Resolute For the New Year

Welcome to the New Year! I have a lot of hope in what promises to be a wonderful year living and learning together in community. Each year, right around this time, Americans (and maybe people in other nations as well) take to setting New Year’s Resolutions. In all honesty, I have never been much of a resolution-setter, and while I could certainly resolve to lose a few pounds (or more than a few!), resolutions like that have never been effective in my life. I have always been a big-vision, long-term thinker and doer. So for me, this year I pray I will be determined, dedicated, committed, and devoted as a Christian, husband, father, friend, and employee of MPCS.

However, I am not re-resolving to do these things, as these have been my ongoing life goals. And I think I am just like our school in that way — at MPCS, we commit today, and every day, to do that which we have been committed to since 1976.

1. We will be missional.

This means that in every way, every day, and every hour, we will strive to unite with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth. Of course, the x’s and o’s of how we achieve this mission will and must be continually refined so that we get better each year; our mission is central to what we do and why we all love MPCS so dearly.

2. We will be unapologetically Christian.

Every day as we welcome your children to receive a world-class education, we know that learning will always and only be built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. This has always been the case and it is my prayer that this will always be the case, even as modern culture tells us that we are outside the norm, and even just plain wrong. I think being an outlier is a good thing – especially when it comes to being Jesus followers.

3. We will strive for excellence in all we do.

Harold Best, former Dean of the Conservatory at Wheaton College, was known to have preached excellence in all things, which is why the musicians at Wheaton College rival professionals. He defined excellence as being better tomorrow than one is today. It is my desire that in the conversations that we have as a faculty, within advisory groups, in classrooms, and outside of class, we are pushing each other to be better tomorrow than we are today. While that looks different for each of us, we should all be setting goals and working toward them with consistency.

4. We will learn from past thought and utilize future thinking.

Tradition is good and there are reasons that a liberal arts education is best for preparing students for the challenges of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  As such, we will continue to build upon our liberal arts tradition, utilizing the humanities, science, mathematics, and the arts to prepare our students.  However, we will also utilize progressive thinking as we look to the future, knowing that collaboration, inter-disciplinary thinking, and risk taking all lead to creative minds that are better prepared for an uncertain future.

5. We will grow in community together.

We were created for community. We were made for one another. MPCS has always done Christian community well and we are committed to continuing the community-building process together.  

Hebrews 10:23-25 says the following:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

So, MPCS family, let us commit ourselves to our long-held values, knowing they have brought us this far and that they will take us exactly where God wants us to be. I know if we do this, we will continue to make a great impact as we send our graduates into Cobb County, greater Atlanta, throughout the U.S., and all throughout the world.

Happy New Year to all!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Timothy P. Wiens, Ed.D

Headmaster

Dr. Tim Wiens serves as Headmaster and began his tenure at Mount Paran Christian School in 2018.

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