From the Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents,
If you have been watching the news, you have seen that different states have had sightings of scary clowns or creepy clowns recently. Some clowns do look creepy, but especially if you see one walking on a lonely sidewalk at night. But the larger concern is when one of these characters tries to lure children into a secluded place or uses the clown outfit to make or carry out threats.
We have not had any clown issues at Bethel, but I do want to bring it to your attention to let you know how we are handling the situation. First, we are keeping a watchful eye on the happenings on campus. Clowns are pretty easy to spot, but we keep a careful eye on who comes on campus anyway.
Second, we are not bringing up the scary clown outbreak to the students unless it becomes an issue with them individually or with the class. In other words, if they don’t know, we will let you tell them about it if you choose.
Some children have a flair for the dramatic, and they might sensationalize (“make up”) a scary clown story for effect. If we hear about it, we will put a lid on it. At the same time, some children might truly be afraid of a clown threat happening to them. Our approach to helping children with these kinds of fears is this: be cautious and be full of faith.
Even though the world we live in is violent and unsettled, we cannot live in fear. However, we should exercise caution. Children should be careful of where they go and who they talk to. As a rule, they should not engage in conversations with people they don’t know, and they should not go into a car or a secluded place if someone offers them candy or balloons or lets them pet a puppy.
Caution and faith go hand in hand. Danger is real, but so is God. The Bible teaches this about fear: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). The Apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A prevailing disposition of fear is not from God. The Lord, however, does give the ability to overcome temptations, the ability to love, and the ability to think clearly about situations.
Sound thinking puts to rest the turmoil that arises from unbridled imagination. You probably remember being a child lying in bed at night and thinking that the shadow outside was the boogie man, but in reality it was a tree limb. Children need to learn what is true and to think on things that are true (cf. Philippians 4:8). This is where we as parents can help our children learn not to make more of a situation than it is. We can help them have right and restrained thinking. I hope this can help.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
If you have been watching the news, you have seen that different states have had sightings of scary clowns or creepy clowns recently. Some clowns do look creepy, but especially if you see one walking on a lonely sidewalk at night. But the larger concern is when one of these characters tries to lure children into a secluded place or uses the clown outfit to make or carry out threats.
We have not had any clown issues at Bethel, but I do want to bring it to your attention to let you know how we are handling the situation. First, we are keeping a watchful eye on the happenings on campus. Clowns are pretty easy to spot, but we keep a careful eye on who comes on campus anyway.
Second, we are not bringing up the scary clown outbreak to the students unless it becomes an issue with them individually or with the class. In other words, if they don’t know, we will let you tell them about it if you choose.
Some children have a flair for the dramatic, and they might sensationalize (“make up”) a scary clown story for effect. If we hear about it, we will put a lid on it. At the same time, some children might truly be afraid of a clown threat happening to them. Our approach to helping children with these kinds of fears is this: be cautious and be full of faith.
Even though the world we live in is violent and unsettled, we cannot live in fear. However, we should exercise caution. Children should be careful of where they go and who they talk to. As a rule, they should not engage in conversations with people they don’t know, and they should not go into a car or a secluded place if someone offers them candy or balloons or lets them pet a puppy.
Caution and faith go hand in hand. Danger is real, but so is God. The Bible teaches this about fear: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). The Apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A prevailing disposition of fear is not from God. The Lord, however, does give the ability to overcome temptations, the ability to love, and the ability to think clearly about situations.
Sound thinking puts to rest the turmoil that arises from unbridled imagination. You probably remember being a child lying in bed at night and thinking that the shadow outside was the boogie man, but in reality it was a tree limb. Children need to learn what is true and to think on things that are true (cf. Philippians 4:8). This is where we as parents can help our children learn not to make more of a situation than it is. We can help them have right and restrained thinking. I hope this can help.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton