Dear Parents,
Over the past year, we have been working hard, planning and preparing for some extremely exciting changes that God is making at Elmwood. I want to personally express my thanks to you for bearing with us and patiently waiting as things were happening, sometimes slowly, but all the while working.
(1) Renewed Purpose and Mission:
Elmwood Baptist Academy is not changing our purpose and mission, just renewing it to make sure we are accomplishing our goals. Our reason for this is simple: to more clearly reflect our purpose, mission, and philosophy of education.
Purpose: The purpose of Elmwood Baptist Academy is to educate and train the whole student: spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially. Our Academy is and will always be a ministry of our local, New Testament church. As an independent, Baptist church, we are bible-believers. We follow the Word of God, and it alone is our source for faith and practice.
Not only must a young person have his appearance and actions reflect the Lord Jesus, but he must also have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to serve the Lord, in the plan God has for his life. Therefore, the Bible is not substituted for any academic subject, but it is integrated into the whole educational program. The Bible is taught so that the student will develop integrity and sound values that will govern every step of his life.
Elmwood Baptist Academy desires to send out into the world young people who will be academically and spiritually prepared to go and make a difference in this world. (Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesians 6:12; Jude 22).
Mission: The mission of Elmwood Baptist Academy is to assist (not replace) parents in academically and spiritually educating and equipping their children to develop a heart for God, to cultivate a sound biblical worldview, and to prepare students to positively impact their families, churches, communities, and country for Jesus Christ.
Elmwood Baptist Academy seeks to accomplish its mission by striving to achieve the following six learning outcomes:
- Establishing Christ-like Character Do right
- Achieving Comprehensive Development Be Like Jesus
- Growing in Knowledge Get Smart
- Leading through Servanthood Serve Others
- Elevating Patriotism Love America
- Striving ‘til the End Finish the Race
Elmwood Baptist Academy provides a solid academic foundation for a student’s future. Students of Elmwood Baptist Academy consistently score above the national average on annual standardized tests. The high school’s college preparatory curriculum enables graduates to be well prepared for college, adult life, and whatever else God has planned for them.
Philosophy: Our school is a ministry of Elmwood Baptist Church designed to help families train their children for Christian service. Our approach is a complementary one. God has established the family as the principal entity to train children, with the church serving as a second platform of spiritual training and leadership development for the family. The Christian school provides a third source of godly influence. This arrangement is truly successful only if the direction being set by all three is in agreement.
For this reason, it is vital that parents agree with the doctrine and philosophy of Elmwood Baptist Church and Academy. A child, placed in an environment in which the family follows a direction contrary to that of the church and the school, is a child given to much confusion and strife within his own thoughts and actions. It should be understood that our primary goal is to produce and develop servant leaders for Christ who learn to love and honor their parents and their home.
Students are led to develop the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5) in their lives. A key reason for the existence of Christian education is to establish an environment that will develop a sound biblical worldview. Elmwood Baptist Academy has developed a program to minister to the complete student. This is accomplished through four areas of emphasis:
The first and strongest emphasis is the spiritual growth of the child and family. The clear teaching of the Bible is the best foundation for learning. The Bible is not only taught as a class, but also permeates every other subject. We endeavor to introduce each child to Christ and to direct children and families to thoroughly know and live the Bible.
The second emphasis is on academics. The school uses, time-tested, rigorous Christian curriculum, designed to prepare students to be successful in life. We provide a superior academic climate and promote academic excellence to best prepare students to fulfill God’s will for their lives.
The third and fourth areas of emphasis are proper social and physical development. The school participates in fine arts competitions, and seasonal programs teaching our students to exalt Christ with their God-given talents, abilities, and skills. Our physical education and athletic programs are continually expanding to meet the needs of our students.
(2) Property Development:
Last year, Elmwood Baptist Church continued to develop and expand our existing facilities to better meet the needs of our growing, active church. We added more than 10 times the playground and park environment for our students. We have continued to develop this throughout the year, adding to our basketball court as well. More changes continue to come and we will notify you through our social media sites with this information.
(3) Staff Changes:
The previous year brought with it some challenges as student enrollment in our preschool department did not produce as much as previous years. This caused a strain on our budget causing us to let go of a couple of wonderful teachers in January. Though this was unforeseen by us, we trust God knows all things and allowed this for His ultimate purpose. Though it was extremely difficult and sad, we saw God’s hand in it all and trusted Him for everything. Thank you for working with us as we prepare for the upcoming 2017-2018 academic year.
The staff for the upcoming year is excited to be working with us to train up and develop the next generation for Christ.
Again, thank you for partnering with us. We look forward to serving you this coming year. May God bless you richly as you faithfully serve Him.
Respectfully,
Pastor Joshua Lehman
Administrator