03/23/2022 Principal's Note
In a country that seems to value individual liberties over all else, unity is difficult to come by. Sure, we are the "United" States of America, and our pledge talks about "...one nation, under God..." but when was the last time you were part of a conversation and everyone agreed 100% about the topic? Even if you can recall a conversation like that, how long would it take before you and the other people realized something on which your opinions differed? When we run into dissenting ideas, often our first reaction is to circle the wagons, recoil into ourselves, and reach out to people that we know share our beliefs in the matter to reassure us. Sometimes that's a good thing, like if someone attacks our faith in Jesus. We should take a step back from situations like that and build ourselves up in the fellowship of believers. Sometimes, though, it's not such a good thing.
Let me give you a heads-up about two upcoming situations at Emanuel where people are not going to 100% agree:
- Our school has been put through the wringer, as has every other school in the United States (maybe around the world) over the last few years. Leaders had to make decisions they never anticipated making, teachers had to teach in ways they never thought they would teach, and parents had to shoulder responsibilities they never thought would be theirs to bear. To add to all that, you did it while already having a vacancy in your highest school leadership position. To put it mildly, the school culture at Emanuel took it on the chin. We now have an opportunity to come out of our dazed, reeling state and move forward culturally. We have a small team of teachers and administrators that are spearheading a "school culture diagnosis" that will start with the faculty and, eventually, involve all of you. I am sure it will not surprise you to know that the direction in which we decide to go as a school family may lead to some differing opinions.
- Our Emanuel ministry is moving closer to making some concrete decisions on a renovation for our 100-year-old church building. I am sure it will also not surprise you to know that decisions revolving around architecture and artwork that has been around for generations of church members, some of whom were baptized, confirmed, married, and plan to have their funerals in the same building, can be contentious. We have had many opportunities during open forums and voters' meetings to discuss this project (titled "Forward"), and we all seem to agree that a renovation needs to happen. We have a team of extremely dedicated people who are putting together plans and researching options, and those are beginning to take shape. Now what we need is participation in the upcoming discussions and votes. In order for this to be OUR church home, WE need to commit to being part of it and not be content sitting on the sidelines while others make decisions. It's okay to raise your hand and disagree with something as long as you are there!
In both of these situations, conflict will occur. However, look at what the Bible has to say about conflict within a family of believers: "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 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" (Philippians 2:1-4, NIV 2011). I want to highlight the last two sentences especially. If you find yourself disagreeing with your school faculty about a cultural direction, or with your church leadership about elements of the "Forward" project, that's okay. The people leading these things are not perfect, and their solutions will not be perfect either. But ask yourself about the foundation of your disagreement. Is my reason for disagreeing only about my preferences? If the answer is yes, then you may need to reevaluate in light of God's words through the apostle Paul above. For example, I may feel that expanding the extracurricular offerings at Emanuel to include more non-athletic groups is a waste of resources; but am I thinking about those kids that enjoy things other than basketball and volleyball? Or maybe spending hundreds of thousands of dollars increasing accessibility in our church building seems like overkill; but am I considering those who want to worship comfortably but have physical limitations?
In the end, God created us all differently, so we will never agree with each other completely. However, at Emanuel, we are blessed with a common foundation, our Savior Jesus, and a common goal, to hear his Word and tell it to others. When we keep that in front of us, then our discussions on details become loving and respectful. So join us on these journeys, both of which seek to improve the way we do ministry at Emanuel. Together we can make decisions that will benefit our church and school families for the next 100 years and beyond!
In Christ,
Principal Bill Fuerstenau