A Brief History of Sycamore Covenant Academy
Sycamore Covenant Academy (SCA) is a ministry of the congregation of Sycamore Reformed Presbyterian Church to the youth of our church with an invitation extended to others in the home schooling community. Over the past few years, the Lord has been putting on the hearts of our congregation a vision to see the youth be zealous for the Lord and His kingdom.
Having studied the Scriptural promises that tell us the children of believers will be blessed by the Lord Himself (Genesis 22:15-18; Psalm 102:28 & 103:17-18; Isaiah 44:3-5), believing that these promises have become ours in Christ (Acts 2:39; II Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:6-9), and understanding that our children must then be trained to this end (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Proverbs 22:6), our congregation has put together a small but exciting ministry.
Since 2002 SCA has met twice weekly to offer a four-year educational and service program devoted to preparing our covenant youth for college and life. Three primary features of our program are as follows.
Supporting Parents in the Education of Their Children
Many of the families in our congregation, believing their children are a gift from the Lord who must be carefully nurtured as well as protected so that stumbling blocks are not placed in their path, have chosen to home educate their children. However, as the young people grow they need certain skills and the input of others to have a well-rounded education and preparation to go into the world successfully.
SCA seeks to supplement and complement the education taking place in our homes while at the same time supporting the role of parents in their children’s lives. We are seeking to help one another by “Raising Our Children in the Fear of the Lord.”
Offering Components of a Christian Education in a Classical Approach
Our young people are studying subjects such as Greek and Hebrew, Logic, Church History, U.S Government, Science, Math and Speech so they can be knowledgeable and conversant of their heritage, both as citizens of the kingdom of God and citizens of our country.
In a typical week at SCA you might hear students reading a passage from Colossians in Greek and discussing the use of the Aorist tense, observe a class learning how to recognize an ad hominem argument, engage in a debate about the Constitution, watch a group of girls solving a difficult fractional equation in Algebra (giggling as they do so!), chant along with a Latin recitation of a verb chart, listen to a student give a report on Augustine’s view of original sin, or join us for a frog dissection in Biology (right before we eat lunch!). We want to be “Arming Them with the Knowledge of His World and Word.”
Training Our Youth in Christian Discipleship and Service
At SCA we spend significant time in prayer and study of God’s word together in our devotional period. The youth work on memorizing the challenging 107 questions and answers of the Westminster Shorter Catechism to become more competent in their understanding of what they believe. Also, each Thursday afternoon they participate in a service time so they can understand that Christianity is both learning and doing. The youth do such things as help with administrative work in the office, do work projects around the building, volunteer time down at the Rescue Mission, or serve the elderly. Our ultimate desire is that they would know Christ and serve Him.
By giving the youth an education that is both “heady” and “hearty” then sending them out in this dark generation, we hope to see the Lord’s promises fulfilled. For with respect to our covenant children, the Lord tells us that we are to be “Sending Them Out to Possess the Gates of Our Enemies” (see Genesis 22:15-18; Psalm 127:5; Matthew 16:18).