CHS Blog

Our thoughts are powerful.  A thought about a situation can determine our attitude, which can influence our entire day.  I often say with our thoughts, we find what we are looking for.  The Bible has a lot to say about our thoughts; and our thoughts greatly influence our perspective.  Over the last 15 years, while working as a social worker in a variety of capacities, I have interacted with lots of different people on both an individual and relational level.  And God is a relational God.  One of the key metanarratives of scripture is God’s deep love for us.  

I attended Christian Heritage in High School.  I remember a moment in my room (the most sacred space for any teenager).  I was feeling overwhelmed by some social situations.  So, I got on my knees and prayed a simple prayer; “God, re-order my loves”.  I have come back to that prayer many times.  When I am overwhelmed by a situation or a relationship, I can center my thoughts and ask God to “re-order my loves” so that, out of an overflow of love for God, I can understand my identity and security in Christ and love others.  First, we must love the Lord and out of that love for God we have a correct ordering or view of ourselves and others.  Relationships with others are so important but they cannot be more important than our relationship with God and, without a proper ordering, we will look to others to fulfill and satisfy only what God can.

The question is “How do we practically do this through the counseling office at Christian Heritage School?”

In lower school, I have been facilitating small groups.  All lower school students will participate in a group.  From kindergarten to second grade, we focus on “Getting Along in School.” These groups include three sessions: Following Group Rules, Playing Well With Others and Listening To Others.  We talk about the importance of rules and practice treating others with kindness and respect.  Students learn and discuss skills in playing well with others; that friends can be like traffic lights and send off signals when feeling happy, sad or mad.  We also talk about listening and the importance of listening to others.  The third to fifth grade students engage in groups about Friendship.  In the small group sessions we talk about friendship qualities; what makes a good friend, qualities the students already have and qualities each would like to work on.  We talk about communication in friendship and, through role-play, practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills.  We also talk about how to solve friendship problems.  Within our group discussions and learning we highlight the greatest commandment outlined in Matthew 22:37, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”  The ordering of these loves is crucial.  It has been a joy to work with the lower school groups; students are excited to attend groups and participate.  

As you may suspect, counseling looks a little different for Upper School students. I have had the opportunity to work with several different faculty to build what different levels of school counseling support could look like, from brief check-ins with students to brainstorming what small groups could look like as well as professional development opportunities from a social and emotional perspective.  

I am excited about this opportunity at Christian Heritage. My prayer is that I can come alongside students and faculty members and continue to equip and strengthen all the good that is already taking place here, and keep Christ at the forefront of everything we do.

Katy Culbertson is the school counselor at CHS.  She holds a BSW (Bachelors in Social Work) from Gordon College and a MSW (Masters of Social Work) from Southern Connecticut State University.  She is a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in the State of Connecticut.  She has 15 years of experience in the Social Work field working with children and families.  
 

Can you imagine graduating from high school with the confidence that you not only know what you believe, but also know how to effectively share it?  At Christian Heritage School we train teenagers to know and love the Word of God, apply it to their lives, and preach it winsomely to a world that needs it. Our hope is that they will be able to start living out the Great Commission long before they become adults. Most of the best preachers we can think of started formal training as adults. Imagine what the church could look like if we were to equip teenagers to read the Bible and share it with others.  

To this end, we teach our students how to preach starting in 6th grade. Each year, students are taught the basics of exegesis and how to understand the Bible in context.  They are taught how to write a sermon that is Biblically accurate and applicable to the students in their classes. Each year we build on the fundamentals of preaching that they have been taught. By the time they are in high school, they can effectively exegete and apply scripture in a way that brings the Word of God to life.

Sadly, in our culture, both teens and adults alike are afraid of public speaking. By training our students how to read the Bible in context and then giving them both the tools and the opportunity to communicate what they have learned, they are becoming speakers who boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. Not only are students able to preach in class, but they are also given the opportunity to preach in chapels, for both the lower and upper schools. What an encouragement it is to have our 3rd graders see an 8th grader preach a first-person narrative of the Christmas story. 

Our students are not only equipped but genuinely very good at preaching. Our Bible faculty is regularly amazed at the quality of preaching that is coming from students: 8th graders who can modernize a parable that will bring you to tears, a 9th grader who exegetes a passage in a way that brings to life what you’ve never noticed before, or an 11th grader who gets choked up sharing all that God has done in his life.  

It is a privilege to teach students the Word of God, but my greatest joy at CHS has been helping students find their voice and preach!

