Inaugural Address
Greetings, in Jesus Name, to all the parents, students, and staff of Glendale Christian Academy,
I am honored to be the Principal of GCA. We are looking forward to a year of Academic Excellence and Holy Ghost visitation. It is my greatest desire to have a move of the Spirit of God in GCA. We will be prioritizing the establishment of foundational doctrine in the hearts and minds of our students; Proverbs teaches us that if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. Our goal in all things is to be pleasing unto Him and follow His direction.
COVID-19 brought many challenges to our world. Everything has been altered and affected by its spread. It has forced us to reevaluate and prioritize what we do in every aspect of our life. We were, as was everyone, caught off guard by the sudden shutdown of normal life. We scrambled to make the best of a very difficult situation. Our teachers devoted nearly every waking hour to the teaching and mentoring our students remotely. The tool of technology became our only classroom and the phone became our lifeline. Many parts of this situation were not ideal. However, considering the novelty of this situation, the students, faculty, staff, and parents handled it with incredible intelligence, perseverance, and a determination to see every student succeed.
To every parent, thank you for trusting us with your student and thank you for understanding the difficulty of the times.
To every student, thank you for your willingness to adapt and your commitment to utilize your God give initiative and succeed in this time.
To every teacher, thank you for giving your heart, soul, and every ounce of your energy to the students of GCA. This has been the trying of your burden and you continue to shine as a true light, showing what it means to be a servant of the Lord.
To the staff of VPC/GCA, thank you for commitment to organization, availability, and above all, your stability in our response to this virus.
To Brother Doyle Garrett, Sister Lois Garrett, and Sister Melanie Mize, thank you for your leadership.
To Pastor Garrett, we can never adequately express our debt of gratitude. Thank you.
Our starting date of education will be Tuesday, September 8th, which is the day after Labor Day. Unfortunately, due to the constant changing of information and health concerns due to COVID-19, we will begin our classes in an online format. My goal, desire, and prayer is to have students on campus by October. That is a hope, not a certain date, once again due to COVID-19. We will be reaching out to you very soon with a directive outlining our remote learning program. Please note that we have re-examined and improved our efforts regarding remote learning. We have learned from the hard teacher that is experience, and I assure you that we are giving our all to this challenge. Some of the shared concerns regarding daily education structure, parent overwhelm, and student disconnect have been addressed, and as new challenges arise, we will adapt and grow.
“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.” - Robert H. Schuller
I write today with a sincere burden regarding Glendale Christian Academy. I feel the heaviness of this situation and understand that for many of you, the last 4-5 months have been complete chaos. Fear has become the common emotion of the day. With so much uncertainty and misinformation spreading throughout our society, people are beginning to mortgage their future for the sake of present distress. Remember that God never gave us the spirit of fear. He did, however, give us a sound mind. We must remember that the decisions we make in August of 2020 will affect our reality in January of 2021. Let us not allow fear, frustration, uncertainty of situation, or negative information determine our future. These are trying times, but as the principal of GCA, I am your best friend. I am fighting for you, your family, your children, and, above all, for the souls of all involved. If you have fears, please call me. If you have frustrations, please call me. Let’s work together.
Every year of GCA should be better than the year before because we grow stronger and wiser with time. I make you this promise, with a certainty that I feel in the Holy Ghost - this will be the best year we have ever experienced. I feel the Lord even in the writing of this email. GCA will experience a visitation of the presence of the Lord that has only been dreamed of heretofore. Times of crisis make us greater, stronger, and more powerful. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Please join us on this journey, as together we lift our hearts and our hands to heaven, and allow the favor and the blessing of the Lord to rain down upon Glendale Christian Academy.
God’s children. God’s school. God’s visitation.
Thank you for your trust. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out at any time. We love you; we love your children.
- In His Service,
Rev. Austin Garrett