I know that many of you are curious about how we wound up driving the fun bus into this new adventure at Peach City Academy, so I thought I would do what I do best and write it down to share with my family, friends, and curious onlookers.
In 2023, the North American Mission Board mailed out a small booklet called The Education Reformation to Southern Baptist churches. As an SBC church, Peach City Fellowship received a copy of that book, and upon reading it had some serious conversations about starting a Christian school in response to the ideas presented. The basic gist of the reading is that unless we are deliberately discipling people and teaching a Christian worldview, moral standards will continue to dissipate in daily life as we know it.
After prayer and discussion, the church elders decided that the timing wasn’t quite right, and tabled the discussion for future business. They continued to discuss and pray about the right people, the right timing, and the right circumstances to be orchestrated by God for this ministry to happen.
Almost a year ago, Steve and I started attending PCF regularly and found a warm, inviting, Biblically-solid fellowship of believers that was exactly what we needed and in the exact right timing. They met our need in a spiritual drought, and it was like standing in rain after months of barren land. I was challenged Biblically by the ladies’ bible study. I was humbled by the sermons, and it caused me to study Scripture in an in-depth way like I hadn’t in years. The body of believers were inviting and kind and engaging. So, we began the process of membership and joined the new member’s class.
In my professional life, there were some things happening during this same time period at Chilton Christian Academy that were causes for concern. I went through proper channels and met with leadership, school board members, sent emails and letters, spoke to the people who could enact change about my misgivings, but it was clear that I was not on the same page as the new administration or the leadership anymore. I thought I’d retire at Chilton Christian Academy and finish my teaching career as a patriot. In fact, in October I filled out a document asking where I saw my future with the school, and I wrote, “I will continue teaching at CCA as long as they will have me.”
In March there were two definitive situations that put a glaring spotlight on my changing situation at CCA. We hosted an open house where our leadership got on a hot microphone and said to a full crowd that he wasn’t happy with the level of education his kids were receiving, kids were leaving CCA unprepared for college, and that we were not family and were overstepping our boundaries by acting like one. I sat there at the event I had planned and executed and couldn’t believe my ears. Our record of graduate success is provable on paper. And one of our main selling points has always been that we are a family away from family. It’s practically in the DNA of our structure and a core part of our identity as a school.
I spoke to a school board member immediately after that forty-minute speech to prospective families and was told that change is necessary. I’m the least change-averse person on earth. I know change is necessary. (I’m usually the catalyst suggesting and implementing change that makes everyone around me mildly uncomfortable. I add something new to the calendar that’s quasi-impossible once a week.)
The next day following the open house, there was the now infamous “Red House Meeting” where it was implied in front of about 20 students in a public meeting that I was leading children astray by nefarious influence and false teaching. I have never been so insulted or disrespected in my entire life. You can say a lot of negative things about me that are absolutely true, but what was implied and outright said were slanderous and false. The narrative I felt was being pushed is that I’m a) out of control b) a bad influence c) too emotional d) unwilling to submit to authority e) spiritually bankrupt.
If I were only going to tell one anecdote to illustrate what happened from October to April in my workplace it would be this: I found out about every single change happening to my professional life from children who were pulled into private meetings and told before I was. I found out I wasn’t going to be teaching 7-8 grade English anymore from a student. I found out the new schedule plan from a student. I found out about the formation of a new middle school from a student. I found out about every single change from the mouth of a child. Not one time was I afforded a meeting, a courtesy email, or a conversation about any of the changes that were made in my job. I was told by an eighth grader.
In mid to late March, I recognized that my time at CCA was coming to a close. Ironically, at the very same time, a lot of the teaching staff surrounding me were coming to the same conclusion independently of my situation.
