Why Choose a Christian University?

One of our ExCo wrote to Biola University and received the following about Christian Universities from President Barry H. Corey. It was available at the recent school college fair, but in case you missed it, we've put it here for your reference.

Why Choose a Christian University?

When considering which university to attend, high school students and their parents should think not only about how a university teaches students and equips them with facts and knowledge, but also about how a university grows a student and enriches their soul. Sadly, many universities in America and across the world have lost their “soul” and drifted away from moral and religious concerns. Many colleges have abandoned their Christian roots or shunned faith altogether, replacing it with aggressive secularism and a sometimes antagonistic prejudice against the role of belief in education.

Christian universities do still exist, however, and their insistence on a robust integration of faith and academic learning provides an important alternative in the contemporary landscape of higher education. At a Christian university you will find top-notch training in a variety of disciplines — science, health, math, art, music, language, business, etc. — that is coupled with and informed by the pursuit of God and the study of Scripture.

At Biola University, where I work, we believe that nurturing the soul and nurturing the mind are both essential for a meaningful education. We teach our students to integrate their faith with their academic and professional development. No matter what their career aspiration or major, each student at Biola receives a foundational education in Bible — taught by some of the brightest biblical scholars today. We believe that the Bible is the center of knowledge, and that out of this focused center we are better able to produce graduates who are prepared for a vocation, spiritually mature, grounded in the Bible, globally minded, and ready to take on the challenges of the world.

Trends in American Universities

One trend in American higher education that all universities are dealing with right now is the challenge of adapting to the digital revolution. The Internet and other digital technologies have changed everything in culture, including higher education, and universities have been presented with new problems and possibilities as a result. At Biola University, we have prioritized the leveraging of new technology for the purposes of our mission. For example, we have started offering numerous online courses to our students, and we’ve put select courses and lectures on iTunes U, where people across the world can download free Biola University educational resources. Our seminary, Talbot School of Theology, has also started a faculty blog — The Good Book Blog — to provide solid biblical scholarship online to anyone in the world. In coming years, Biola has plans to organize even more of our academic resources to make available to the world beyond our campus borders.

Another, more regrettable trend in American universities is the trend of hyper-fragmentation. American universities are increasingly characterized by fragmentary interest groups and hyper-specialized disciplines, each with their own focuses and agendas. The “uni” aspect of the university is increasingly lost. At many universities, there is no consensus about the end goal of education or what exactly a successful college graduate should look like. Part of the confusion comes from the postmodern attack on the very notion of a unifying ideal, and part of it comes from a resistance to any suggestion that a conviction, ethic, or moral foundation should inform education.

Christian universities like Biola fight against this fragmentation by focusing everything we do around a core conviction — in this case, the all-encompassing conviction that God is the author of all truth and that all knowledge comes from him. The liberal arts education at Biola is not fragmentary; it’s interdisciplinary. It is an education that gives students a reason for learning and a foundation upon which to expand their horizons and explore their vocational purpose. It’s an education that believes in the relevance of a Christian worldview and seeks to apply it to all areas of life.

Fireproof Follow-up

Praise God! 19 couples attended the Fireproof event organized by the school and the Parent Association on Sept 17. They all enjoyed the movie, the workshops, and their time together with their spouse.

Parent Support Group schedule for 2011-12

ICS parents are invited to workshops on various topics throughout the year. Please see the schedule below (click on the image to enlarge):

HS Community Potluck 2011

Last Thursday the HS and the Parents Association hosted a HS Community Potluck and new parent info night as well as a “Preparing for College” seminar by Sue Farley. People started arriving around 6 p.m. and those interested were led on a school tour by Student Council Reps.

It was nice to see students, parents, and faculty chatting together around the Upper Gym.

A welcome announcement and prayer by the HS Principal, Brian Van Tassel, introduction of the teachers and the PA, and performance by the Show Choir led up to the potluck dinner at 6:45 p.m.

People got their food then stood or sat in circles continuing to chat among themselves while violin and cello music wafted through the air.

About an hour later, people split up to go to the new parent info presentation or college-prep talk, while others continued to hang out and talk or go downstairs to the Lower Gym that was also open at this time for sport.

