Church seeks to be ‘amalgamated’ with Christian Heritage School

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This article was published 22/10/2024 (570 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cities Church Brandon’s senior pastor says the church plans to be “amalgamated” with Christian Heritage School (CHS), a Christian educational institution — a move that would rebrand the school and give Cities Church the power to appoint members to the school’s board.

The announcement was made by Cities Church senior pastor Ben Karuhije during a recent Vision Night meeting, streamed via YouTube, where he shared the church’s vision for the school and its educational future in the city.

In April, the school sought the support of parents and the community to help meet its three top-priority needs at its annual fundraiser dinner at the Victoria Inn.

The school’s immediate priorities include upgrading the rooftop heating and cooling system, replacing windows and acquiring newer bus transportation. To generate part of the funds needed, a variety of items were auctioned at the event, ranging from egg chair cushions and folding chairs to bicycles, work tools and kitchen utensils.

Karuhije said the amalgamation has been in discussion for some time, aiming to bring a “fresh vision” to the school.

“What Cities Church can give the school is a fresh vision. It’s been around for 50 years, and we should be grateful for that. It’s got some positive assets, and then some things it needs to work on. And I think that our team, our board, our church, can bring some fresh vision to the school,” he told the members.

“We’ve tentatively chosen the name Brandon Christian Academy, home of the Warriors, for what we would do. We would rebrand the school. It’s 50 years old next year, so it’s a great time for a rebrand and a refresh. Our vision would be to turn CHS into a school that provides quality, Christ-centered, church-connected education from kindergarten to Grade 12.”

Under the proposed plan, he said, the two organizations would remain separate entities, but Cities Church would take on a leadership role, with its board appointing members to CHS’s governing board.

He added the decision to move forward with the amalgamation comes after extensive discussions with CHS board president Michel Latreille, alongside other church and school leaders.

The school board was expected to discuss the proposal further with its members at a meeting last evening and they members are also expected to vote in November.

“The school board allowed me to come to their board meeting on Aug. 20 and to present to them what it would look like if Cities Church and Christian Heritage School amalgamated,” he said.

“They went away with that for a couple of weeks. They had some discussions, and they came back to me, and they said, ‘You know, our board is in unanimous approval that this would be a good idea to go ahead with this, but the members have to approve that amalgamation.’”

Latreille told the Sun the board has to inform the Christian Heritage School Society of the plan, which was expected to happen at last evening’s meeting, before sharing details publicly.

“The priority of the board of Christian Heritage School is to convey the information pertaining to the proposal from Cities Church to the Christian Heritage School Society before providing any further details to the public,” he stated in an email shortly before the meeting. “We will have an opportunity to do this Monday evening. After this meeting of the society, further comment can be made.”

Meanwhile, Karuhije described the plan as an opportunity to serve families and the broader church in the city with quality Christian education with new uniforms and updated programs, all under the theme of revitalizing its mission for the next generation.

Regarding the church’s contingency plan, he also presented another plan to the church’s members in case the CHS amalgamation did not proceed.

“If the members of CHS vote against the amalgamation, Cities Church would still move forward with an education initiative,” he added. “We still feel like it’s our responsibility to get involved in education by launching our church-based school, starting as a pilot program, possibly in the fall of 2026.”

In addressing the church’s broader mission, Karuhije reflected on the church’s responsibility to support Christian education and offer an alternative to secular schooling.

“We’re also choosing not to leave the education of the next generation to those who don’t have an allegiance to Jesus Christ,” he said, underscoring the church’s commitment to expanding its reach in Brandon and beyond while ensuring that families have the option of enrolling their children in faith-based education.

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