At the start of every school year, we gather our CHS teachers and staff to align our hearts in prayer. This year, our theme was Oneness. Richard Fish shared at the opening of our time together at Love Mercy International’s campus, and honestly, it’s changed the way we think about what we’re building here together.
Unity is good. But oneness is better.
Read more: Oneness: Becoming “All One” | Christian Heritage SchoolLooking Back Before Looking Forward
We started our time by remembering. Last year, our theme was simple but bold: “God can do anything.” The idea that nothing is impossible for Him. Seriously, you can do this too!
- Think back to the beginning of last year. What were we/you praying for then?
- Where did you see the Lord come through in ways you couldn’t have orchestrated yourself?
To mark that season, our staff made a commitment together which was represented by a simple pom-pom of red and white ribbon attached to a small stick. It was a small physical reminder that we were trusting God with the year ahead. Looking at that same pom-pom now, a full year later, it’s hard not to be encouraged.
It’s a picture of a prayer answered! It’s proof that what we trusted God with, He was faithful to hold.
Pause for a moment if you are reading this and offer a prayer of thanksgiving, giving God credit for what only He could have done.
Alone vs. All One
If you’re familiar with the story of Jesus praying with his disciples in John 17, you may not have noticed what led up to his prayer. Leading up to what we have come to recognize as a prayer for “oneness,” there is something interesting Jesus mentions just a few verses earlier. In John 16:32, we read where Jesus shares with the disciples that He will be left alone.
Here’s something for us to consider: the word “alone” actually comes from Middle English. It’s a contraction of two words “all one.” To be alone, in its original sense, is meant to convey: wholly by yourself; cut off.
Maybe you’ve felt that. “All by myself.” (Cue the song. If you know, you know.) It’s a real feeling, and Jesus knew it too.
But what’s remarkable is what Jesus does with that feeling. He doesn’t stay in isolation. He turns it into a prayer.
Jesus’ Prayer for Oneness
His prayer is recorded in John 17. It’s worth reading in full. It’s inspirational, but it’s also deeply practical. Jesus doesn’t just hope for unity among His people. He gives us a blueprint for it.
Out of that prayer, here’s three action steps as a staff at CHS are holding onto for this 2026–27 school year, as a real, daily practice toward oneness.
1. Manifest His Name (John 17:6)
Jesus prayed, “I have manifested Your name.” Isn’t that at the very heart of the Principle Approach method we care so deeply about at CHS? In everything we teach, we’re pointing back to God’s hand in it all. Remember:
- When you teach — manifest His name.
- When you build — manifest His name.
- When you clean — manifest His name.
- When you discipline — manifest His name.
- When you lead — manifest His name.
Every task, no matter how small or unseen, becomes an act of worship when it’s done to reveal who God is.
2. Give Words of Truth (John 17:8)
Jesus gave His disciples words of truth. We can and should do the same! What we say to one another matters more than we often realize.
- Give words of knowledge.
- Give words of praise.
- Give words of encouragement.
- Give words of forgiveness.
Give your words to others. Speak up. Be courageous and share with someone what you see in them that honors God.
3. Pray for One Another (John 17:9–11)
Finally, Jesus prays for His people, by name, asking the Father to “keep them in Your name.”
We encouraged every staff member to pray this simple prayer over a colleague this year:
“Father, keep my friend _____, in Your name.”
Why does that matter so much? Because His name:
- Holds the world together
- Is the reason anything exists at all
- Is blessed
- Carries power
- Has authority
- Is everything that is good
To be kept in His name is to be kept in everything good, true, and unshakable. It’s a simple prayer packed with power.
Three Steps Toward Oneness
This school year as we set our hearts towards oneness, we can practically do these three things daily:
- Manifest His Name in everything you do.
- Give words of Truth to one another.
- Pray for one another, daily.
A Picture of Oneness
Who could forget watching the World Cup this year and seeing the fans of the Norwegian national team rowing together in the stands? No isolation. No “alone.” Just oneness.
That’s the picture we’re praying over CHS this year. That we would be a community of students, staff, and families, so united it becomes hard to tell where one ends and another begins.
Not just unity. Oneness.