by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago had an impact on history like none other. The growth of the early church was evidence of His authority and the power of His blood shed for the sins of all mankind. Among those to directly receive His love, Jesus chose 12 men to train and share His love with others. This discipleship training was the foundation of the growth of the early church. The apostle Paul relates how 3,000 were added to the church in a single day as they heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. The instructions given by Jesus called the Great Commission had begun to be fulfilled.

One of the key components of discipleship training is an understanding and passion for the Great Commission. Disciples of Jesus deliberately and strategically pursue sharing the love of Jesus with others.  We are called to make disciples of all nations. This commandment must first be fulfilled in our homes, churches, and schools. The staff of Crosshill Christian School partner with families in this discipleship training. From helping make Jesus their “forever friend”, to viewing all truth through the context of a Christian worldview, discipleship training is an important component of God’s design for the Kingdom of heaven.

During the past four years, enrollment at Crosshill Christian School has grown dramatically from 252 students to 420 students. There are 27 total classrooms used on both campuses, many at capacity. New sections of classes may be created for next year, though some classes on both campuses will be full very soon. The school facilities are maxed out.  

Church on the Hill recognizes that its school ministry, Crosshill Christian School, is providing discipleship training to a growing number of families in the Willamette Valley. It is with joy and humility that the church and school are considering how God wants to expand its facilities to serve more families. The mission of the school has never been directly about growth, but rather discipleship training. But much like the early church, the love and power of Jesus is very real and transformational. More and more families committed to Jesus are looking for an environment that provides further training as the hearts and minds of our children are captured for Christ.

The school looks forward to the Celebrate Crosshill event coming up Friday, April 21st. Come join in the celebration of how salvation has come and is alive in our families. Come and be a part of what we believe God is doing on our campuses for this generation and the generation to come.   
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

A few weeks ago, ten CCS high school students participated in ASCE’s 10th annual “Future Engineer’s Day”. This event highlights engineering as a career to local high school students in coordination with area engineers. A high-profile industry speaker delivered the keynote address to over 300 students during the lunch. The day’s events also included industry tours and  a chance to meet with representatives from Oregon engineering colleges/universities. Students had the opportunity to choose to visit Garmin AT, Oregon Ballistic Laboratories, PGE Salem Smart Power Center, and Yamasa, among others. A couple of CCS parents who are part of the local engineering community also participated in the event.

I personally had the opportunity to lead a group to Biotronik in Lake Oswego, maker of devices designed to support heart health. After outfitting ourselves appropriately for the clean working environment, our group was given a tour of their massive testing and production facilities. I was impressed by their extensive processes to ensure the quality of their products. If 1 in 50 of my amazon packages has an issue, it’s not a big deal; I would just send it back for a refund. But if 1 in 50 implanted pacemakers has an issue, 1 in 50 people has a serious issue, as does the company. They choose to spend years of time and many resources to develop products with predictable performance and lifespans. More recent improvements include implanted devices that are MRI-safe, as well as tiny batteries capable of providing many 700-volt shocks over its 10-year lifespan. If only I could get one of those in my cell phone, I would only need to charge it once a year!

As eternal created beings by an Almighty God, our lives here on earth may be contextually short, but have much purpose. Instructions by Jesus in the New Testament are quite clear and simple: love God, love others, and share His love and help to train others toward good works. But before that, during the original creation of the world, God gave an instruction in Genesis 1 for mankind to subdue His creation and have dominion over it. Through the renewing of our minds, we have a purpose to demonstrate creativity and excellence as fathers, mothers, teachers, nurses, farmers, etc. Each day in the classrooms of CCS, teachers and students are striving to understand God’s creation and how to fully redeem it through the growth and application of their minds.  

