The Why

From the snowmelt and watershed of Mount Hermon at the northern border of modern Israel, a source stream of the Jordan river begins at a grotto from which a spring flows.  The grotto is set at the base of an imposing rock cliff in the Golan Heights.  During the time of Jesus’ ministry the region was called Caesara Philippi and it is where Jesus asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15 and Mark 8:29)

At this grotto, Greeks built a temple shrine to their god Pan more than three hundred years before Christ’s birth. The pluralistic Greeks saw in the grotto an entrance into the underworld, the dark realm of their god Hades.[1]  At the same grotto spring, Canaanite worship and sacrifice to Ba’al pre-existed the Greeks. The scene illustrates what our children face in our culture where the current of pluralism threatens to sweep them away.  The force of our pluralistic culture is strong.

We believe the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge, the goals of education, are found in the answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”. (Colossians 2:2-3, 9; Proverbs 1:7, 9:10)  There is only one correct answer, not several.  Against such an answer no force or weight may prevail, even the gates of Hades. (Matthew 16:16, John 14:6, Revelation 19:11-16)  The answer binds us together in unity with Jesus Christ who is all and in all. (Colossians 3:10-11)  It is such an answer that we endeavor to teach with authority and clarity to our children from God’s Word. We have felt and heard the call to start a Christian high school to create a space for our community to do so.

Sarah and I have graduated three of our children from high school while living in Macon County.  During those years and through those experiences, the desire has grown within us to see a community school effort among Christian believers and churches in Macon County to disciple, guide and educate high school aged children.  

There are many benefits to a community Christian school in Macon County. 

• First, it is an occasion for our local churches to coalesce in the pursuit of Christian education.  We have heard from many churches and leaders of their support for such an endeavor.  A community Christian school is a good excuse for Christian believers and families, no matter their denomination, to work together to invest in the discipleship of our young people. 
• Second, we have seen the need for our local students to be guided academically.  When we encountered the high school years for the first time with our first child, there were all kinds of new things to learn.  For example, what credits did our student need to graduate, what should their high school transcript should look like, and what were the best classes to take for college?  High school academic requirements are always changing.  Through dual enrollment both locally and remotely, our students can complete up to two years of college credits by the time they graduate high school.  Southwestern Community College has been excellent to work with our homeschool and private school students, and a community school is a great bridge for such a program.  We are building relationships there that will benefit FCS students.
• Third, organized sports and other extracurricular activities are an option for our students through a community Christian school.  Sports is an important part of the high school experience and it is a valuable motivational and discipleship tool. 
• Fourth, we have wanted to see a hybrid program for homeschool students in our community.  FCS will offer a part-time hybrid enrollment alongside our full time enrolled students.  This can be a great option for homeschooling families, to provide community support and instruction in some of the more challenging courses in high school.  Organized school sports can be an option for hybrid enrollment students also.    
• Finally, it has been an encouragement to learn how supportive our state is of educational choice. In recent years, the North Carolina legislature has increased scholarship funding for private schools and this has encouraged private school growth all across the state. Educational choice strengthens the fundamental rights of parents who are the authority, not the government nor our society, in the upbringing and education of their children.[2]  It is encouraging to see our state’s respect for such rights. The regulatory environment in North Carolina of private schools is explicit in supporting parental authority by not overseeing private educational content. Such freedom and rights we should establish and exercise.

These are our ‘why’s’; we would love to hear yours.  Please contact us and learn more.

–Stuart and Sarah Sloan

[1] See, e.g., Acts 17 

[2] Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972).