When writing these blog posts, the prompt for the authors is “Show what is happening inside the school to the outside community.” Between clubs, sports, class activities, guest speakers, and more, there is rarely a shortage of excitement inside the walls of Concordia. The problem for me, though, is I haven’t been inside the walls of the school for the last six weeks. While my connection to the daily ins and outs of school has been greatly diminished, the presence of the Concordia community has been felt in a way that is new to me in my eight years of teaching. With a new perspective, I say something that many of you readers know already- Concordia is a community worth being a part of.
At the beginning of October, I underwent a major back surgery (spinal fusion) that rendered me incapable of teaching and coaching for 6+ weeks. Having to focus on healing at home away from the students and staff members of Concordia was necessary but difficult to do. Going from hundreds of in-person interactions per day to single digits was hard for me, but through this difficult time Concordia rose up and showed me what true community looks like. Visits in the hospital from coaching friends and pastors of our association churches lifted my spirits in the immediate hours of recovery. Adaptive equipment for post-surgery activities of daily living were provided to me by community members. Get well cards were sent to me from students. Staff members, alumni, and student families came visiting daily to chat and provide meals. Emails with life updates from students popped up in my inbox. Willing and able subs graciously and determinedly stepped up to carry on student learning in my classroom. Getting to see and interact with students at church during one of my first outings brought great joy to my day. Even though I was absent from Concordia, Concordia was not absent from me.
While other communities are capable of doing this, what makes Concordia special is the motivation. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Jesus Christ: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…and humbled Himself…to death- even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:3-8). Christ is at the center of everything that we do at Concordia, from what is taught to students to what is provided to those in need. We preach Christ crucified and use our faith in that death and resurrection as fuel for our actions. When you see the body of Christ at work at Concordia, I hope you see the love of a Savior who wants to be in community with you. So, if you haven’t had the opportunity to experience Concordia, take it from me- Concordia is a community worth being a part of, because the community of Christ is worth being a part of.