Winterim Reflections

We hope you know that an education at Grand Rapids Christian goes far beyond a traditional classroom experience of learning state standards. We believe that a Christian education is an opportunity for each unique image-bearer to grow in their knowledge of the Lord and to discover a bit more about how they will use their gifts, talents, and passions to serve God’s kingdom. Winterim is one way that we make that happen. Our Winterim theme verse, 1 Peter 4:10 says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

Over the last two weeks, some students in on-campus classes took a deeper dive into content that interests them. Students in CSI Grand Rapids learned science from a different approach. Students in Spanish in the Community took their Spanish knowledge and used it to build relationships in Grand Rapids. Other students learned a potential life-long hobby like golf, crochet art, or guitar.

I had the opportunity to visit some students who were interning in West Michigan with various professionals. I witnessed our students working alongside adult mentors who took the time to show them careers like engineering, education, and pediatric medicine. Each student I visited had a clearer understanding of their potential calling to this field. We are blessed to have so many community partners willing to help students explore potential careers.

We also had many students serving and learning all over the world. I have already heard students and staff passionately telling stories of new relationships and experiences. They caught a glimpse of a part of God’s world that they hadn’t before known and have a new perspective that will impact their future.

Winterim is now 11 years old and we hear more and more stories of God planting seeds in our students’ lives through various courses; stories of relationships built through an internship that turn into a career; stories of students who caught the travel bug during a Winterim trip and eventually studied abroad in college. We trust that more seeds were planted over the last two weeks and that our students will continue to uncover their gifts and use them for service.

Have a great start to the second semester!

—Brad