Spiritual Life

Central to the Mission of Village Christian School is the call to consider, receive, trust, repent, and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, with a faith that follows Him for life. Thus, we seek to provide a refreshingly distinct education centered on Christ and His Word. In the Spiritual Life Department, we deal with that which is eternal the souls of our students, staff, and community overflowing to the whole of life. The Lord Jesus said that someone can gain the whole world, but if they lose their soul, it’s a worthless tragedy (Mark 8:36). So, with serious joy, we have the privileged stewardship to bear witness to Jesus, the only savior from eternal death, hope for eternal life, and giver of abundant life (John 3:16, 10:10). Spiritual vitality pervades everything we do. We do not believe that following Christ can be compartmentalized into a Sunday church service, a Bible class, or even a mission project. Following Christ is for the whole of life, in every arena of life, and the most beautiful life we can exemplify. The Spiritual Life Department aims to provide consistent Christ-centered soul-care, devoted to God’s Word and prayer.

We desire to be a school that biblically helps students and their families to love God and love others, overflowing from a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ. Our prayer, as we serve students towards authentic discipleship, is five-fold:

  1. For Jesus Christ to be central and exalted. Only when Christ is central in all things and exalted above all things can we fulfill the mission of VCS to the glory of God and good of our students.
  2. For the power of the Gospel to be at work in our service. Only the power of the gospel gifts our students — fellowship with God, life from death, unity through humility, and adoption into the family of God.
  3. For the Bible to be treasured. Only God’s Word gives our students true relationship with God, the true worldview, and confidence to carry out God’s will for their life in the advancement of His kingdom.
  4. For VCS to have an eagerness towards prayer. Prayer is the chief expression of our dependence upon God as we serve our students.
  5. For truth and love to always be at the forefront. The truth in love is the heart of Christian fellowship and we long to not only serve but love our students as Christ has loved us.

As the Spiritual Life Director, there’s no greater or more beautiful news than the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is my joy to participate in this gospel partnership for the good of VCS and the glory of God.

If you ever have any questions, concerns, comments, or prayer requests, please know that my door is always open, my e-mail awaits, and my phone is always available for calls. This invitation is open to all students, parents, faculty, local ministry leaders, and whoever else.

All glory to Christ,

Paul Pitts III
Spiritual Life Director
(818) 767-8382 x203

Spiritual Life Across our Schools

At Village, we are strategic about incorporating Spiritual Life into every facet of campus life. In each of our three schools, there are unique approaches to how the message of Jesus is woven into curriculum and community.

Podcast

We are excited to present our podcast, Christ Our Constant, hosted by Spiritual Life Director Paul Pitts III. We pray you will find encouragement and wisdom from the conversations, and encourage you to subscribe and share it with your friends. It's available on each of the popular platforms below, as well as streaming directly from our web site:

Leadership Classes

Village features multiple leadership classes. All of these classes require students to go through an application process with references.

In 8th grade, Crew is a class where students invited to follow the example of the Master Teacher by engaging in a ministry of learning, leading, and service. The Middle School Crew class combines both classroom learning and outside experience to help middle school students lead others, and practice group organization and problem solving. They are exposed to hands-on experiential moments in which they can utilize and develop leadership skills. Two such opportunities are leading 6th grade small groups, and creating multiple Crew-led Chapels. More information here.

In grades 10-12, Worship Arts is a Bible class that blends leadership and Biblical teaching with musical rehearsal, and all students who are accepted must demonstrate substantial musical ability to be able to lead the school in regular worship gatherings.

Servant Leadership exists to help 11th-12th grade students learn about the servant leadership model that Jesus embodies (Philippians 2:5-8, Mark 10:45). Servant Leaders lead middle school life groups, assist in weekly chapels, and serve at Village and in the community in a variety of ways. Through this meaningful experience, students engage their hands, head and heart to be formed more and more like Christ.

In grades 9-12, students may join the Associated Student Board (ASB). The purpose of the ASB is to promote both school spirit and a positive spiritual atmosphere on our campus through various school activities such as dances, seasonal rallies, monthly morning devotions, and grade level events. ASB members serve as leaders among our student body and provide a channel of representation between students and school administration.

Retreats

Starting in 5th grade, Village hosts on- and off-campus retreats for each grade designed to further each student's faith and perspective in the world. Some retreats are day retreats, while others take the students away for longer and farther. Visit our Retreats page for more in-depth information, or here are some of our highlights:

Our 5th grade trip to the Washington D.C. area takes our students to Capitol Hill, the Smithsonian Museums, the Bible Museum, and Arlington National Cemetery, as well as the various memorials and monuments. Additionally, we travel to the Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown to study the foundation of our country which correlates with the fifth-grade social studies curriculum. Years later, many point to this trip as one of their most memorable and meaningful experiences at Village.

The 6th Grade Retreat is held in the fall and is a major team-building experience, as students embark on a three-day trip to Hume SoCal in the San Bernadino National Forest. Students hear and discuss the Word of God, experience group games, build new friendships, worship together, and more.

The 8th Grade Retreat, known as "The March," takes our students on a trip to the deep south, where they study critical moments from both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement as they journey through Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

The 12th Grade Retreat is an overnight retreat experience in the spring semester. This retreat serves as a final opportunity for focused fellowship of the senior class, along with a final encouragement towards a faith that follows Jesus for life.

Meet the Spiritual Life Director: Paul Pitts III

PP3, as he is known around campus, received his Masters of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary in 2020, and holds a Masters of Arts and Letters in Liberal Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from San Diego State University, where he also earned his Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Counseling and Social Change.

With experience ranging from pastoral ministry at The Hill Church to college ministry at Cal State Northridge and youth outreach at the San Diego Center For Children, Pitts brings a uniquely tailored heart for students to the VCS campus.

An accomplished athlete, the former San Diego State wide receiver was named the school’s 2016 Student-Athlete of the Year and the Arthur Ashe Jr. National Male Sports Scholar of the Year. He is an Academic All-Mountain West Conference honoree, and won the Humanitarian Award through the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which the Aztecs won 49-24 over the University of Buffalo.

Additionally, Pitts, who spent his seminary years also working as an intern at Grace Community Church, received The MacArthur Preaching Award from The Master’s Seminary in 2020 and the Dr. Richard Mayhue Honor’s Scholarship from 2017-2020.

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