Activities
Spiritual Formation
Overview
Weekly chapels and worship coupled with daily prayers and devotions contribute to Westminster's mission to prepare students to serve as ambassadors for Christ. Westminster's faculty, staff and administrators are fully committed to supporting students and families in their faith by providing an excellent, reformed Christian education.
John Bishop, Westminster's director of spiritual formation, oversees the development of elementary, middle and high school chapels where a wide-range of faculty and staff, students, and guests provide worship and bring age-appropriate Bible messages. Read the blog below to learn how this year's theme verse, Jeremiah 17:7, influences the weekly messages. High school students also kick-off every school year with a week-long spiritual retreat that takes place in the mountains of Jasper, Georgia known as Warrior Week. Middle school students also enjoy GR8 Escape, a three-day spiritual retreat that takes place during the first few weeks of the school year.
Elementary school chapels embody Westminster's mission of "preparing hearts." Students are encouraged to serve their communities through "noisy offerings" and hands-on advocacy. The theme verse comes to life through the book, "Wandering Through WorldWonder," chapel mascot, engaging skits, and lively worship.
John Bishop, Westminster's director of spiritual formation, oversees the development of elementary, middle and high school chapels where a wide-range of faculty and staff, students, and guests provide worship and bring age-appropriate Bible messages. Read the blog below to learn how this year's theme verse, Jeremiah 17:7, influences the weekly messages. High school students also kick-off every school year with a week-long spiritual retreat that takes place in the mountains of Jasper, Georgia known as Warrior Week. Middle school students also enjoy GR8 Escape, a three-day spiritual retreat that takes place during the first few weeks of the school year.
Elementary school chapels embody Westminster's mission of "preparing hearts." Students are encouraged to serve their communities through "noisy offerings" and hands-on advocacy. The theme verse comes to life through the book, "Wandering Through WorldWonder," chapel mascot, engaging skits, and lively worship.
John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation
"Westminster is committed to supporting students in their spiritual growth by engaging them in biblical teachings, walking with them through life's challenges and calling them to a higher standard of living for Christ."
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Chapel Blog
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Poor in Spirit
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation, based on this week's MS/HS ChapelThis week, we begin with the first beatitude found in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Just a few weeks ago, many of us were unwrapping Christmas gifts—things we had longed for, talked about, and eagerly anticipated. In those first moments, the excitement is real. We’re thrilled. We’re grateful. But it doesn’t take long before those once-treasured gifts lose their luster. The thing we once “had to have” becomes just another item on our shelf—or worse, something we’re already thinking about replacing. This cycle reveals a deeper truth: stuff, no matter how shiny or satisfying in the moment, was never meant to fulfill us for long.
Jesus understood this. In fact, He begins His most famous sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—with a powerful and countercultural statement: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” At first glance, this seems confusing. Why would poverty of any kind—especially of spirit—be considered a blessing? Isn’t the goal to be rich in spirit, strong, full, and confident?
But Jesus flips our assumptions upside down. To be “poor in spirit” means to recognize our need—our spiritual emptiness apart from God. It’s the realization that we can’t earn or manufacture meaning on our own. We’re not self-sufficient, and that’s not a flaw—it’s the doorway to something greater.
When we admit our spiritual poverty, we create space for God to move in. We become open to His grace, His truth, and His kingdom. And that kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. It isn’t built on possessions, power, or popularity. It’s a kingdom marked by peace, joy, humility, and purpose—things no amount of stuff can ever truly offer.
So as we reflect on this beatitude, let’s ask: What am I clinging to for fulfillment? Am I willing to let go of the illusion of self-sufficiency and admit my need? Because Jesus promises that it’s in that very place of honest humility that we find the kingdom of heaven.
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.