian School in Newport, NC for nine years. My youngest two have never known another school, and although I have friends and family who do not agree with my decision, I have no regrets. Not only have my children received a good education in terms of reading, writing, and arithmetic, they have received things I never could have imagined at the onset. This year, I will graduate that cute little boy who started Kindergarten in a pair of khaki corduroy pants and Buster Brown shoes, and to my delight, I will be graduating a young man who is not only academically prepared, but also grounded in the Word of God, and driven by a higher purpose than his own personal gain. Even as I write this, I asked my son what his primary goal in life is. His answer – “I want to be useful to God and to others.”
The word “Gramercy,” from which our school derives its name is an Old English word meaning “great reward.” As a mother of four and a now full-time Christian educator myself, I could not have hand-picked a better name. The reward of seeing my children walking in the truth, full of purpose, and fully prepared for a life of Christian service is a reward greater than any I could have imagined.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 4