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One of the distinctives of CHA is our view of the gospel. The picture to the left captures this statement. In Mrs. Huff’s eighth grade girls Bible class, students create their own tract to intentionally share with their friends. They plan a party or a unique way of sharing the tracts with their friends.  For example, the paper rose has detachable petals.  Each petal is numbered on the back.  The petals are related to the movie, Beauty and the Beast and tie together the gospel message. The girls wanted to host a party and watch the movie and then use the rose to share the gospel with their friends. How creative!

What I love most about this is not just the originality but also the intentional focus on God’s commandment for us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).  Research has shown that very few Christians will ever share their faith with someone else.  Barna Research reported that only 64% of evangelical Christians felt that it was their responsibility to share.

Throughout the grade levels at CHA, students are taught a variety of methods for presenting the gospel to others. This training begins in Pre-K. In the secondary, students are taken off-campus and engage the culture through various experiences. 

Romans 10:14 says, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

With this in mind, I would like to encourage you to attend this year’s banquet and intentionally invite someone to come with you. How will others hear about the great things God is doing at CHA if no one tells them?  I am so thankful for those who have already chosen to sponsor tables for this year’s banquet.

• Gold Level - Kimray
• Executive - Broadway Tag and Hidden Trails Country Club 
• Ambassador - Immediate Care, Jim’s Community Pharmacy, Tinker Federal Credit Union, and Rod & Stevanna Wolfard
• Legacy - Ike & Peggy Burress and Wayne & Julee Thomas
• Scholar - Bart & Kelly Davis, Zac & Kate Graves, Joe White Agency - Shelter Insurance

This banquet is CHA’s largest school-wide event which highlights the mission and vision of our school.  Prospective families are free. Tickets are $35.  Online registration is available here.

I am so grateful that God is intentional. He foreknew us before time began.  He has made Himself known to us so that we may live with intentionality for His glory and to make Him known. 

For His Glory,
Dr. Susan Elaine DeMoss
Associate Headmaster
 

Last week, I shared with you in my blog two upcoming opportunities. On January 21, CHA is hosting an informational open house at the DeMoss’ home from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM.  There will be another open house at the DeMoss’ home on February 25 along with others throughout the spring semester. We would love to invite anyone interested in attending CHA next year to attend. If you know of someone who would like to attend this informal home gathering to learn more about CHA, please contact Mrs. Small at dsmall@cha.org.

In addition to the upcoming open houses, on January 23, CHA is hosting a Pastor’s Appreciation Breakfast in CHA’s cafeteria from 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM. The event is free. Students are encouraged to invite their church's pastor to the event.  We understand that there are several students who may share the same pastor. The first family to register their pastor will be allowed to attend the breakfast with their church pastor. All siblings in the first family to register may attend the event with their pastor. Mrs. Dawn Pruitt will notify any families for whom a pastor has been previously registered. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Dawn Pruitt at 672-1787, ext 204 or dpruitt@cha.org.  The deadline to register your pastor is Friday, January 18. Please use this link to register your pastor.

I pray that you will consider each of these upcoming invitations at CHA.

For His Glory!

Dr. Susan Elaine DeMoss

This year, Miss Bower has begun a knitting club for high school girls.  On Mondays, a dozen young ladies meet in room 109 and learn to knit.  The picture attached is an example of some of their work. God’s Word speaks of knitting at least fourteen times in the Scriptures.  God knit us together in the womb (Psalm 139:13-15). He knits us to each other (Col 2:2).

One of the mysteries of God is how He knits people’s paths together. God moved our family to Bartlesville, Oklahoma in 2001. While in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, I became an adjunct professor of Statistics at Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OKWU). Our first child began school in 2005.  He attended the Bartlesville Wesleyan Christian School. At the new parent dinner, our family was paired with a mentor family.  Our mentor family was Dr. Everett and Marci Piper. Dr. Piper had been the President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University since 2002. 

Upon returning to Oklahoma City in 2006, I began teaching at CHA.  As the new Calculus teacher, I asked Mr. Holmes about offering college credit for our calculus class since we used a college-level textbook.  Mr. Holmes gave me the liberty to explore this idea and I called a few universities in the area.  The door was not opened.

Then one spring in 2008, I received a generic letter to the school with the opportunity for dual-credit coursework.  The university was interested in not just offering the college credit but also partnering with Christian high schools to support Kingdom education. The school was Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  As the door began to open, a strong partnership was birthed.  God continued to knit a path together.

The first year that we offered college credit, CHA had to buy new College Algebra textbooks for the fall semester. This was an $8000 investment.  The investment reaped a mighty return! The response from our parents and students was extremely positive.  Their desire was for CHA to offer Trigonometry in the spring but funding was not available to buy the college-level Trig books.  I asked the students to pray for direction.  I spoke with some of the administration at OKWU. To our delight, they offered to buy us an entire set of college-level Trig books for free to help us establish our dual-credit offerings. God had answered our prayers and knit us together again.

This partnership continues to be woven today.  In the Fall of 2016, the United States Higher Learning Commission declared that only high school instructors with at least 18 hours of master’s level course work in the field of concentration would be qualified to teach a dual-credit course. While we could continue to offer some of the dual credit classes, this meant that we could not offer American History or English Composition 1 and 2 for dual credit without Mr. Ferguson and Miss Bower returning to school. Both teachers expressed a desire to continue the dual-credit program but financial constraints were present.  I once again approached the administration at OKWU.  They offered to pay for the hours each teacher needed to be qualified to continue offering the dual-credit coursework. We currently offer 29 hours of dual-credit. Thank God once again for His provision!

OKWU’s commitment to CHA has been more than a program.  They have demonstrated again and again their vow to partner with us in Christian education.  They allow our secondary teachers to use their classroom plagiarism software for free. They are a strong resource to us in cultural impact issues in education. In the Fall of 2018, eight of our faculty began a Masters in Education Administration program through OKWU.  This was made possible for our teachers as a result of special funding offered by OKWU.  What God began to weave together in 2004 continues to develop into a beautiful tapestry.

This is why CHA is honored to have Dr. Everett Piper speak at our 2019 Heritage Banquet.  He has graciously agreed to speak at this event for free and also provide signed copies of one of his books for those who attend the VIP event. Once again, OKWU’s investment in our school will directly impact student learning as the reduced costs of the banquet will allow more of the proceeds to go towards the internal needs of the school.

I would like to encourage you to attend, this year’s banquet. Dr. Piper is known for his strong Christian convictions, commitment to the Word of God and his engagement of the culture.  This banquet is CHA’s largest school-wide event which highlights the mission and vision of our school.  Prospective families are free. Tickets are $35.  Online registration is available here.

I am so grateful that God is the Master Weaver who moves in mysterious ways. May He continue to weave many more families into the fabric of CHA (Col 2:2). Please pray for the upcoming Heritage Banquet and even more importantly thank God for the masterpiece that He is knitting.

For His Glory,

Dr. Susan Elaine DeMoss

Associate Headmaster