Great Commission Christian School
A Ministry of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Mission Statement
By God's grace, we will embody the Scriptural calls we have heard to make this educational ministry: one which makes disciples in the way our Lord called us to; generous to the entire family and to the whole person; one which academically and spiritually "trains up a child" in the way that he or she should go and encourages them in the differing gifts God has given to each child; one in which the staff strives to be the fragrance of Christ, thereby creating an environment in which God's Spirit can write on human hearts; one which depends completely on God's sustaining faithfulness; one which moves, step by step, in God's wisdom; and one which is done with the joyful confidence that what God "opens" for us, no one can shut against us, as nothing is impossible to God.
Objectives of Great Commission Christian School
To provide a Christian Education for our children and those from families of our community who are of like mind and Christian convictions without regard to race or ethnic background.
To provide an instructional program which places the Bible at the center and asks students and teachers to evaluate all they see in the world through the Word of God, because God’s Word is Truth.
To provide an education of the highest academic excellence, with an emphasis upon the basic skills of learning.
To fulfill the Great Commission which embodies the scriptural call of generosity, wisdom, dependence on God, and one which ministers to the whole family.
To encourage, support and give guidance to the Christian home and to inspire in the students a system of values consistent with the Word of God.
To endeavor to lead any unsaved students to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and then on to a responsible Christian maturity, with a sense of the significance of the local church in God’s program.
To instill in the heart of the student a strong love for God, school and for our country.
The GCCS Story
Great Commission Christian School started out of prayer. Parents from different families and denominations were praying for a genuinely Christian school: several of the group had met each other at the Canarsie Library on Rockaway Parkway in the nursery program; others met at Seaview Park and at Sledge Park; still others were members of St. Matthew, and friends who were moved to join us as they heard about this vision.
We began regular, Sunday-night prayer and planning meetings in January of 2002. We prayed especially about our two heart desires: our children and Jesus.
We wanted our children to grow up with Christ central in their home and school life. We also had a heart for other children and parents who would need or want such an educational ministry.
After praying for four months, there was a major fire at St. Matthew’s a few days after Easter. With all of the damage to the building, it seemed impossible to be ready for opening the school that same year. During our Sunday prayer group, God led a sister to pray that we would begin this year -- and we did! Great Commission Christian School opened officially in September of 2002, with a volunteer staff of three full-time teachers, and a group of ten students.
Over the past 22 years, we have witnessed God’s faithful provision to the work He called us to do here. He has provided, time and time again, the teachers and resources needed to continue. We have seen wonderful fruit produced in our students, as they grew in the Christian faith, experienced the love of God through their teachers, and learned how to do their part in carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus. Almost 100 students have experienced this amazing community through the years: Christ-centered dramas and concerts; science and history fairs, and formal debates; Friday night family training workshops and a fathers’ group to help us become better parents; chapel several times a week; dads’ and kids’ field days; and, consistent prayer “on the spot,” whenever we felt we needed to come before the Lord. We could go on and on about the amazing works God has done among us as we stepped out in faith to do what He called us to do.
Because our Christian faith is central to our teachers and parents, we know that the children who have come through our halls have learned how to apply that faith to their everyday lives. We know that this will strengthen them to face the challenges they will inevitably encounter in high school and in college. We know that the Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to make them better spouses and parents when God leads them into those relationships. We are confident that many of our alumni will be active members of local Christian congregations, helping to form the next generation of leadership for the Church.
Remarkably, our school existed and grew for 18 years by nothing more than word-of-mouth referrals! We have done no advertising, and created no website, until 2020. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in view of the hope needed by children and families in the midst of this crisis, we decided to launch this website, to allow God to “broaden our walls” if He so desires.
Now in 2023, we are fully back in person and feel called to share the gift of our school community with homeschool families and all who feel called to be a part of The Great Commission.
Statement of Faith
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean?
We believe that God has made us and all creatures; that He has given us our body and soul, eyes, ears, and all our members, our reason and all our senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives us clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land animals, and all we have. He richly and daily provides us with all that we need to support our body and life. He defends us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us. For all this it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.
We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence, He will come to judge the living and the dead. What does this mean?
We believe that Jesus Christ, true God begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed us, a lost and condemned people, purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold, silver, but with His Holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as His is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. What does this mean?
We believe that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps us in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. He daily and richly forgives all our sins and sins of all believers. On the Last Day, He will raise us and all the dead, and give eternal life to us and all believers in Christ.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible Word of God.
GCCS Song
Go Ye, Go Ye into the world, And make disciples of all the nations. Go Ye, Go Ye into the world. And I will be with you there.
I am the vine. You are the branches. Ever my fruit to bear. I am the light, you the reflection. Everywhere.
Mission Statement: Extended
By God's grace, we will achieve our vision by embodying the Scriptural calls we have heard to make this educational ministry:
one which makes disciples in the way our Lord called us to (Matthew 28:19,20);
Matthew 28: 19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
generous (Proverbs 1I:25 and Luke 6:38);
Proverbs 11: 25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
Luke 6: 38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
to the entire family (2 Chronicles 20: 13);
2 Chronicles 20: 13 “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.”
to the whole person (Deuteronomy 6:5-12): Deuteronomy 6: 5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant-then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt. out of the land of slavery.”
one which academically and spiritually "trains up a child" in the way that he or she should go and encourages them in the differing gifts God has given them (Proverbs 22:6);
Proverbs 22: 6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
one in which the staff strives to be the fragrance of Christ, (2 Corinthians l: I5), thereby creating an environment in which
God's Spirit can write on human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3);
2 Corinthians 1: 15 “for we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
2 Corinthians 3: 3 “You show that you are a letter from Christ. the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
one which depends completely on God's sustaining faithfulness (Luke 9:13-17, 2 Timothy 2: 13, 2 Chronicles 20: I5);
Luke 9: 13 “He replied, "You give them something to eat." answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd. (About five thousand men were there.)15 But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each. The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of · broken pieces that were left over.”
2 Timothy 2: 13 “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
2 Chronicles 20: 15 “He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.”
one which moves, step by step, in God's wisdom - the "wisdom from above" (James 1:5, 3:17);
James 1: 5 “lf any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
James 3: 17 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
and one, which is done with the joyful confidence that what God "opens" for us, no one can shut against us, as nothing is impossible to God (Revelation 3:8, Luke 1:37, and Exodus 4:12).
Revelation 3: 8 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have.not denied my name.”
Luke 1: 7 “for nothing is impossible with·God."
Exodus 4: 12 “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."