Village Christian marked the end of a seven-year journey with community and time on the bases Wednesday night, conducting a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the official opening of its new South Athletic Field just beyond the Field of Dreams at the end of Village Avenue.
Donors, supporters, and other members of the VCS community were invited to the celebration, which included speeches, ceremonial pitches, ballgame-themed treats, and a special infield practice by VCS Softball, who will be among the programs to call the new field “home.”
“Today is a milestone in the history of Village Christian,” said VCS Board of Directors President and Alumni Parent Dave Bethany. “What we have here in our field is not just an athletic field, but it really represents a team of people coming together, working together, and following the vision that God gave them. And it’s only done with faith and perseverance. And when I say perseverance, we mean perseverance. I can’t tell you how many times we had phone calls, Zoom meetings, finding out one more challenge, one more difficulty, one more delay. And there’s times we thought, ‘Well, maybe we’re never going to pull this off.’ And yet, the Board and our leadership team here, continued to persevere. Through all those challenges, God was faithful.”
Attendees gathered in the cul-de-sac along the mountainside on Village Avenue to enjoy hot dogs, ice cream, lemonade, and more – all adding to the “Opening Day” feel of the event, celebrating the school’s first footprint expansion in decades.
As the sun went down, Head of School Tom Konjoyan addressed the crowd from the gates of the new facility, sharing the long history of the project that was initiated as part of the Legacy Campaign after the purchase of two properties at the end of Village Avenue in 2018; the twists and turns that occurred during and in the aftermath of COVID; and extensive governmental challenges through the permitting and approval process.
“I want to thank every one of you, our donors, our parent group leaders, and our supporters. Your generous contributions through the years were used by God to build this facility that current students will enjoy – and decades of children to come,” Konjoyan said, citing Exodus 17, the Israelites’ struggles and victory in battle, and God’s instruction to write down the history of what God had done. “Well, we have written down our victory on these plaques that you see here, and our banner for victory comes from the names of our donors. See, God will erase the memory of all the challenges it took to build this facility, but he will remind generations of people to come about the people through whom this facility was built. Praise be to Him, Praise be to all of you.”
Also among the speakers was Christian Assembly Lead Pastor Tom Hughes, representing the congregation that generously partnered with VCS to help make the project a reality.
“We as a church, Christian Assembly, needed a place to keep worshiping outdoors [during COVID], and everywhere we called said, ‘No.’ Tom and Village said, ‘Yes.’ So for nine months, we stood on the football field, in fact, we even did Easter on the football field as part of that span,” Hughes said. “Once we knew there was a need, our elders prayed and they decided, ‘Hey, Village was generous to us, and we want to be part of being generous to the wider gospel ecosystem.’ So we were able to give a gift to help contribute. And so it’s only possible because of all the people who walk by faith and give so generously back to God.”
Among the ceremony’s additional acknowledgements were:
VCS parents and alumni parents Chad Everett, Bryan Ochse, Bill Cowell, Antony Lovdokken, Shaun Mitchell, Shane Mitchell, and Drew Bethany; The Board of Directors; alum Ryan Valdiviez; senior Matthew Harward; Vice President Tracy Nightingale; Director of Facilities Mike Custer; Administrative Assistant Carrie Post; Athletic Director Diana Putignano; Creative Director Fontaina Funk; Event and Volunteer Director Lesli Cates; and Marketing and Communications Director Paul Putignano.
“It’s been a blessing to see the community come together through this exciting and unique opportunity to expand the campus,” Nightingale said. “The South Athletic Field will impact every student in all grades, and it’s just the beginning as we prepare to add an Event Center on what is now our ‘old’ softball field. We are excited to get started on the next phase of advancement, enhancing our facilities and the overall student experience here at VCS.”
Following the ribbon-cutting, attendees entering the new facility and were greeted by additional treats, merchandise, and “first pitch” ceremonies.
VCS alum and former Foundation Board President Karen Ross (Class of 1982) was joined by her daughter, Katie (Class of 2017), who won the CIF Southern Section Division VII championship with VCS Softball in 2017, for one first pitch, and Jorge Fernandez, a pastor at Christian Assembly and VCS parent, threw to current catcher Elsie Miller for the other.
Before families had the opportunity to go onto the new turf field and the children in attendance ran the bases, members of the VCS softball team took infield for the first time, fielding grounders and throwing the ball around the infield – a meaningful launch into an exciting new chapter for Village Athletics and to the wider VCS community as a whole.
“We are so thankful for all the prayers, blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this dream come to life,” said Athletic Director Diana Putignano. “This field will be loved on well by so many students – today and for years to come.”
PRAYER OF DEDICATION FROM BOARD MEMBER AND ALUMNI PARENT JOHN SPONSLER:
Heavenly Father, we come before you in gratitude. You are the giver of every good and perfect gift.
Today, we give praise for this beautiful field. You’ve led us through every step of the way. Once again, we declare you are faithful.
Lord, we thank you for the land itself. Thank you for the boldness of our leadership team, for their faith to purchase this property and begin the long process of making this dream possible.
Thank you for the many who gave so generously of their time and talents, many of them are here today, Lord. Those who studied the soil, guided the architects, graded the property for the concrete, built the wall, shaped this beautiful entryway, and coordinated every detail. As we step back, we’re amazed how each of these gifts bring glory to you.
We thank you for every donor, large and small, who gave so generously so this field could come together. We thank you for the amazing generosity of the men and women of Christian Assembly, who gave out of gratitude for the school allowing them to worship on the Field the Dreams during COVID. What a beautiful picture, Lord, of the Kingdom of God coming together.
We even give thanks, Lord, for the city officials who eventually supported this project and Tom’s persistence in getting them on board, and for our surrounding neighbors as well. We thank you for the Eagle Scout, who created this beautiful landmark.
Thank you for every hard-working employee, who saw this project through from start to finish. They persevered with us every step of the way.
Above all, Lord, we thank you. We recognize that every good and perfect gift comes from you, and while you invite some to plant and others to water, Lord, it is you that makes it all grow.
So, may this field be a place where students can thrive, where they can excel as athletes, work together as teammates, and celebrate winning with grace and losses with dignity, all while bringing honor to your name. May this field forever remind us, your people working together in faith, when that happens, Lord, all things are possible.
We dedicate this field to you, Lord Jesus, the name above all names. Amen.
Attendees at a special fundraising event for the South Athletic Field in 2022 signed a rock pledging commitment and support for the project. The rock is now positioned near the front entry gate to the field.