For six years running, Northwest Christian students have embraced students and families in some of the neediest schools in Phoenix.  And, every year, in new and surprising ways, God "shows up" to accomplish what Northwest Christian students thought might be impossible.  "Every year," says senior Drew Inness, "we are asking, 'Are we going to make it?'  And, then, in the end, God makes it happen." 

The effort started in 2010 when Northwest Christian students embraced J.B. Sutton Elementary in the south Phoenix Isaac School District.  That year, NCS committed to providing Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts for 125 of Sutton's most needy families.  Additionally, Crusaders served the school through on-campus service projects--renovating an art room, replenishing a food pantry, providing sports clinics.  Now, six years later, having seen God provide in ways both momentous and forever memorable, Northwest Christian's commitment has grown from one school and 125 families to five schools and 1,325 families.

Victoria Roe, who graduated from Northwest Christian in 2014 and who was part of the project in the beginning, says that her involvement forever changed her heart and the trajectory of her life.  "Going there," Victoria explains, "I felt permanently changed after even my first trip.  Every year, increasing the number of food boxes and gifts and the things that we're doing for these kids shows us how powerful God's work is and how the Holy Spirit works within us."

In 2013, the project took an exciting new direction as Northwest Christian partnered with Calvario, a Spanish speaking community church which is located right in the heart of the Isaac School district, central to all the schools being served.  "That was the crucial link," explains superintendent Geoff Brown.  "Now, with every food box, every Christmas gift, and every service project, we include an invitation to Calvario--a community of believers who are committed to sharing the good news of Christ with the students that we're loving in this effort."

In 2014, the Sutton project grew again through a partnership with the BHHS Legacy Foundation.  The connection was the brainstorm of then-junior, now-senior Bryce Jones.  Bryce approached the foundation and secured a partnership which enables Northwest Christian families who contribute to the effort to benefit from the working poor tax credit.  "I'll never forget that moment," says Geoff, "it was a moment where the Lord grew my faith and understanding of His intentions for this project and our students.  That year, we were wondering how we were going to raise the $15,000 we'd need for the 725 turkeys.  After the connection with Legacy, that $15,000 goal was blown away in a single week as the Lord opened the floodgates of heaven and over $30,000 poured in."

"I love what this project does within these needy schools," says Geoff.  "But, I also see what this project has done in the hearts of our kids at NCS.  This campaign is transformative as our students see and feel God using them in ways that literally floor them."

Information regarding the Sutton project is coming home with students this week.  If you are interested in joining the effort, please visit the following link:

 NCS Sutton Project 2015

"The Substitute" premieres this week with student short films from four Christian high schools

For years, Northwest Christian has followed the pattern of many high schools--a fall play and a spring musical.  Last year, however, saw the school take a new direction with some exciting results.  Instead of a fall play, Northwest Christian partnered with a bonafide film production company and produced a film featuring the hard work and acting talent of Crusaders.  The resulting film was "Screwtape Academy", a film that was premiered in front of a sold out crowd at the 600-seat Colossus theater at the AMC Deer Valley 30.  The evening also included a mini-student film festival featuring digital shorts produced by Northwest Christian high school students.  This year's film is titled "The Substitute" and it represents a big step forward in terms of the caliber of production.  Similarly, like last year's film premiere, this year's film festival has also grown exponentially based on the strength of the school's first foray into short film festivals.  The fest is now officially titled the "The PureFlix North by Northwest Film Festival" and is sponsored by PureFlix Entertainment.  The fest has been joined by top talents from within the Christian film industry:  David White (star and executive producer of "God's Not Dead" and "Faith of our Fathers"), Alex and Stephen Kendrick ("War Room", "Facing the Giants", "Fireproof") and many others.  This year's eight student film finalists hail from Northwest Christian, Scottsdale Christian, Paradise Valley Christian, and Pusch Ridge Christian.  The students' submissions will be judged by film professors from Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University, representatives from three different Christian film companies, a talent agency, and a nationally recognized film blog.  Winning submissions will be awarded cash prizes.

If you are interested in attending, purchase tickets soon as that less than 100 seats of the initial 1,000 available in the two theaters are still available.

To see a trailer for "The Substitute", click on the video link below...

The Substitute Trailer