Village Christian School wouldn’t exist but for a small church in Burbank in 1949 believing that an affordable private education was something they were compelled to offer to the greater Los Angeles community. And the reason they were compelled is due to the life-changing story of Jesus and all He’s done for the world. Those original founders of VCS not only wanted to provide a quality education that was accessible to as many as possible, but also offer the compelling good news of Jesus alongside that education. They were convinced that He alone is the One we were truly made for, He is the ultimate source of all truth, and He is the reason we pursue learning in the first place. As the Apostle Paul once shared while telling the Athenians about Jesus, “In him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).
Spiritual Life at Village Christian seeks to continue that tradition of infusing the good news of Jesus throughout all the educational and extra curricular activities of the school. Our hope is to see students thriving in all of life by loving God and loving others, no matter where students are in their spiritual journey. We accomplish this goal through our annual grade-level retreats, regular chapels, weekly Bible studies, 1:5 Circles of Care mentorship programs, community service opportunities, and various partnerships with local churches. Spiritual Life also seeks to give students a chance to use their God-given gifts in areas like Worship Arts, Servant Leadership, and more. We work hand-in-hand with the Bible Department to ensure that the theological education not only reaches their hearts but also their minds. Some of the Spiritual Life guiding principles are as follows:
It’s about Jesus. Students were not created to merely follow rules or be good citizens but to know the God who created them and came into the world on a rescue mission. We hope first and foremost to point students to Jesus.
Relevant for today. Being a student in our modern world is tough. It is often chaotic and unstable. But the good news of Jesus, “the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (Jude 3), is actually the story that makes sense of the world. It’s an anchor in a tumultuous world. We seek to show that Story is what their lives need most today.
Accessible to all. The good news of Jesus is for everyone. That’s one thing that makes it such good news! Students at Village Christian come from all different spiritual backgrounds. We seek to give every student an opportunity to develop and grow in their spiritual journey no matter what stage they are in.
Blessed to be a blessing. Jesus called His followers to be salt and light in the world. Every student at Village Christian is an image-bearer of God. We seek to help our students be a blessing to each other, their neighbors, their city, and the world around them, from the time they are students at VCS to wherever God takes them after they graduate.
Spiritual Life is here to serve everyone at Village Christian. If you ever have any questions, concerns, comments, or prayer requests, please know we are always available via email or the school phone number. This invitation is open to all students, parents, faculty, local ministry leaders, and whoever else.
Blessings to you.
DJ Jenkins
Spiritual Life Director
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, Chapel Chats, hosted by our Spiritual Life Director DJ Jenkins. 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: Pastor DJ Jenkins
Pastor DJ was born and raised in Southern California, growing up in Redlands before attending Cal Poly Pomona for his undergraduate degree, a Bachelors of Science in Biology. It was during his freshman year at Cal Poly that DJ placed his faith in Christ and began to follow Jesus through the ministry of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ).
Upon graduation DJ spent a year overseas doing ministry with Cru in São Paulo, Brazil. After returning to the States he joined staff with Cru full-time after sensing a call from God into vocational ministry. In 2005 he married his wife Alisha, also on staff with Cru, and the two of them were asked to lead the Cru ministry at the University of Arizona from 2007 to 2012.
After serving in collegiate ministry for 8 years, DJ and Alisha left staff with Cru in 2012 to move back to Southern California and plant a new church in Studio City. During his time in pastoral ministry in Los Angeles, DJ obtained his Masters of Divinity from Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, completing his degree in 2020.
After the pandemic, DJ joined the staff at Village Christian School, first as a substitute, then teaching 6th grade Bible classes. At the same time, DJ’s church began the process of merging with another local church, thus completing his vocational pastoral ministry. In 2024, DJ accepted the Spiritual Life Director position at VCS. He’s also been the assistant coach for the varsity girls soccer team for several years.
DJ and Alisha have two wonderful children, a teenage daughter named Piper and her younger brother named Zane. DJ loves living in Los Angeles, the Lakers, Dodgers, high-level soccer, family time at Disneyland, watching a great movie or TV show, and keeping up with the latest tech.
Contact Spiritual Life