In early spring of 1996, two moms felt impressed by the Lord of the need for a Christian School in Galesburg, owned and administered by parents. As they prayed, the seed that the Lord had planted began to grow. They spoke with other Christian parents and soon a nucleus of seven couples, committed to the Lord and to each other, began this new ministry. Eventually this group of parents became the first School Board of Galesburg Christian School.
A public meeting was held, attended by almost 100 people, to learn about the concept of the school. After that meeting, with the confidence of broad support, the work began in earnest - it was late April. Immediately priorities were set: teachers, students, curriculum and premises. The Lord in His infinite wisdom had brought together fourteen people with all the many gifts necessary to build a school and all of them worked ... and worked. They discussed all aspects of Christianity, education, finances, personnel and premises. They looked to the State of Illinois, the Association of Christian Schools International, other Christian schools, and local churches for information and guidance. The new school, unlike most new Christian schools, would serve Kindergarten through twelfth grade. It would be evangelical and provided a safe environment of academic excellence bathed in the Word of God. Named Galesburg Christian School Association, Inc., the school would be parent-run, not-for-profit and inter-denominational. It would seek to address the needs of students spiritually, academically, physically, and socially.
God opened and closed all the right doors. A building was found, teachers came forward, textbooks were purchased and parents became excited. The priorities were met, the foundation was laid, and God blessed the efforts. On August 25, 1996 the doors opened at Galesburg Christian School with 120 students and a staff of 20. And by the grace of God, that was just the beginning.
The following statement conveys what we believe education to be:
Since humankind's chief and highest end is to glorify God, the highest possible achievement for any child is to understand and obey God's plan and purpose. The Bible, the inerrant Word of God, directs parents to prepare their children to live godly lives. We believe that school is an institution that provides assistance to parents in fulfilling this responsibility, thereby supplementing and complementing the training that the child receives at home.
We believe that together home, school, church and other aspects of a child's experience educate the whole child in his preparation for adulthood. Since a child cannot be separated into isolated components, his school experience must address each of the interrelated components in educating a child. These components include:
§ Spiritual - A child's relationship with the personal triune God of the Bible, the understanding of the nature of God, and an understanding of the spiritual nature of this world and humankind.
§ Intellectual - The God-given attributes of a child that enable children to master foundational academic tasks (e.g., reading, mathematics, spelling, language, writing, etc.).
§ Social - Interaction with others, both adults and children, in groups and on an individual level.
§ Emotional - The part of the child that identifies, understands, and deals with his emotional state and self-esteem.
§ Physical - Mastering gross motor and fine motor skills in the framework of the child's ever changing body.
Therefore, each student not only has individual strengths and weaknesses, but also exhibits change and growth in each of the above areas. This type of focus allows the staff to view each student as an individual with different likes and dislikes, different needs and levels of growth in order to maximize their gifts and strengths. This also provides a way to augment each student's experience at school.
We desire the Lord's guidance for all that will be done to fulfill our responsibility to educate children. We acknowledge that God has planned individually for each child and that His plan has allowed adults, parents, and teachers the privilege of serving Him in the raising of children.
Galesburg Christian School is dedicated to giving students a strong academic education in the context of a Christian world-view. In addition to a strong academic background, GCS offers courses and activities to develop a strong Christian world-view that prepares students to live in a non-Christian world. Other courses and activities are offered to strengthen the basic skills needed later in life.
Outlined below is the program of study offered at GCS:
§ Bible (Old and New Testament; key Bible themes; scripture memorization:
§ English (emphasizing literature, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, speaking and writing skills)
§ History and Social Studies (World History, American History)
§ Mathematics
§ Science
§ Art, Music, Computer and other elective type courses
§ We believe the Bible is the only written Word of God. It is inspired by Him and is wholly trustworthy and authoritative (2 Timothy 3:15-16).
§ We believe in one God, eternally manifested and existent as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, 16:13-15).
§ We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14), in His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:34-35), in His miracles (John 2:11, Acts 10:38), in His atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Hebrews 2:9; 10:10, 14), in His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4, John 2:21-22, Luke 24:6), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1), and in His personal future return to the earth in power and glory (Mark 13:26, Matthew 16:27).
§ We believe in the necessity of salvation through regeneration by the Holy Spirit because of man's sinful nature inherited from Adam. We believe that man is justified only through God's grace by personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and his shed blood (John 3:16-19, Romans 3:23-24; 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).
§ We believe in the resurrection of all persons - those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).
§ We believe in the spiritual unity of the believer in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28).
§ We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by whom the believer receives sanctification and the power to live a godly life (Romans 8:13-14, I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).