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BCHS Alumni, students, faculty and families enjoying a time of fellowship after the spring concert on May 13, 2023.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:11 ESV
Friendship is one of the underrated blessings in the world. There is practically no joy that is not made better when shared with a friend and certainly no sorrow that is not lessened by the comfort of a friend. Jesus thought friendship so important that one of the last things he did in his earthly ministry was to change the disciples’ status from servants to friends (John 15:15). We have wonderful opportunities to think and act that same way.
The essence of friendship according to C. S. Lewis is that “Friends, [stand] side by side, absorbed in some common interest.” In other words, friends are those who, out of common experiences or shared interests, look out and see the world the same way. They share a common vision.
Our hope for the new BCHS Alumni Association is that it will be a vehicle for building and extending friendships. The original shared experience is having attended BCHS. But the basis of friendships undoubtedly extends beyond that to a common vision of the world, of the benefits from and need for Christian Education, and of a God-like love of the whole world (the Cosmos of John 3:16), that expresses itself in our shared love of Christ.
Still learning from Lewis, one of the best things about friendship is that “true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend.”1 So an easy and natural activity of the Alumni Association is to invite other friends to the party!
With that in mind, the proposed mission statement for the BCHS Alumni Association reads:
The mission of the BCHS Alumni Association is to support and encourage the Berean Christian Community, both past and present, by cultivating lifelong friendships as followers of Christ.
From that perspective, all the normal activities of an Alumni Association – everything from class reunions to Homecoming to Crab Feeds or Pickle Ball Tournaments - become occasions for extending friendships. We know that many of our Alumni are already keeping in touch through social media and occasional events. Our hope is that the Association will enhance and expand those opportunities.
From a ministry perspective, what we would really love is for our Alumni Association to look for ways to equip current students to join the party. Our Alumni have all had life experiences in colleges, businesses and families that are almost beyond the imagination of our current high school students who will soon face them all. Having our Alumni share what they have learned and experienced will be an incomparable blessing for those who will soon be stepping out into the world.
If this sounds like something with which you would like to be involved, please join us on campus at 7:00 pm on June 8th for an informal organizational meeting. Our goal for that evening is to discuss the possibilities, outline some next steps and, hopefully, come away with a few people who would enjoy making it happen.
I look forward to seeing you then.
Cordially in Christ,
Bob Fry - Director of Development
1 Lewis, C.A., The Four Loves
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