Dear Middle School Parents & Students,

God exercised His sense of humor when he brought my family to Hong Kong in 2012.  I am a small town boy who enjoys being on my own, and I have experienced mild social anxiety when in big crowds.  Over the years my internal thoughts have often turned to how much better everything would be if we could just get rid of all the people - while stuck in traffic, at New Town Plaza on a Saturday afternoon, in the 4/f hallway between classes and even at church when I hear an off pitch voice worshipping behind me.  My selfish temptation is towards an environment that is comfortable and easy for me, where I do not have to interact with anyone I do not know or do not like.  But many years ago I became deeply convicted by a dear friend who asked me if I was handling the command to ‘love one another’ the same way I was handling all of God’s other commands.  I wasn’t.  Jesus reveals the full extent of this call in John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  It was clear to me that I needed to grow in the virtue of love.

For many students, Middle School Roots Group will be their first experience of being a part of a group of people that they did not choose, but who they’re expected to trust and love. I know they are tempted to think as I did, that these groups would be better if they could choose their friends, but I am excited for them to grapple with this most difficult command to ‘love one another.’  For while love certainly grows with our family and friends, Christ-like love grows best when we embrace the motley group of people known as the church and start to fulfill our place within it.  Jesus modeled this for us throughout his ministry, but never more clearly than the fact that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)

As we prepare to launch a new year of MS Roots, I am praying that our children will learn to overcome the temptation of selfishness and instead put on the virtue of love.  Please join me in praying for the 45 new sign-ups who will join the Roots program alongside the 45 returners in grade 8 as well as the 11 teacher leaders discipling them.