God certainly values redemption. He wants our own souls to be redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. He also desires us to share God’s love with others as all of mankind needs redemption. One of the most effective ways to share God’s love is through the redemption of His creation. As students become masters of His creation, they can use the resources God provides to redeem both His creation and the valuable souls that are the pinnacle of His creation.   
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal

A few weeks ago I sat in the parking lot of Costco mentally preparing myself. It was a Saturday afternoon and I knew what awaited me once I entered this members only “warehouse of wonder”. I reminded myself to slow down; be patient with those who obliviously block the aisles repeatedly for the free samples; show kindness to those who zigzag through the store as if they were in a race or cut me off to get a closer place in the checkout line; be mindful of the budget when faced with the alluring temptations and great deals of items not on the list. With my positive attitude in place I headed into the chaos of carts to do my best to shop in peace with fellow members. 

As a member of the body of Christ, I find that the more I mentally and spiritually prepare myself ahead of time for my relationship with other members, the better I am able to move towards Romans 12:18 and “live at peace with everyone”. Being uniquely created, our similarities and differences that should be celebrated all too often become prey to our fallenness.The very peace God intends for our lives is disturbed and our relationships fracture. Pastor Rick Warren writes “Because you were formed to be a part of God’s family and the second purpose of your life on earth is to learn how to love and relate to others, peacemaking is one of the most important skills you can develop.”

This is a skill that has not been developing either quickly or easily in my life, yet God has been faithful to provide sufficient opportunities for growth. I have learned that an essential component of peacemaking is respect, and an essential component of respect is listening. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19). Nicely tied to this verse is the wise reminder that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we listen twice as much as we speak. Stephen R. Covey also reveals a blind spot many of us share, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” This disciplined practice of taking our thoughts and attention off of our own needs requires nothing less than an intentional renewing of our minds. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we will learn how to better understand the needs of others through listening, which will change how we respond to every situation. Peacemaking is a continual process which strengthens our relationships and and adds value to our Christian witness. 

My peacemaking skills were definitely put to the test that day at Costco, yet I am happy to report a successful endeavor. And although I believe that kindness is its own reward, overpriced pre-cooked bacon makes for a great reward too :)  
 
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– Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal

by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

During the summer of my sophomore year in high school, I spent a week with Sonlife Ministries receiving discipleship training while experiencing outreach on the streets of Seattle. One of the most challenging components for me was spending afternoons attempting to engage strangers in meaningful spiritual conversation. Many of the people were not very receptive to our message, and I easily felt threatened by their arguments against my Christian beliefs. Both my knowledge of God and my relationship with Him were immature at that time. I’m afraid my typical response in those conversations was often defensive and even antagonistic.  

Yet when I was paired with a more mature believer, I was able to witness how to be the light of the world to others. I was amazed by the patience and tolerance of my more gracious partners. Instead of responding defensively, they would respond lovingly while listening attentively and even asking more questions. More often than not, the moment when they introduced Jesus into the conversation, the stranger listened respectfully due to the respect they had already received.

Swiss Christian physician Paul Tournier wrote, “Tolerance is the natural endowment of true convictions.”  Founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries Chuck Colson expounds, “The more confident people are of the truth, the more grace they exhibit to those who don’t agree.” These quotes speak to the fact that respect toward others is not just a discipline of character, but an outflow of confidence in the truth of Jesus Christ. 

During the month of March, Crosshill students will focus on the character trait of respect, which is treating others with honor and dignity. Common in today’s culture is the incorrect idea that “respect must be earned, not given.” God’s word clearly commands that respect should be given to parents, the elderly, spouses, and neighbors. In fact, all the bases were covered when Paul instructed to “honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Genuine voluntary respect is at the heart of the gospel. Salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ cannot be earned, only given. God’s love for us is unconditional. Our love for others should reflect that unconditional love through unconditional respect.

Respect is founded upon truth. When respect is absent, truth should be reviewed as part of the training. God loves our children unconditionally.  They are adopted children of a perfectly Heavenly Father. Confidence in this truth grows not only through training, but through modeling. Students who walk securely in the love of parents and teachers are more quick to reflect this love to others. As a teenager, I saw how others demonstrated respect to strangers out of the abundance of the confident love in their heart. I learned that even if it felt like others had not earned my respect, they deserved my respect. May we be quick to train and model to our children how to respect others out of the abundance of truth in our hearts. 
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent