Spiritual Life

Spiritual Life

As a school, we see Christ as not only shaping our minds, but also as molding our faith, heart, and character. At AACS, spiritual development is not just something that happens in Bible class, but permeates all subjects and how we operate and care for each other as a school community.

Shaping Hearts

To know and love Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the truths that come with that conviction are the greatest gifts we can give children. Our vision is to transform new generations of students who use their minds, hearts, hands, and feet to be culture makers for Jesus Christ.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
-3 John 1:3-5

• We bring to the center of our core beliefs those that unite all Christians.
• We focus on developing winsome Christian character and strong biblical knowledge.
• At the same time, with a commitment to truth and love working together, we also hold steadfast to traditional and biblical views on critical social issues in our world today. We believe in God’s call to love all and to do so without compromising convictions.
• Teachers lead students in daily devotions and guide students to an understanding of what it means to be disciples of Christ.
• Our annual Christ-centered school year theme is incorporated in our school chapels and both classroom and all-school activities.

Chapel

Chapel is an integral part of our school community as we gather together to worship God and to hear His Word. Each school year, chapel focuses on a particular theme, which teachers also incorporate into their classroom activities. Previous themes have included:

• Encountering Jesus: Fully Known and Deeply Loved
• The Armor of God
• Rooted in Jesus, Growing in Faith
• The One Anothers: Loving like Jesus
• God’s Wonderful Word

All-school chapels occur once a month. Middle school students have the opportunity to serve by participating in Praise Band, Praise Team, or operating the AV equipment. Various classes help to present the message throughout the year. Elementary and Middle School chapels occur between All-School chapels.

Chapel Families

A key part of our all-school chapels are Chapel Families, multi-age groupings of students from Preschool – 8th grade. Students sit with their chapel families, creating relationships across the grades. In addition, 8th graders lead a chapel family time where students have a chance to respond to the chapel message by doing a craft or an activity. Our chapel experience both reflects key elements of adult worship (prayer, praise, confession) and is designed to engage children in the way that they learn best.

In order to foster partnership between home and school, a Faith Focus Newsletter is sent home after each all-school chapel to help parents know what was presented and be able to follow up with their child at home.

Once a month we also have separate Elementary and Middle School chapels, which are more targeted for the developmental needs of each age group. In addition to prayer and worship, outside speakers are often invited to share their faith story and God’s Word with the students in this setting.

Faith Portfolios

A Faith Portfolio is a rich and adaptable method of recording intellectual and spiritual growth that allows students, parents, and teachers to see how a child is growing in the area of faith. Each year teachers add multiple pieces to a student’s Faith Portfolio, including a chapel reflection, a reflective writing piece, and other items that reveal how a student is processing their faith.

In 8th grade, students have the opportunity to look through their entire portfolio and reflect on how they have grown in their faith over their years at AACS. 8th graders are given their Faith Portfolios as part of their graduation ceremony. Due to the success of our Faith Portfolio, other Christian schools have been contacting us to learn more about it and how to incorporate it into their communities.