Mrs. Jennie Higenyi is our Upper School Bible Department Head.  She received a Bachelors of Psychology and Pastoral Ministry from Nyack College, and a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Preaching from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.  Jennie has worked as both an Associate Pastor and a Preaching Pastor, and began her teaching career as a Professor of Pastoral Ministry.  She has lived as a Missionary both in Italy and in Africa. This is her fourteenth year working at CHS, and she teaches 7th, 8th, and 11th grade Bible, and 12th grade Syracuse University Presentational Speaking. 

When I first stepped into the Café at Christian Heritage School, it was not yet a café.  It was 1981; I was a CHS student and Mrs. Wahlberg was the librarian and that space was her domain.  She had it neatly arranged with posters on the wall encouraging us to read just for fun. The books were all in their place on the shelving, and the tables were in clusters, allowing us to sit with large groups of friends. Mrs. Wahlberg knew that the small school I had just transferred from did not have a library, so she greeted me warmly and took extra time to show me how to find books and sign them out.  I spent the next five years creating many of my favorite memories in that room; some of them actually involved studying. Though if you know me, you would know that the memories I cherish the most are the ones where I was sitting beside my friends, talking, giggling, and sharing in one another’s lives. Ultimately, building relationships, some that would last for generations.

When I came to the end of my senior year, I stood in that library, wearing my blue cap and gown.  I had anticipated the excitement that my graduation would bring, but I was surprised that it was woven with hints of sadness.  Christian Heritage had become my home away from home and my heart hurt at the thought of leaving it.  That was forty-four years ago.  Since then, three of my daughters have attended and graduated from Christian Heritage, and although I spent some time away, I never quite left entirely.  That’s the way it is with “home”, isn’t it?

Our world has seen many changes in the last forty-four years, among them is a very different way of enjoying a cup of coffee.  Coffee shops have become a place to hang out with friends, a safe place to meet acquaintances. They’re a quiet place to study or write papers; a common ground to hash out relational issues or just to get to know someone better.  People go there to unwind after work, treating themselves to their favorite drink as a means of celebration or consolation.   In short, it has become less about the caffeine and more about community.   The Kingsmen Café is much the same, with one major difference: the community that we are striving to cultivate is a Christ-centered one.

The world’s view of community is often me-centered.  “How can you improve my life? Make me feel better? Bring me more income? Further my career?”  But throughout scripture Jesus commands us to love one another. He calls us to do life together, not for the good of ourselves, but for the good of our neighbors; ultimately to bring glory to our Father. I Peter 4: 8-11 says: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength that God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever.  

This verse is the heart of what we hope to emulate when encouraging community in the cafe.  

If you were to wander into the Kingsmen Café at any given time you would be able to witness tables of students with a warm cup of coffee and open books, studying side by side.  Or you may see students huddled in the corner quizzing one another on their bible verse for an upcoming test.  If you are truly fortunate, you may be treated to the harmonizing sounds of the boy’s ensemble, practicing in the loft, their voices low and barely detectable, but beautiful nonetheless.  After school is another story; the excitement of the day's end is palpable and sometimes deafening.  This is the time that the younger students are given access to the café and are able to enjoy picking out their treat. They choose their snack, then count out their money and hand it over the counter to one of the women who work here.  You can see their faces light up in the process, delighted by their newly acquired independence.  Sometimes the older children in line will step in to help, much to the joy of the star-struck little ones. The laughter at that time of day is contagious.  The conversation is fluid; creating a continuous hum from 2:30 to 3:30.   Every thought that the students have had to hold in throughout the day seems to overflow once they reach their friends in the café.  In this room, it doesn’t matter if you’re five or one hundred and five; you’re welcome and you belong. 

I’m going to use this opportunity to make a pitch to all who are reading this.  Come check out our little café.  Stop in when you drop your student off and witness the beauty of our children gathered together around the tables.  Or bring a friend during the day and sit down for a cup of tea or coffee, letting them see for themselves the value of the God-centered community that you are investing in for the sake of your children.  It doesn’t matter how many years go by, that is one fundamental thing that has not, nor will ever change in our school.   

It is my prayer that one day, when your student has completed their time at CHS, they too will stand in the room that was once my library but is now their café, and think to themselves: “there’s no place like home.”

Lorna Tyrrell is the Kingsmen Café Manager.  She graduated from Christian Heritage in 1986 and went on to major in Early Childhood Education.  She taught preschool for many years before becoming a stay-at-home mom to daughters: Olivia, Rebekah, Mary and Naomi.  Lorna began a career in baking in 2013, learning her new craft of cake art at a local bakery.  She has continued this passion while helping at the Kingsmen Café; stepping into the Manager position 2 years ago.  When she's not baking or creating coffee, she can be found soaking up the joy that her six grandchildren bring.