Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24
This verse defines the goals of our athletic program at Chicago Christian High School: Glorify God, Develop Christian Character, and Prepare for Future Success.
Glorify God: As Christians, we are called to glorify God in everything we do. He has called us to use our gifts the best way we can. This means that God takes pleasure in watching us run fast, score a goal, make a diving catch, and serve an ace. God is a passionate God and we are to play our sports passionately. We firmly believe that playing hard and playing the right way is a calling that we all have. If we, as Christian athletes, slack off or fail to commit to doing our best, it dishonors God. At CCHS, we do believe in playing by the rules and showing respect, but we also should be playing hard because we are doing it for the glory of God.
Develop Christian Character: Professional sports are a huge part of our culture, and they are basically all about winning. This isn't ok at the high school level, and we are cautious not to let that standard trickle down. High school sports are a means to a goal -- not the goal in and of themselves. Christian qualities such as responsibility, teamwork, selflessness, and integrity are paramount to what our coaches and leaders instill in our young athletes. We are here to grow our athletes and not just use them to win championships.
Prepare for Future Success: As an educational institution, we are in the business of training young people for their future. Very few high school athletes will make a career out of playing, coaching, or managing their sport. However, the world needs good Christians in EVERY career and field of study, and we believe athletics is a great training ground for that. Athletics develops skills in communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, and work ethic.
Ultimately, our goal is to play our sports with passion, integrity, and perspective in order to support our vision of being "A Christ-centered learning community intent on restoring God's world."