Safety in Security
Security. Safety. Does one guarantee the other? Can safety ever really be guaranteed? Furthermore, what do these have to do with education? These buzz words are gaining more significance in our culture. We see it in airports, metro and bus stations, internet and smart phone policies, not to mention within our own homes and families. Coming back to ICS this fall, students and parents could not help but notice the changes which occurred over the summer to increase security measures around the building. After multiple security 
assessments and the motivation by events highlighted in the news of the senseless acts of violence, we recognized the need to establish a higher level of security and took action. Our campus is now a closed facility that requires key card access to move between the church and school areas and added a check-in system for all visitors. This fall, we will add a full time unarmed security guard. His presence will be a deterrent to those looking to cause trouble as he monitors cameras and walks the hallways and playground areas.
As with any new changes, opinions and suggestions abound. The leadership of Immanuel Christian School prayerfully evaluates measures desiring to balance a welcoming and nurturing environment against the reality of the challenging and changing world in which we live.
The dichotomy comes back to the question of security. As Christians, on what do we base our security? The reality of walking by one’s faith on a daily basis forces Christians to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all aspects of life. We never know what a day holds as recent tragic events illustrate all too well. Yet, those realities do not provide a carte blanche to live carelessly without regard for the realities of living in a fallen world. Parents entrust an educational institution with their precious children eight hours a day, five days a week, 180 days a year. In light of our high calling, we balance our responsibilities to provide a secure environment with our trust in a sovereign God. Approaching life through a lens of faith in God’s sovereignty does not necessarily preclude one’s sense of fear of the unknown,. However, it is our job to ensure the best for our students and staff, and we intend to pursue this calling with excellence. Our mission is to inspire students for purposeful lives of learning, godliness and service can be furthered when students are in an environment where they feel safe and loved and nurtured. This largely comes from the hearts of our staff, but other tangibles aid in this as well.
It is our hope and prayer that God will continue to protect ICS and its families. We are grateful for His provision and sovereign plan and we readily recognize our inability to thwart God’s plans. It is our response to use what God has given us in resources to protect His children to the best of our ability – still finding the greatest in comfort in the knowledge that God is good, all the time. He is in control. We can find safety in security, but the ultimate safety and security is found in the saving message of the Gospel.
Hebrews 10: 19-23 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
This post was written by Dale Pinkley, Assistant Administrator of Immanuel Christian School and Lauren Umble, Communications Coordinator.