Spiritual Life
Central to the Mission of Village Christian School is the call to consider, receive, trust, repent, and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, with a faith that follows Him for life. Thus, we seek to provide a refreshingly distinct education centered on Christ and His Word. In the Spiritual Life Department, we deal with that which is eternal — the souls of our students, staff, and community overflowing to the whole of life. The Lord Jesus said that someone can gain the whole world, but if they lose their soul, it’s a worthless tragedy (Mark 8:36). So, with serious joy, we have the privileged stewardship to bear witness to Jesus, the only savior from eternal death, hope for eternal life, and giver of abundant life (John 3:16, 10:10). Spiritual vitality pervades everything we do. We do not believe that following Christ can be compartmentalized into a Sunday church service, a Bible class, or even a mission project. Following Christ is for the whole of life, in every arena of life, and the most beautiful life we can exemplify. The Spiritual Life Department aims to provide consistent Christ-centered soul-care, devoted to God’s Word and prayer.
We desire to be a school that biblically helps students and their families to love God and love others, overflowing from a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ. Our prayer, as we serve students towards authentic discipleship, is five-fold:
- For Jesus Christ to be central and exalted. Only when Christ is central in all things and exalted above all things can we fulfill the mission of VCS to the glory of God and good of our students.
- For the power of the Gospel to be at work in our service. Only the power of the gospel gifts our students — fellowship with God, life from death, unity through humility, and adoption into the family of God.
- For the Bible to be treasured. Only God’s Word gives our students true relationship with God, the true worldview, and confidence to carry out God’s will for their life in the advancement of His kingdom.
- For VCS to have an eagerness towards prayer. Prayer is the chief expression of our dependence upon God as we serve our students.
- For truth and love to always be at the forefront. The truth in love is the heart of Christian fellowship and we long to not only serve but love our students as Christ has loved us.
As the Spiritual Life Director, there’s no greater or more beautiful news than the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is my joy to participate in this gospel partnership for the good of VCS and the glory of God.
If you ever have any questions, concerns, comments, or prayer requests, please know that my door is always open, my e-mail awaits, and my phone is always available for calls. This invitation is open to all students, parents, faculty, local ministry leaders, and whoever else.
All glory to Christ,
Paul Pitts III
Spiritual Life Director
(818) 767-8382 x203
Spiritual Life Across our Schools
At Village, we are strategic about incorporating Spiritual Life into every facet of campus life. In each of our three schools, there are unique approaches to how the message of Jesus is woven into curriculum and community.
Spiritual Life in the Elementary School is informed by the following goals:
- To introduce students to the God who loves them and invites them into relationship with Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. (John 3:16)
- To help students grow in their knowledge and understanding of who God is (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
- To help students understand the uniqueness and authority of the Bible (Psalm 19; Hebrews 4:12)
- To help students understand biblical principles and apply them to their lives and relationships (2 Timothy 3:14-17; James 1:22)
- To help students see the consistency of God’s redemptive plan in Christ throughout the Old and New Testaments (Galatians 4:4-5)
- To help students interpret the world around them and filter life experiences through the lens of scripture (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
- To help students understand who they are in light of who God is and what He has done for them (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10)
- To help students begin to develop and exercise Spiritual Disciplines for personal growth (Prayer, Bible reading, Bible memorization) (2 Peter 3:18)
- To help students understand our responsibility to others in our community, and to “the least of these” (John 13:34-35; James 1:27)
These goals are integrated into daily Bible lessons and devotions in the classroom as well as weekly grade level chapels. Additionally, they are expressed each week as the entire Elementary School meets together for Marvelous Morning.
Throughout the year, we also participate in Friendship Circles to help foster spiritual growth in the students. Each kindergarten through 5th grade student is assigned to a Friendship Circle. These multi-grade level groups are facilitated by our faculty and staff and foster relationships amongst the students and with a trusted adult. During Friendship Circles, the students discuss Biblical truth and learn how it applies to our daily lives.
In addition to ways that each teacher strives to weave the gospel into their subject area, we also have strategic additions to Middle School life to reinforce spiritual life:
Grade-Level Retreats
Among their peers, students can grow spiritually through grade-level pretreats that pull them out of the ordinary classroom experience. These retreats are designed to help students grow spiritually through messages from the Word of God, discussions on how Scripture applies to their lives, opportunities to worship Jesus together, bond, laugh, receive encouragement, and hear the good news of Jesus Christ. At each grade level, retreats are designed to help students biblically process the unique challenges they are facing with the consistent focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Details on these retreats can be found below.
Life Groups
LIFE Groups are small groups designed by our VCS Leadership Classes to help students navigate their years in Middle School. Students participate in lunch activities and are supported through encouragement, practical advice, and God's Word. Sign-ups typically take place at the beginning of the school year during lunch. Students will receive announcement through their Bible classes with specific dates and details.
Chapel
Our weekly chapel service is an intentional pause in the busy week to worship God, hear from the Word of God, and learn how Christ integrates into the whole of life. Every chapel seeks to keep a fresh focus on the person of Jesus, while proclaiming the truth of Scripture in meaningful and applicable ways. Teaching from God's Word, prayer, worship, along with discussion, film, fine arts, and dialogue are some of the ways students engage during chapel.
