Last year, we sat down and reflected on the past twenty-five years of the Lord’s work in and through Westside Christian Academy. We, as collective members of His Body, wanted to honor Christ in our celebration. We looked to scripture to see how the Lord rejoices and celebrates. We prayerfully asked, “How can we celebrate in a way that reflects, honors, and brings glory to Him?” Reflecting on the beginning seeds planted by WCA’s four founding families, we prayed, “How can we honor their labor and toil?” We looked to the community around us and asked God to allow us to see their needs, then prayed, “How can we humbly serve others as we celebrate?” Displayed in the character of our Lord, we saw the importance of pursuing others for the sake of the gospel, being intentionally invitational and extending a warm welcome. We prayed and asked ourselves, “How can we cultivate relationships and friendships as we celebrate?” It was obvious that we could Serve, Honor, and Celebrate as we rejoiced. These three words became our heart rationale and theme for the 25th Anniversary. 

SERVE 

Meredith Beavers and Carrie Lang graciously spearheaded our service projects over the past year. In the fall, WCA packed bags of candy for kids in the Central Neighborhood of Cleveland to support the Fall Harvest Party at The Friendly Inn Settlement. At the event, families in need were provided with hats, gloves, candy, costumes, and informational health services. WCA families also provided extensive yard cleanup for Hope for the Soul, a ministry in North Ridgeville. Local Westlake homes were blessed to hear cheerful voices as WCA families gathered for Christmas caroling in December. In February, we kicked off a quarter drive, collecting change to support a mobile laundry service for families in the Central Neighborhood of Cleveland. Our 25th Anniversary service projects will conclude by serving meals to the women and children at The City Mission’s Laura’s Home, a local crisis recovery center. We thank everyone who has participated in the service projects thus far and welcome ideas for future opportunities to serve our surrounding communities. 

HONOR

As disciples of Christ, we ask ourselves, “How can we faithfully and consistently honor the Lord?” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” How encouraging and freeing to know that we can honor the Lord in so many ways, including in how we celebrate and rejoice! The 25th Anniversary committee seeks to honor the Lord with what has been entrusted to us and to uphold the responsibility we each have to use all that we are to the glory of Almighty God. 

In an effort to honor God with our parenting, WCA hosted Dr. Tedd Tripp, author of “Shepherding a Child’s Heart,” in February. Dr. Tripp encouraged parents to consider ways to implement biblical principles in their parenting techniques and challenged the audience to be personally captivated by the glory and wonders of the Lord. 

With an amazing wealth of biblical knowledge and an incredible breadth of experience in imparting wisdom, Dr. Tripp urged attendees to show children the beauty of knowing, trusting, and worshiping the Lord! Guests from WCA, local church communities and other neighboring schools benefited from his teaching. We thank everyone for attending and pray it was a blessing to you, as it was to us.

CELEBRATE

We started the 2021-2022 academic year off with a Welcome Back celebration led by Krista Nicholas and Meg Anthony. Families were welcomed to school with a cool treat from a local Hawaiian Shave Ice Truck and an opportunity to participate in crafts and interactive games. Thank you to all who helped plan, organize, and make the welcome back kick-off a great success!

On April 8th, Westside Christian Academy will host a formal gala at the Lorain County Community College Spitzer Grand Ballroom. We look forward to celebrating all that the Lord has done with over 300 school community members and friends. Pastor Alistair Begg, of Truth For Life Ministries, will be our featured guest speaker, and a silent auction will be held to raise funds for the needs of our school. Erica Blake and her team, consisting of Meghan Manco, Jaclyn Moore, Rachel Perez, Eric Stapelberg, Rosie Stinson, and Camille Urban, have collected fabulous items for the silent auction, which is open to all via an online bidding system. We are grateful to all the local businesses and organizations for their generous donations, and we also extend our heartfelt thanks to the silent auction team for all their time, energy, and efforts invested in this endeavor! 

We humbly ask you to pray with us over the Westside Christian Academy community as we look forward to the next twenty-five years and beyond. Please consider being a faithful prayer partner and joining us as we seek ways to honor the Lord in the seasons ahead. Wherever you are led to join us in the 25th Anniversary—in person, in prayer, in support, in service, or in honorable celebration—we thank you for your participation! What a joy, blessing, and privilege to be in the Body of Christ together, to know His grace and mercy, to walk humbly, and to enjoy Him forever.

With hearts full of gratitude,

Bridget Baumgartner and Susan Bright
WCA 25th Anniversary Co-Chairs