I had a performance review in April where I was told verbally and in writing that I was an excellent teacher, did everything that was asked of me, but in the same breath I was told that I wasn’t “foundational” to the vision at CCA. I had asked in previous months in meetings with school board members if I was being targeted by administration and was told absolutely not. I indicated that I would be happy to retire if I didn’t fit what they were looking for and the school board member I spoke with vehemently told me that I was NOT being targeted, and they didn’t want to lose me as an instructor. Actions of the admin were absolutely the opposite of that conversation, and I was told that I would have to change everything I taught in the classroom and that I would have to “be loyal to the vision” of the administration. It was absolutely clear by the end of that meeting that my contract wouldn’t be renewed.
I applied for several jobs in March and April. One was with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival as education director, one was with the BOE in Chilton County, and one with the city of Clanton. For a variety of reasons, the jobs either didn’t suit me or I didn’t suit them. Enter Peach City Academy.
The church had already begun the necessary foundational documents necessary to develop a new school plant as a ministry of the church. I was approached by leadership and asked if I would consider being the founding head of a new school start up. I sort of chuckled and said, “I have absolutely no experience in that.” The counter argument was made that I’ve been running the high school for a long time in its everyday operations and fun bus activities. I immediately corrected that notion to add that I have worked with a VERY powerful team of amazing educators who met, discussed, haggled, hammered, and made things happen as a team. I didn’t do anything by myself. I was also asked to continue my education to work on my leadership and administration skills, which I promptly agreed to do without hesitation. (I can’t imagine taking on this type of role without additional professional development.)
Once that seed of a new school was planted, it began to grow in my mind and in my heart very quickly. Several of my co-workers had already told me at the open house they had made the terribly difficult decision to leave CCA and were praying about what came next for their families and for their professional lives. Some teachers were also clear that their contracts wouldn’t be renewed. Some employees didn't like the direction of the new vision for the school and wouldn't be returning. I knew I wasn’t going to the house to sit, and I'm not ready for retirement. I want and am going to work somewhere–so the question then became what would give my life as much meaning as Chilton Christian Academy has given me over the last 16 years? Teaching. Connecting with families. Propagating the gospel. Discipling students with life lessons that impact them forever. I want to follow the path that God has laid before me and keep on doing the work while I am still able.
Since the second I said yes to becoming the academy director of Peach City Academy, God has moved miraculously. When we work to solve problems, it’s not miraculous. That’s on us and is what we are called to do, but when the problem is solved before you can even conceive of a rudimentary plan, that’s on God. And God is here and has been with us every single step of the way, solving problems before they even became evident. I’ve had more support, help, prayer, and offers to work and serve than I can even express. Every single thing is falling into place and it’s all a credit to God.
I put in writing that I never intended to leave CCA. If that nest hadn’t become uncomfortable, I never would have stepped out. Sometimes that’s how God moves people to step out on faith and move the gospel forward into new areas–there has to be friction and discomfort, so I count every difficult and uncomfortable thing that happened last year as a blessing, because we are about to open a new thing in Clanton. It has been bathed in prayer. It has been in the planning for two years. I was just blessed to be the person who came along at the exact right time to hop on board this fun bus detour and ride into a new adventure.
I will ALWAYS be a proud Patriot; all of my children graduated from CCA and even if I wasn't foundational to it, it was foundational to my family. I am thankful for every single experience I had at CCA. I loved all parts of my job and ministry there. But I am eternally grateful that my work isn’t finished and that God is still using my hands and feet for the Kingdom work, just in a new location. (I’m also THRILLED that I’ll get to continue working with people who have been as close to me as family!!!). We are not in competition with any other educational institution—we are working towards the same goal—discipling young men and women to enter a fallen world and be strong in it.
I’m so excited to see what the Lord has planned for Peach City Academy and for Christian education in the city of Clanton. Please come see our plan, our purpose, and our progress at one of the open enrollment meetings–again, you aren’t committing to join us, just come out and see what exciting things are about to happen in our church, our community, and in the kingdom. We’d love to have you see what we are all about so that you can pray for our ministry.
Always hopeful,
~Mrs. C
Phil 4:8
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