Why We Take Our Middle School Students to Phantom Ranch

Middle school can be a difficult time for many students.  There are physical changes occurring, and students are becoming more aware of the importance of relationships outside of home.  The differences in levels of physical, emotional, and even spiritual maturity can cause students to feel insecure, leading to isolation, and it can have an effect on their grades and classroom performance, as well as their overall mood.  

MCA, as a Christian school, places an emphasis on the education of the "whole" child.  What we mean by that is that we see providing opportunities for students to have positive experiences that include a practical application of what we believe are Christian expectations when it comes to social settings, like school, and to help them understand that "love your neighbor as you love yourself," which is part of the greatest commandment, starts here, with their neighbors who are their classmates and fellow students at MCA.  

The Phantom Ranch experience we offer, which is just two days and one night at the camp, is a time for students to get to know each other in a different setting than just at school.  There are activities at the camp which are fun, of course, but there will also be times when students are together in settings they might not experience during the school day with their classmates during the 180 days of the school term.  It's a combination of camp outdoor activities, worshipping together as a student body, and seeing some practical applications of Biblical principles that Middle School students can use to draw themselves closer to God and to each other.  

Teachers also participate and this is a way to get to know their teachers in a different atmosphere than a classroom.  We're fortunate to be small enough to offer this kind of activity, as part of our overall curriculum and instruction, because of the size of the school and the relationship that we have to the ministry of Phantom Ranch Bible Camp.  

The Biblical Value of Community 

The book of Acts in the New Testament is the basis for our understanding of the dynamics of Christian community which can come from experiences like a summer camp, or in a Christian school, as well as within the fellowship of a church.  As Christians, we are bound together by a shared sense of purpose and a shared humanity.  Christian community exists within an emphasis of unity in the spirit, respect for diversity and the idea that the well-being of one person who is part of the body is linked to the well-being of the whole community.  

We are able to see here, in our school, the benefits of having a functioning Christian community, even in a simple way, among our middle school students.  One of the reasons they occupy a shared, exclusive space in our school is the idea that they hold these things in common, because of their shared faith in Christ.  When there are difficulties, which sometimes happen because kids are kids, and because they are sometimes still developing in their maturity, it can be seen in its effect on the whole school.  

There is a common bond among all believers in Christ, and this is what brings us together in faith.  A Christian community worships together, but it also serves in the community and uses service to God as an evangelistic opportunity.  It teaches conflict resolution according to biblical principle, helps students develop respect for others who may not be like them physically, but who share the common bond of Christ.  And it leads to a clear understanding of the importance of corporate worship of God, where strength can be drawn from each other.  

So a couple of days and a night in the woods of Southern Wisconsin are a good thing for the student body of the middle school at Midwestern Christian Academy. 

Expectations for a Time of Community

Of course, we hope that the time our students spend at Phantom Ranch leads to the development of some new relationships among our students.  We hope that the worship experiences and devotional times help students get a little bit closer in their relationship to Christ, and that it might be the point at which some students are introduced to Jesus for the first time.  We hope that it helps students develop respect for their fellow classmates, see them as their neighbor, and love them in the way that Jesus expected.  

This is just one piece of the community that exists within our school, and particularly our middle school.  Our sports programs are designed to help students come together in community, as are the other extra-curricular activities we offer.  This year, our chapel will feature days when students can come together and spend some time in small groups, once a quarter, just to help build those relationships that they may value as they get older.  

So, invest in this activity as a parent, and help your child's experience.   

Scripture Theme for the 2025-26 School Term: I John 4:9

 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only son into the world, so that we might live through Him.  I John 1:9 ESV

As we begin the 69th school year at Midwestern Christian  Academy, the verse that we have selected to be our theme for the school year is one that goes to the very heart of who we are.  Our identity as a school, and as a ministry, rests on the belief that God exists, that he is the all powerful creator of the universe, and that he chose to reveal himself to us by coming to us in the form of his son, Jesus, the Christ.  Jesus, through the life that he lived and example he set, and through his preaching and teaching, revealed to us the truth about who God is.  

He also became our salvation, opening the door to us to have a relationship with God because he took upon himself the penalty for human sin, and sacrificed himself for our redemption.  This verse in I John affirms that Jesus was the son of God, sent for this purpose, to give us life.  It is assurance from the apostle who wrote this epistle to Christians that Jesus is God in the flesh.  

Our affirmation of this central truth of the Christian gospel is what sets us apart as a Christian school.  At the foundation of our educational objectives is our belief in the God who created the universe as one God, and that loving God with all of our heart, soul and mind, is our testimony of faith.  Jesus, as the revealer of truth, points this out when he equates the first commandment with the second one, together as the greatest command, that the way we testify of our faith in God to the world is by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.  

This is not an easy thing to do, by any means.  

At MCA, we start by defining who our neighbor is, here at school.  It is everyone's classmate.  It is their teacher.  It is their parent.  It is their sibling.  These are all neighbors God has put into our life, and loving them, unconditionally, is the way we demonstrate our love of God.  It's our testimony of our faith and trust in Jesus as the Christ, our savior. 

The Theological Concept

This verse is part of a passage that contains a clear, theological concept.  It was written to Christians who were encountering a false teaching that came from a lack of ability to understand the divine and human nature of Christ.  Influenced by Greek philosophy, a group of people, known as the "Gnostics," could not understand how a human being could also be divine at the same time.  Their attempted explanations of the nature of Jesus led them astray, because they could not understand the concept that Jesus was fully divine at the same time that he was human, and that this part of his nature, which made him sinless, was necessary to salvation.  

John makes it very clear, in verses 1 through 3, that the acknowledgement of Jesus as the Christ is possible because of the spirit of God, and that the lack of acknowledgement of this fact is antichrist.  This, and one other reference in 2 John, which is addressing the same point, is the only place where the term "antichrist" is used in scripture. In other words, this is considered an essential belief and acknowledgement in order to understand the nature of God, and to be a recipient of his grace through the salvation experience.  

So this is an instructional objective for us, as well as a necessary concept for evangelism.  

Practical Application

Knowing all of this leads us to the practical application of living for God through Jesus Christ.  The Christian gospel starts with the beatitudes, not the ten commandments, and includes the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals most of the Christian gospel and how to practice this kind of faith.  That's the starting point where belief turns into action.  And this is what we want to teach to our students, that everything the know about the scripture has to do with living through Christ.