By Stewart Evans, School Ministry Team Chair

Welcome to a new school year! Last night’s campus meeting was a fantastic kickoff. Each year, I always enjoy hearing the charge that Bobby gives us as we prepare for the year ahead. I am excited to see how we empty ourselves and extend ourselves to one another as a covenant community this year.

The Importance of Covenant

Perimeter School is preparing for the natural transition to the next generation of leadership, much like that of Perimeter Church. These transitions are not only healthy, but they are critical and essential for stability, health, and kingdom advancement. The transition plan for Perimeter School is that Bobby Scott will remain as Headmaster during this school year (2018-2019). He will continue to lead and oversee all Perimeter School life. Beginning October 1st, Jeremy Case will be fully immersed in Perimeter School as a teacher and will shadow and learn from Bobby for the entire year. Next year (2019-2020), Jeremy Case will take over as Head of School, with Bobby being Headmaster Emeritus. During this time, Bobby will still be present on campus and will play an integral role in the life of Perimeter School.

In light of this news, and with all of the emotions that go along with it, this may be a good time to remind myself, and all of us, of the important truth of “covenant.”

As much as we rely on the staff and leadership of our school to foster all that makes Perimeter School special and distinctive, the future of our school relies on ALL OF US to carry the Perimeter School mission forward. If we want to see Perimeter School grow in depth and influence in our homes and our community at large, the energy that propels that mission forward must come from the bottom up, not the top down. 

Why We are Here

When you enter Perimeter School as a new family, each parent signs a parent contract, and as you re-enroll each year, you are asked to sign it again. Many of us scan through it electronically and check the box every year. After years of doing this, it is easy to forget the commitments we have made. We can take for granted or even forget what excited us about coming here in the first place - the desire to be a part of a community that strives to live according to God’s truth in light of a culture that is working against it.  

At Perimeter Church, as is done in many churches, we recite confessions and Scripture aloud as a body.  For centuries, creeds and confessions have been read with the congregation standing together and reciting aloud. This is done to publicly remind each other of the truth and to bind us together to hold each other accountable.  

In the same way, Kirk Stephens led us through this pledge last night as a way of publicly confessing to ourselves and each other what we commit to do. It is a reminder to each of us what will truly carry the mission of Perimeter School forward – US! Let’s all remember to encourage each other to take ownership of this mission. 

The Covenant Community Pledge

As a professed member of the covenant family of Perimeter School, and acknowledging my role as the primary educator of my children, I hereby recognize my inadequacy to raise up covenant children alone. I pledge with this community to be actively present, vulnerable, teachable, and prayerful. I promise to pursue opportunities made available by Perimeter School to equip and bring all of us to greater maturity in Christ. I view this commitment not as a burden, but as a privilege to take advantage of these critical years of growth and learning in our children. This pledge expresses the desire of my heart, and I depend on Him for strength and joy in its fulfillment.