Overall, the event went well and there was enough food for all. We hope more parents and students will join in the future!

Prayer Group calendar 2011-12

We very much appreciate your support of the parents' prayer group and we are ready to kick off a new year! Please mark your calendar for the dates and feel free to join us in this special time as we lift up our school, families, children, teachers, and leadership.


Elementary Prayer
Time: Fridays, 1-3 pm
Place: ES (Rm 212) or SS (Rm 225) Conference Room, Shek Mun Campus
Coordinators: Deborah Seay motheroffourseay@gmail.com
Grace So graceso100@yahoo.com.hk
Who: Elementary parents
Dates:
September 16 ES Conference Room
October 21 ES Conference Room
November 11 ES Conference Room
December 16 ES Conference Room
January 13 SS Conference Room
February 10 ES Conference Room
March 16 ES Conference Room
April 20 SS Conference Room
May 18 ES Conference Room


Secondary Prayer
Time: Fridays, 1-3:15 pm
Place: ES (Rm 212) or SS (Rm 225) Conference Room, Shek Mun Campus
Coordinators: Eppie Lam petereppielam@yahoo.com.hk
Phyllis Fung pfung2009@gmail.com
Who: Secondary parents
Dates:
September 2 SS Conference Room
October 7 SS Conference Room
November 4 SS Conference Room
December 2 SS Conference Room
January 6 SS Conference Room
February 3 ES Conference Room
March 2 SS Conference Room
April 13 SS Conference Room
May 4 ES Conference Room
June 1 (Fellowship) ES Conference Room


Evening Prayer
Time: 7:30-9:30 pm
Place: 5/F Chapel, Shek Mun Campus
Coordinators: Tony Ma tonykfma@gmail.com
Phyllis Fung pfung2009@gmail.com
Who: Combined prayer meeting for all ES & SS prayer groups
Dates:
Monday, September 26
Wednesday, October 26
Monday, November 28
Monday, January 16
Monday, February 27
Monday, March 26
Monday, April 23
Wednesday, May 30


Central Prayer Group
Time: Thursdays, 1-2 pm (including lunch)
Place: 23/F, 8 Queen's Rd Central, building opposite the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Coordinators: Amy Leung leunga@ics.edu.hk
Who: All parents are welcome to join, but please register to attend
Dates:
September 15
October 20
November 17
December 15
January 19
February 23
March 22
April 19
May 17



Fire-proof

The PA, in cooperation with Mrs. Kadow (Elementary Counselor), will be hosting a "Fireproof" your marriage seminar on Saturday, Sept 17th. See the flyer for details and registration information.

This free event is for married couples and we encourage you to invite your non-ICS friends to attend as well. Whether you are newly married, or have been together for 50 years, this will be a wonderful seminar to help strengthen the bond and communication between husbands and wives.

The event is free, however email registration is required, so sign-up fast by sending an email to Maria at:

anthonymaria@netvigator.com

Welcome to a new school year 2011-12

PA ExCo is excited to start the new year. We have already had our first meeting and are looking forward to all the events we're planning for this year. Community Movie Fireproof on September 17th will be the first big event! Prayer groups are setting up their schedules, Parent Support Group are ready to roll out some interesting/informative topics, Back to School Nights starting with MS next week, HS Community Potluck coming up on Thursday, Aug 25th...


Here are your 2011-12 PA Executive Committee

Chairperson: Fai Chan, HS parent
Vice Chairpersons: Marlon Cheung, Tony Ma, HS parents
Treasurer: Kirby Chan, Middle and HS parent
Secretary: Becky Su, HS parent

Secondary PA Reps: Grace So, Ronna Heffner, High school parents
Rosemary Choi, Amy Turner, Middle school parents
(2 vacancies)
Elementary PA Reps: Andrew Ngo, Maria Lau, Monic Mou, Penny Yue, Ruby Lam (1 vacancy)
Kindergarten PA Reps: Mary AuYeung, Doris Ma
Prayer Group Coordinators: Phyllis Fung, Tony Ma (acting), HS parents

You will notice we have some vacancies, so if you or someone you know would like to serve, please email us: ICSPAExCo@gmail.com