Safety and hospitality are two sides of the same coin on our 17-acre hill that we call Santa Fe Christian Schools. The campus, this light on a hill, holds 1,012 students, 150 employees, and many parents on any given day. We must be vigilant about being a safe place, while also being a warm and welcoming campus.

Safety systems are in place. Recently (on an In-service Day), all employees practiced our safety protocols. Our Emergency Team went through every detail as if we were in an earthquake. From our Mobile Command Center, our team went through a multi-hour drill. The drill included imaginary scenarios – like one child missing, an injured teacher, a gas line break, and crowding of media news reporters at the entrance ways. In the coming weeks, our team will debrief, update, and fine-tune our drills. These lessons flow out to all forms of safety protocols, regulations, and pre-planned decisions in order to maximize safety for children and active communication to parents. We also schedule an outside audit regarding all safety systems every two years.

Hospitality is also in place. We welcome people onto our campus. We are vigilant, but not offensive. If the only goal were safety, then, I would build a 20-foot wall with barbed wire to protect the children and employees. But, that level of protection would violate the vision of warm hospitality. So, we strive to demonstrate human qualities of care and attention to detail. We are not a five-star hotel, but I want us to treat people with a Godiva-chocolate quality of accommodation.

Balance. We have to balance both safety and hospitality each and every day. Every year, we audit and update our plans and procedures to ensure that both things are true on our campus. Please join me in praying for this balance and for the bright future of SFC.