This week, the elementary chapel service took place on a Thursday as the gym will be used on Friday morning for Picture Day. Mrs. Saballa and Ms. Wong opened our service by leading O Canada and the Lord’s Prayer. After listening to the Land Acknowledgement and reading Hebrews 3:3, they led the upbeat singing and clapping of “My Life is in You Lord“. This is a song about how our life, hope and strength are completely dependent on God.
Next, sprinting in slow motion to the first few bars of “Chariots of Fire” was Mrs. V – dressed in a Wesley Wildfire jersey, exercise headband and shorts.She led an energetic review of our theme verse from 1 Timothy 4:12 and the five ways that we can Cross fit train to be like Jesus via Focus, Respect, Humility, Endurance and Leadership.
After the review, Mrs. V introduced this week’s Bible story, taken from Mark 4, with a beautiful video recount of how Jesus calmed a storm while He and his disciples were on a small boat at sea. This was followed by more musical worship with the singing of “Knowing You (All I Once Held Dear)”, a song about valuing a relationship with Jesus Christ above all worldly success and possessions. This message was echoed with the reading from two Bible verses – Romans 12:2 and Matthew 22:37 – about not conforming to the patterns of this world and loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Mrs. Saballa and Ms. Wong then welcomed our guest speaker, Jake Wilson (aka “Captain), the Executive Director of Willow Springs Camp. As it was his first time here this year, he provided a quick introduction and brief but animated update about his family. Captain then asked the audience if they have ever been distracted. Many put up their hands, including teachers. He shared that even the smallest things, like mosquitoes, can take away his focus. Next, he read the passage from Mark 4:35-41, and looked at the disciples’ question to Jesus about perishing in the surrounding storm and Jesus’s response to them – asking why they were afraid. After pointing out that fear was the disciples’ distraction at that moment, Captain explained that distractions are constantly dictated by the environment. In fact, we are always in the thick of a storm because we are always attributing our own needs to God. Then, Captain provided the following three ways to focus:
- Rest in God – Get peace from Him and not your surroundings (Isaiah 26:3)
- Have Faith – when our lives are given in worship, it is evidence of our faith (Hebrews 11:1)
- Recognition – Acknowledge and proclaim who God really is (Revelation 5:12)
When we seek God’s kingdom first, we are focusing on Christ. With a focus on Jesus, we can also “sleep” through the winds and the waves of storms. Perhaps others will see us doing that and wonder how that is possible. Captain also provided some practical ways to help us keep focused on Jesus.
- Cut out the Nonsense – remove the distractions in our lives that prevent us from seeing Jesus
- Get disciplined in reading the Bible to encounter the Living God
- Pray all the time – when you pray, you are aware of God’s presence
- Tell Others about Jesus – you are focused on Him if you want to talk about HIm all the time
Mrs. V then closed in prayer, asking God to help us focus on Him, and invited the students to read the benediction together.
Before the service ended, we had our annual WCA Walkathon fundraiser kick-off. Three of our Grade 8 students produced a video as part of the Media Literacy component of their Literacy class to promote our big event. Leading up to October 22nd, our students will see other promotional material created by our Grade 8 class to generate excitement and encouragement for our Cross Fit for Jesus 2026 Walkathon!