In High School, spiritual formation is encouraged through specific programs that allow students to explore and deepen faith in Jesus Christ. Students are also given the opportunity to apply that faith through interactive community involvement through some of the following activities:
Chapel
High School attends weekly chapel as an intentional pause in the middle of the week to hear teaching, worship God, and to consider how Christ integrates into life. Every chapel seeks to keep a fresh focus on the person of Jesus, while proclaiming the truth of Scripture in meaningful and applicable ways. In addition to teaching and worship, chapels may also feature film, fine arts, games, discussion, and dialogue.
Retreats
Each grade goes on a yearly retreat off-campus, which is a significant time of community building, learning, and celebration.
1:5 Circles of Care
We've created an innovative, research-based initiative called 1:5 Circles of Care to surround our students with the caring adults they need to thrive in their adolescence, and to emerge into adulthood emotionally healthy, seeing themselves rightly, and living a strong faith. High school students choose five adults to be in their Circle of Care during their freshman year. Sometimes the Circle may change slightly during high school as relationships change and people move in and out of the community.
Podcast
We are excited to present our podcast, Christ Our Constant, hosted by Spiritual Life Director Paul Pitts III. We pray you will find encouragement and wisdom from the conversations, and encourage you to subscribe and share it with your friends. It's available on each of the popular platforms below, as well as streaming directly from our web site:
Leadership Classes
Village features multiple leadership classes. All of these classes require students to go through an application process with references.
In 8th grade, Crew is a class where students invited to follow the example of the Master Teacher by engaging in a ministry of learning, leading, and service. The Middle School Crew class combines both classroom learning and outside experience to help middle school students lead others, and practice group organization and problem solving. They are exposed to hands-on experiential moments in which they can utilize and develop leadership skills. Two such opportunities are leading 6th grade small groups, and creating multiple Crew-led Chapels. More information here.
In grades 10-12, Worship Arts is a Bible class that blends leadership and Biblical teaching with musical rehearsal, and all students who are accepted must demonstrate substantial musical ability to be able to lead the school in regular worship gatherings.
Servant Leadership exists to help 11th-12th grade students learn about the servant leadership model that Jesus embodies (Philippians 2:5-8, Mark 10:45). Servant Leaders lead middle school life groups, assist in weekly chapels, and serve at Village and in the community in a variety of ways. Through this meaningful experience, students engage their hands, head and heart to be formed more and more like Christ.
In grades 9-12, students may join the Associated Student Board (ASB). The purpose of the ASB is to promote both school spirit and a positive spiritual atmosphere on our campus through various school activities such as dances, seasonal rallies, monthly morning devotions, and grade level events. ASB members serve as leaders among our student body and provide a channel of representation between students and school administration.
Retreats
Starting in 5th grade, Village hosts on- and off-campus retreats for each grade designed to further each student's faith and perspective in the world. Some retreats are day retreats, while others take the students away for longer and farther. Visit our Retreats page for more in-depth information, or here are some of our highlights:
Our 5th grade trip to the Washington D.C. area takes our students to Capitol Hill, the Smithsonian Museums, the Bible Museum, and Arlington National Cemetery, as well as the various memorials and monuments. Additionally, we travel to the Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown to study the foundation of our country which correlates with the fifth-grade social studies curriculum. Years later, many point to this trip as one of their most memorable and meaningful experiences at Village.
The 6th Grade Retreat is held in the fall and is a major team-building experience, as students embark on a three-day trip to Hume SoCal in the San Bernadino National Forest. Students hear and discuss the Word of God, experience group games, build new friendships, worship together, and more.
The 8th Grade Retreat, known as "The March," takes our students on a trip to the deep south, where they study critical moments from both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement as they journey through Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.
The 12th Grade Retreat is an overnight retreat experience in the spring semester. This retreat serves as a final opportunity for focused fellowship of the senior class, along with a final encouragement towards a faith that follows Jesus for life.
Meet the Spiritual Life Director: Paul Pitts III
PP3, as he is known around campus, received his Masters of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary in 2020, and holds a Masters of Arts and Letters in Liberal Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from San Diego State University, where he also earned his Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Counseling and Social Change.
With experience ranging from pastoral ministry at The Hill Church to college ministry at Cal State Northridge and youth outreach at the San Diego Center For Children, Pitts brings a uniquely tailored heart for students to the VCS campus.
An accomplished athlete, the former San Diego State wide receiver was named the school’s 2016 Student-Athlete of the Year and the Arthur Ashe Jr. National Male Sports Scholar of the Year. He is an Academic All-Mountain West Conference honoree, and won the Humanitarian Award through the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which the Aztecs won 49-24 over the University of Buffalo.
Additionally, Pitts, who spent his seminary years also working as an intern at Grace Community Church, received The MacArthur Preaching Award from The Master’s Seminary in 2020 and the Dr. Richard Mayhue Honor’s Scholarship from 2017-2020.
Contact Spiritual Life