CCMS Bible Class Philosophy
For the 2011-12 School Year ~ Lauren Mesa

God calls human teachers to explain & apply His book and it is an honor for me to serve in this role at CCMS. Christ is the object of our faith - a faith made different because with it, we're trusting Christ with our very lives. The core curriculum accompanying me for this task is the Bible, and because I rely heavily on prayer to discern God's direction for these kids, your prayer support is invaluable. We all recognize that it is a terrible thing to have to "undo" spiritual damage in a person's life in later years; my earnest desire is that what your child learns at CCMS will be so guided by God that this is not an issue later in life. Our  hope is that the students encounter the Living God, and as they are exposed to WHO this Christ is the natural outflow will be that they discover WHO he has created them to be.  Eph. 1:11, from The Message, says it well: "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything & everyone." 

2011-12 Theme for Chapel & Bible Class: "Encountering Jesus through the New Testament: Loving, Knowing, Discovering & Living!"

1. LOVING God means loving others! This includes obeying God's commands, believing his word, being grateful for his many gifts and also enjoying him for who he is & all he is.
2. KNOWING Jesus means becoming more like him. We do this by spending time with him & with his Word. We also do this through intimacy with Christ, living prayerful relationship with him.
3. DISCOVERING what it means to be a disciple means knowing who we are as beloved children of the King and walking out that destiny. To do this we need to have teachable spirits, being open to the NEW as we discover what it means to be a "new creation."  We belong to God!
4. LIVING a "Godward life", is one lived for the sake of seeing & experiencing God in all things.  We are not accidents: God envisions good for each one of us no matter our background, failures, or fears. He has a life prepared for us which will bring him glory.  

• Bible Class will include READING & WRITING.  The early church was established by apostolic writing and teaching. God chose to send his living Word into the world for 30 years (Jesus - the Word made Flesh!), and his written Word into the world for 2, 000 years. We will read, wrestle with, and discuss the New Testament gospels, many of the letters, and Old Testament passages that point to Jesus. As we write creatively about them, my prayer is that the Word will open up to each student, becoming for them words of life with the power to transform and direct their lives.

• Bible Class: part lecture, part lab. What does this mean? Class lectures are interactive; participation is highly encouraged as we discuss God's Word for our lives. We HEAR that we are servants of God in class through Bible stories & discussion and we EXPERIENCE being servants as we serve in our community. Students will have various opportunities to live out what they are learning in class as they participate in service projects and various "one-thing challenges". The students will fill out a journal for each "one-thing challenge" (lab). After completing each Service Project (lab) the students are required to write a paper about this experience.

An example of one of our service projects:

Run for Food, Fall 2011. The students will be involved in this effort to raise awareness & support for the homeless. Last year, over 4,000 people participated in Run for Food, which required over 400 volunteers for this to happen. Our students will have an opportunity to be part of this amazing community fund raiser, and are required to write a paper based on the experience. This is an example of the students being in a real place where they can actually live out the verses regarding the poor among us and consider what God asks of us in regards to them.  Writing about this project is a chance to "hide God's word in their hearts" (Ps. 119: 11) - which is different from merely memorizing a Bible verse without experiencing  what it means. Chapel will dovetail with this learning experience as we welcome guest speakers from the Jesus Center.

Among other things, Service Projects train us in living prayerfully & unselfishly. They encourage us to be grateful & more content people, and are stepping stones toward living with compassion & joy. When we give of ourselves we grow as disciples and present to the world a servant community that can only be explained in terms that define the gospel of Christ. This is the "DNA" of Chico Christian School!

• ART application during Bible Class is part of "Knowing" and "Discovering." These applications will assist us in understanding God's Word & will for our lives. Students will not be graded on artistic ability but rather on effort & presentation. One big project will occur during each trimester (two examples listed below). Simpler, ongoing art application will accompany study throughout the year.

1. Wall mosaic: Students will work in groups to design, assemble and lay tile. Accompanying paper regarding Jer. 17:7-8, Psalm 1 & Psalm 23 will accompany this project. Wall mosaic will be hung on the outdoor wall of Starbucks, across from Jon n' Bons, using the above verses as inspiration. An actual verse will be included within the mosaic which means God's Word will become a visual part of our community, something our students can take great pride in creating & offering to others!
2. Disciple Triptych: Create a triptych for a New Testament disciple. This is a narrative work of art in which the students will develop personal ideas, issues & themes while creating art. The triptych will become a visual story, thus allowing the students to more deeply understand the person they're studying. The center, or focal point of the triptych (middle panel) will have a photograph or painting of the person.  The two side panels should represent their contributions in some way (or other people associated with them) and should include at least one verse written by or about the disciple.  This will involve some out of class work to find materials & prepare.

• Bible Verses for Study: All verses are from the NIV unless otherwise noted. The verses listed below are not exhaustive - they are a sampling of some of the verses the students will be exposed to. Because middle school is a time when kids seek to make their faith their own, the approach to "hiding God's Word in our hearts" will vary. Some verses will be written about, some memorized, some actually experienced and others will be part of a creative project in where students design what that verse means to them personally. It is my experience with this age group that DISCOVERY is hugely important for the gospel to become something they value and own as God's direction for their lives. The list below is a beginning, a starting point, but the students will have the opportunity to focus on other passages of scripture as we read through the gospels and many New Testament letters.

LOVING God & Others -

1. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35
2. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." - James 3: 13-16
3. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."- 1 Peter 4: 10-11
4. "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." / "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  - Galatians 5:16-18; 22-25
5. "Above all, love each other deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4: 8
6. "And this is my prayer: that you love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." - Phil. 1:9-10
7. "You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." - Galatians 6:1-5

KNOWING Jesus -

1. "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." - Phil. 3:8
2. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' "- Jeremiah 29: 11-13
3. "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, abut be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12: 1-2
4. "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." - James 1: 19-21
5. The Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6

DISCOVERING what it means to be a disciple -

1. "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." - Eph. 1:4, The Message
2. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." - Psalm 138:8
3. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." - Jeremiah 17: 7-8
4. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Eph.: 16-19
5. "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness, and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Heb. 12: 10-11
6. Psalm 23
7. Psalm 139

LIVING a "Godward life" -

1. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' "- Jeremiah 29: 11-13
2. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you." - Psalm 119: 9-11
3. "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."- 1 Cor. 10:31
4. "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." -  Romans 12: 1-2
5. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:9-16
6. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand firm."- 1 Cor. 10:12-13
7. "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."- 1 Cor. 10:31

In conclusion, there is NO conclusion! If God is in control of this class then I want to be open to the leading of His Spirit. I am grateful to Mrs. Landers for allowing me the freedom to do this. Please join me in praying that our students will experience Jesus as we learn & serve & create & spend time together. In whatever we do, may we do it ALL to the glory of God! (to borrow from one of the verses we will study this year - 1 Cor. 10:31).

Please know that I am available to discuss your child's spiritual well-being at any time during the year. The middle school staff believes that relationship is critical with this age group, and we are grateful for the opportunities we have to engage with your child. But it is your home, your voice, your faith and your values that shape the students who sit in our classes. As we partner with you to shape these kids we are mindful that we do not do this alone - God is with us, and his love for each child surpasses anything they will ever encounter. We rely on this abundant love, one saturated with wisdom and grace,  which allows us to be sufficient to the task of loving these amazing kids. May the Lord bless us all - students, parents, staff - as we labor together to lead these kids closer to Christ Jesus.

Your friend,

Lauren Mesa
Chaplain