Bonner Querschnitte 13/2016 Ausgabe 408

The Christian International School of Prague honors its founder

(Bonn, 10.05.2016) The Christian International School of Prague publicly unveiled a new signboard on the wall of its chapel. “In recognition for her service as Founder and Director, 2004-2015, this chapel has been dedicated as the Leslie P. Johnson Chapel.” (Photo 1).

Rev. Richard Trca, a long-term member of the CISP community as a founder, board member, and parent, commented, "We want to dedicate this chapel to Leslie Johnson today, not only because she was a skillful director, a diligent servant, and upheld high educational expectations. From Leslie’s influence in my life, and many of yours, she inspired in me a desire to know God more deeply. As you and future students gather in this chapel in the future, we will be inspired by Leslie’s example to seek God more deeply, and we will inspire one another to seek Him.” (Photo 2)

Lori Gregory, the school counselor and chaplain, explained, “Prayer has always been important to our school. At least 60 of the 90 of you were prayed for by name in Mrs. Johnson’s office. And the rest of you were prayed for by name by teachers and others in this room. I spent a lot of time in Mrs. Johnson’s office praying, laughing, and sometimes crying with her because of you and our desire for you to know Him.” (Photo 3)

The main speaker for the event was Leslie Johnson herself. She based her comments on “Who is this God we talk about?“ on Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Johnson noted that these words of the prophet Balaam, addressed to Balak, came in a context in which Balak observed that God was keeping his promises to Israel. The God we talk about is a promise-keeping God. What were his promises to Israel? Mrs. Johnson took the school community back to Genesis 12 and the promises God made to Abram (later called Abraham). In the story of Abram, she explained, we see that though sin had alienated people from God, from each other, and from the creation itself, God was bringing reconciliation. This included reconciliation with God, with each other, and even with creation. The promise to Abram was not only that he would have numerous descendants and a land, but that the blessing of comprehensive reconciliation would be extended to all peoples on earth. Balaam could see these promises being fulfilled in the people of Israel hundreds of years after God gave the promises to Abram. We can now see that God was fulfilling his promises to Abram in the death of Jesus to pay for our sins and in his resurrection to overcome death. Getting to know God now means getting to know what this comprehensive reconciliation means in our lives: reconciliation with God, with ourselves, with each other, and even with creation. And in a school we have to learn what this comprehensive reconciliation means for math, for science, and for history. Understanding math, science, and history before God is part of getting to know God truly. (Photo 4)

The celebration included a game for the younger children, and a group of teenagers led the assembly in worship music. (Photo 5, Photo 6)

The Christian International School of Prague has served children from dozens of countries in grades one through twelve. CISP is a member of and accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International. After completing her work for CISP, Mrs. Johnson has begun serving as an educational consultant for ACSI. Along with her husband, Prof. Dr. Thomas K. Johnson, Leslie P. Johnson is a missionary educator sent by Global Scholars.

Links

·         http://www.cisprague.org/

·         https://www.global-scholars.org/

·         https://www.acsi.org/

Downloadsadditional photos:

·       Photo 7: Interim Director Terry Chumbley presented flowers and congratulated Mrs. Johnson.

·         Photo 8: Concluding prayer

·         Photo 9: Prof. Dr. Thomas K. Johnson, Leslie P. Johnson, and Lori Gregory

·         Photo 10: The newly opened CISP playground

·         All photos © Ximena Mrázková.