My name is Geoff Eliason. I serve on the FRCS Board of Directors. I also enjoy volunteering as a coach with the FRCS Weightlifting Club. My son, Logan, is a junior. My daughter, Emma, graduated last year. She is a freshman at Taylor University. My wife, Lisa, really enjoys volunteering in any capacity wherever there is a need at FRCS. As a family, we are all-in on FRCS all the time. For this installment of A word from…, I would like to share with you recent perspective on FRCS past, present, and future.
I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse into FRCS during the early days. John DeYoung, Director of Generosity at FRCS, is spearheading fundraising dinners around the Enduring Vision matching campaign. I attended one of these dinners early December. This particular dinner was made up primarily of couples who were part of the early years at FRCS (PSA: If you would like to learn more about the Enduring Vision Campaign, reach out directly to John DeYoung or Mr. Cooper). I was inspired by stories about how teachers and staff, some still at FRCS, made every single one of their children known while emphasizing their child’s unique identity in Christ. They also reminisced about the community and camaraderie among parents in coordination with teachers and staff. Their children are now adults, some with kids of their own. That core group continues to do life together while meeting as a small group Bible study on a regular basis. It all started 15-20 years ago at FRCS.
My glimpse in to the present for FRCS came through a Board retreat. Board Chair, Danny Cometto, and Mr Cooper asked Mr. Spector, Mrs. Hart, and Mrs. Bradley to talk with the Board about how and where God is working through the junior and senior high, elementary, and early childhood education, respectively. We spent 6 hours diving deeply in to the impact God is having on the lives of the students and the impact FRCS is having by being the hands and feet of Christ. WOW! First off, we are very fortunate to have these three individuals leading our children. They are champions for salvation through Christ and Christ alone, lifelong students of Biblical truth, experts in their field of education, and relentless about the care of young people by viewing each student individually and as a whole person. Each one gave examples of how students are known and loved at FRCS. They are known and loved as unique creations of the Creator of the Universe. It was incredible to witness how methodically and thoughtfully these three leaders walked out and galvanized human development at each stage of FRCS, from ECE to elementary to junior high to senior high.
Finally, the future. It is clear that the future will carry some common threads from the past: culture-makers for Christ centered around the virtues of a Christian scholar and every single child will be known and loved uniquely in the same way they are known and loved as children of the King. FRCS is moving forward from a position of strength and stability. FRCS will continue to partner with the local church and the family, fostering a community dedicated to realizing the plan and calling God lays on each student’s life at each stage of their development.
The Enduring Vision Campaign gives FRCS the ability to pay off debt to build on that firm foundation, allowing us to focus on increasing teacher pay, accommodating greater enrollment while maintaining culture, and keeping best-in-class Christian education accessible and economically viable. It is an honor and a privilege to be a very small part of God’s story at FRCS and in the lives of teachers and staff, students, and families yesterday, today, and for decades to come. Join me in looking for where God is working at FRCS and let’s participate in that great story.
