Perhaps the greatest blessing we know and experience at Oakdale Christian Academy is the realization that something so simple yet profound is happening in students’ lives, and knowing that God has allowed us to have a part in it. That blessing is seeing students walking in the Light.
Jesus told us that He is the Light:
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46)
That simple but profound experience is perceptible by people who visit campus even for the first time. Work team members often remark on it. Parents see it when they first visit. Recent a woman who brought her daughter to enroll in Summer LEAD Academy wrote on Facebook, “I felt so much love and the presence of God.”
It is the Light that people see when they come on campus. It is seeing God work in our students’ lives, bringing them to personal faith in Jesus or strengthening their walk with God, that makes serving at Oakdale — whether as a staff member, a volunteer, or as a donor from afar — so attractive.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12b)
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
Students perceive it, too, even if the students do not yet recognize that they are experiencing God’s Light or have not yet made a personal decision to follow Jesus. The Christian community and being surrounded by Christian adults who give loving guidance and correction helps them live in such a way that they are walking in The Light.
Oakdale provides an ideal setting and environment for directing students to lives that reflect God’s best for teenagers.
At Oakdale, our passion is to see teenagers step into that Light.
Students are able to set aside personal failings, they can focus on the future instead on past disappointments, they can set aside the focus on me-centered priorities and instead focus on others’ needs, which is God’s calling on our lives. They can put aside the loneliness of being in schools and neighborhoods that do not support God’s call on their lives to be who they are in Christ.
This is also our passion: that we will not let money stand in the way of serving students. We will provide the financial aid for students who are ready for Oakdale, who are eager to attend, and whose families will make whatever sacrifices it can, according to their resources, toward that goal. I think that’s why you support, and we are grateful for your partnership.
With your help, we are able to say yes to students who need Oakdale and want to attend, even though they cannot really afford it. Thank you for saying yes with us!
