Metaxas to speak at school banquet

In explaining why Eric Metaxas was chosen as the speaker for the Linville Hill Christian School spring banquet, head of school Matt Buckwalter quoted the school's mission statement. "Linville Hill is a community of faith where students learn to think deeply about who God is as they discover their God-given purpose in preparation for a lifetime of service to the King," said Buckwalter. Explaining that a few of the author's many books are utilized in the high school curriculum, Buckwalter added, "(Metaxas' words) help students think about looking back to those who've gone before us for answers to (the question), 'How do we live in a time when maybe the prevailing values of the culture are out of sync with the heroes of faith from old?' We need someone who can help draw our young people back to those voices."

Metaxas will be the featured speaker at the Linville Hill 2023 spring banquet on Tuesday, March 28, at Beechdale Farms, 458 Beechdale Road, Bird-in-Hand. A meet-and-greet will be held from 5 to 5:45 p.m. Appetizers will be served at 5:15 p.m., and dinner, which will feature pot roast and chicken cordon bleu, will begin at 6 p.m.

Metaxas is a New York Times best-selling author, known for his books "If You Can Keep It," "Bonhoeffer," and "Amazing Grace," among others. He has also appeared as a cultural commentator on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and he is the host of "The Eric Metaxas Show," a daily syndicated radio program.

Buckwalter heard Metaxas speak twice since fall of 2022, and he was impressed. "Metaxas is a voice that is so important for our church and communities to hear," said Buckwalter, who noted an effort is underway to provide sponsorship for the banquet to the pastors of the 70 congregations represented by Linville students. Delving into Metaxas' past, Buckwalter pointed out that the author's parents were immigrants from Greece and Germany who met in an English class. "(Metaxas) has a very tangible grip on what America stands for (because) his family came here for that," said Buckwalter, who called Metaxas a "phenomenal historian." Buckwalter also noted that Metaxas' most recent book, "A Letter to the American Church," is "a wake-up call for Christians to think about what they are doing with their voices." "Are they sitting silently or using the liberty this nation provides to speak in accordance with their convictions?" Buckwalter asked.

Linville Hill was started by a group of local families nearly 80 years ago. The elementary school at 295 S. Kinzer Road, Paradise, currently serves kindergarten through fifth grade. The upper school, which now serves grades six through 12, is located at 835 Houston Run, Gap. The upper school was first envisioned in 2016, with an internship program as a central feature. The program takes students to local businesses and organizations for six hours each Friday for 12 weeks in the fall semester and again in the spring. The program took off with 30 students the first semester it was offered. The two campuses now have an enrollment of 480 students.

Sponsorships and tickets are available at http://www.linvillehill.org or at http://one.bidpal.net/lhcsspring23.