Faith Development At Daystar

As Christians, we view the world through the lens of God’s Truth, which teaches our students that all are loved and valued. The first of Daystar’s three core values is faith-based. The Christian faith is central to Daystar’s history and current practice. In today’s world, we know that this truth can be misunderstood and so we work all the harder to define and teach what it means to be people of faith. Core to this is that we believe faith is integrated into all aspects of our curriculum. Students, teachers, and parents learn, play, worship, and work together as a reflection of God’s love for us. This means that each individual is treated with respect regardless of whether or not they hold to the same beliefs.

Weekly Chapel

During weekly chapel, students in Kindergarten and above gather together and participate in song, prayer, and to hear from God's Word. Weekly chapel is typically open to parents and guests and one of the primary times when our extended parent community comes together, though this opportunity is currently suspended due to Covid precautions.

Integrating a Biblical Worldview in our Curriculum

Because God loves us and created us and calls us to care for each other and for the world, and because we resonate with theologian Abraham Kuyper's assertion that "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ does not assert, "MINE," each unite of inquiry at Daystar integrates a Biblical worldview with goals, objectives and lessons specific to our identity as God's people. In each unit, teachers guide students to answer the following:

What do we learn about God from this unit of study?
Why should this unit of inquiry matter to the people of God?
What can we learn about ourselves as God's beloved people through this unit?

Strands of Biblical Integration

Each unit of inquiry is connected to one of the following strands of Biblical integration. All five strands are incorporated at some point in the year's coursework in preschool through grade 12. Click on a tab to learn more about how each strand is integrated into the curriculum.

We Are Called to be Disciples of Jesus

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Specific Biblical worldview connections could include life of Jesus, Jesus' parables, disciples and apostles, early church, as well as more modern stories of disciples of Jesus.

We are Called to be Truth and Justice Seekers

And the world of the LORD came again to Zechariah: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer ture justice, show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other." Zechariah 7:9

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to lvoe mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3

Specific Biblical worldview connections could include ten best ways to live, Jesus' life and teachings, and more modern day disciples of Jesus who seek truth and justice.

We are Called to be Thoughtful Neighbors and Earth Caretakers

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:28

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

Specific Biblical worldview connections could include creation, parables of Jesus, Biblical and more modern day stories of Christ followers living as thoughtful neighbors and earth caretakers.

What Daystar Believes

The Bible is God’s true and inspired Word. On the foundation of God’s infallible Word, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, Daystar declares the following articles to be our summary statement of the Christian faith:

GOD: There is one infinite and holy, loving, and personal God who speaks to us in Scripture and reveals himself to us in his acts of creation, salvation, and renewal, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As finite beings created in God's image, we declare that it is our purpose, our privilege, and our joy to worship, honor, serve, and obey him.

CREATION: The world that is our home belongs to God, who created it and faithfully sustains it by his providence. Creation is the theater of God’s glory, displaying his power and majesty. He calls us to discover creation’s resources, to receive them with thanksgiving and delight as his gift, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers responsible to God and to our neighbor.

SIN: Our ability to carry out our human calling to honor God, serve our neighbor, and care for the creation is marred by the corrosive effects of sin which touch every part of life. When our first parents listened to Satan's lie, questioned God's Word, and rebelled against him, they brought his judgment upon themselves, all their descendants, and the creation. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, and ultimately death, are the inevitable fruit of sin in our world.

COVENANT: However, God has not rejected or abandoned his world, but turned to it in love. He gave the rainbow to Noah as a pledge of his promise to care for all creatures. He formed a covenant with Abraham, promising to be a faithful God to him and his children, and through them to bless all nations. Through his servant Moses, God disclosed his law for the human community, promising rich blessing as the fruit of obedience, and through his Son, Jesus Christ, he continues to act towards us on the basis of the renewed covenant. God always keeps his promises. We acknowledge with gratitude and joy that he is our God, we are his people, and this is his world.

REDEMPTION: As he promised, God in love sent Jesus Christ into the world to save it from sin and its consequences. The atoning death of the Son of God is the only payment for the debt of human sin, and his resurrection is the only liberation from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends the Holy Spirit to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build a community of love and holiness. It is this community’s mission to proclaim and live the good news, and to disciple the nations.

KINGDOM OF GOD: Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. His kingdom is the everlasting kingdom, and he reigns over all things for our good. To be a citizen of this kingdom is a privilege, a joy, and a responsibility. Led by his Spirit—cultivating the fruit of love, joy, and peace—we place our every thought, word, and deed in the service of Christ’s present and coming reign. We live daily in the confident hope of his triumphant return.

*Kuyper quote from his inaugural address at the dedication of the Free University. Found in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt (Eerdmans, 1998), 488).

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