Spiritual Life Developments at JRHS

By Matt Hannan, Faculty

In partnership with Headmaster Philbrick and Chaplain and Pastor Baker who will continue to administrate and lead our chapel services and bear primary responsibility for the spiritual health of the school, the Spiritual Life Program will have three major spheres of operation: on-campus spiritual life and discipleship, private student and family counseling, and connecting more intentionally with churches to strengthen our “3-legged stool” of student success (church, family, and school).

The spiritual touchpoints of the week are Koinonia, Devotions, Thursday Meeting, and Chapel. Additionally, we have several retreats, monthly Agape Lunch, and yearly mission trips. The goal is to bring more continuity between all these events, connecting them in the fabric of our school for a greater reinforcement of the spiritual principles as well as a greater awareness of what we are learning, in order that families and our school ministry partners will be encouraged, connected, and blessed by our spiritual life program. It is our hope that the engagement of the JRHS community in these things will be greater than it has ever been before. 

JRHS is also making a stronger push into spiritual/mental health training, growing our counseling resources both on and off campus, as well as having official office hours for private meetings with any members of our community that need them. A greater connection and partnership between churches, parachurch ministries, and JRHS will ensure that our community is more healthy, spiritually built up and encouraged, and aware of these resources than ever before. The Spiritual Life Director will be involved more intentionally with area pastors and church leaders. This is in an effort to demonstrate the close partnership and cooperative nature of JRHS with school families’ other spiritual influences in order to be aware of, and meet, your student’s and your families’ needs. This will also vitally connect more pastors and church leaders which could greatly bless our ministry, and hopefully vice versa.

There is a desperate need for counseling, a development of biblical coping mechanisms and a safe place to share personal struggles in our society. All Christians are counselors and mentors in some fashion, but many lack formal biblical training to be as effective as possible to meet the myriad of modern problems and developing needs that this next generation has. It is essential that our students learn to be more self-aware, and they begin to think more seriously about their mental and spiritual health in order to be their most effective when they leave JRHS.