From the desk is a blog series by Fresno Christian leaders. This is the first in the series which will post once every two weeks.

Reflecting on the upcoming 2017-18 school year this summer, I could not get over the overwhelming sense of community at Fresno Christian. It is both unifying and amazing that we live together “in Christ” at FCS.  

I want to affirm the Apostle Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Paul was not asking them to have no individual thought, but that despite their many different and unique backgrounds. He knew they needed to be one in Christ: their first relationship. Our first relationship. For the church at Corinth, that meant Jew, Gentile, slave, master, Greek and even sects of believers, unity in Christ kept them together. It wasn’t always pretty; in fact it was messy. Community is messy.

What does this look like for FCS? I started to think of a knot, in fact a simple knot: the Square Knot. After some research, I discovered the purpose of the square knot is to tie/connect two ends together. FCS has 20 member churches, students from over 80 different churches in the San Joaquin Valley, 129 new families, and over 40 years of serving our community.  What can tie our community together? Only Christ. Christ is the Square Knot of our community.

Square knots depend on two separate ends or ropes that must maintain intentional contact. When a square knot is complete, it is strong; in fact, it was once known as a Hercules Knot. The weakness in a square knot comes when one of the sides doesn’t maintain intentional contact. It simply unravels.

Community falls apart when it doesn’t maintain contact. Our community is reliant on intentional contact in Christ. Contact with each other–school to parent, parent to parent, student to student, school to student, and parent to student.

Each end of the rope maintains its identity; the ropes never unify in nature but in purpose. We are not all the same at FCS, but we are unified in purpose … in Christ.  So I appeal to you community. Let there be no divisions within us. Be unified in the mind of Christ. Be unified in the class rooms, hallways, PARKING LOT, the car, supermarket, and in community.

Superintendent Jeremy Brown is now in his fourth year leading Fresno Christian Schools. He and his wife, Holly, are the parents of four kids, including two FC high school students, senior Trista and junior Reece, and two college students Stetler and Kiera.