It has been observed and most difficult to deny that God designed us for fellowship. Our inherent need for community is woven into us. The eternal communion of the Father, Son, and Spirit created us as a community. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, and their children stand as the first family which was the foundation for the beginning of human community. God created us in the small communities called family. Through the ages, families acted to form relationships with others. Aristotle echoed this Biblical truth where he affirmed that the solitary human is either a beast or a god since only certain beasts and gods do not need others.
Small cities, smaller towns, and the smallest neighborhoods reflect our desires and our needs for one another. Community, as the voluntary uniting of people through true love and companionship founded on common interests for a common good, provides a membership that mass organizations cannot provide. The central truth of the voluntary nature of the communities cannot be missed. If the union is by compulsion or command, it is not a community. We freely join communities and freely collaborate within those wonderful groups for the betterment of those involved and ourselves.
The most vibrant communities have robust and long standing traditions that form the core values and ideas of their identity. There are daily habits that reinforce the common ideas and values within every group. Laws cannot force community. If coercion occurs within a community, then erosion also occurs to the voluntary nature of such groups and gatherings. In these grand voluntary associations, sometimes called communities, we are enabled to form the habits of civilization, on a smaller scale, and we are able to dwell in moral order and unity.
A robust and healthy community requires hard work, gracious patience, and a commitment to one another. The best Christian community is held together by a covenant where we have pledged to God and to one another that we will give the best of who we are for God’s glory and our mutual benefit and blessing. For a school committed to the Lord of All, this is our pledge to partner with parents and to teach and learn in a Christ-centered atmosphere providing a program characterized by academic excellence.
Many things threaten even the healthiest communities. Internally, those who lack the love and kindness of our daily interactions can eat away at vibrant communities. Externally, the sheer pace of modern life with the never ceasing distraction and diversions that we carry in our pockets and hold in our hands destroy meaningful connection. We should never be deceived that collectivism, group-think or group-talk is the same as community. Some within our nation would have us believe that communities can be forced from the top down by civil authorities. Being in a herd, pack, tribe, or clan does not make one a member of an authentic community.
As a school, Veritas is a community. We consist of many families who have entered into a covenant to be a school that glorifies God. Twenty five years old and growing strong every year, our school is a healthy community that is focused on Christ and was established for the purpose of offering a Classical-Christ centered education. If you are a member of this community, may the Lord bless you as we strive to build up one another into the people God has called us to be.
