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ALTA VISTA EXPANDS
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Alta Vista, an educational service
organization based in
Seattle,
Washington,
is expanding.
Founded by Dr. Al Greene in 1970, Alta Vista has enjoyed a long,
rich history of serving Christian education.
Over the years the central question driving the work of
Alta Vista has been - What makes Christian education
distinctive? |
A Christian school, Dr. Greene
urged, has no reason to be if it cannot be distinguished from the public
school around the corner. His latest book,
Reclaiming the Future of Christian Education (ACSI, 1998), is an
eloquent and compelling testimony to his vision.
Even though he is in his nineties and retired from Alta Vista,
Dr. Greene continues to write about Christian education.
Following his retirement, the
work of Alta Vista continued under the leadership of Elaine Brouwer,
Larry Reynolds
and a visionary board.
Alta
Vista offers seminars, workshops, courses, and resource materials
designed to call attention to the special calling and task of the
Christian school. The organization is now poised for expansion of its
outreach.
In preparation for the expansion, the board and staff
spent time this past year reviewing its identity, vision, and mission
statements. While details may change, the central purpose of the
organization remains: to participate, through its educational services,
in God’s Kingdom agenda. Alta Vista seeks to help equip people for
faithful, visionary, competent, and compassionate discipleship in a
hurting world. More than ever before, it aims to be a Spirit-directed
voice of hope, discernment, and empowerment in the realm of Christian
education.
John Van Dyk,
recently retired from
Dordt
College,
has now joined the Alta Vista staff serving along side Elaine Brouwer as
a full-time Senior Member. His arrival signals an increase in
international outreach. John is active in Christian teacher education
and staff development programs in
Latin America,
Asia,
and Europe.
Alta Vista celebrates John’s long history of work
in Christian education both internationally and domestically, and
enthusiastically welcomes him to the work of Alta Vista.
On the agenda are workshops, courses, and consulting
services, along with publication projects of various sorts, all designed
to encourage a style of Christian education continuously guided by a
vision of shalom. Alta Vista
intends to help identify and support practices that help equip students
for redemptive action in a distorted world.
Alta Vista is particularly
concerned to avoid unnecessary duplication and wasteful overlap of
efforts. Consequently, Alta Vista
vigorously pursues partnerships and collaboration. Already Alta Vista
partners with Christian Schools International, the Society of Christian
Schools in B.C.,
Seattle
Pacific
University,
and the Christian Educators Association International, and maintains
relationships with the Association of Christian Schools International
and Worldwide
Christian
Schools.
Christian education is surrounded by a cacophony of
voices clamoring to be heard.
Voices such as dualism, secularism, individualism, materialism,
and consumerism contradict the message of God’s Kingdom agenda.
They reflect false gospels promoting self-serving success,
fitting-into-society, and synthesis. Such gospels, if heeded, create
tensions and contradictions or an accommodating complacency in Christian
education. With humility, compassion, and courage, Alta Vista commits,
while recognizing and celebrating the work God is doing in Christian
education, to being a clear compelling voice inviting Christian
educators to impact our culture and our world in ways that point to
genuine shalom.
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