They are going away to school. They are our young people, the youth of Westminster Presbyterian Church. But, they are not the same ones we have already said “good-bye” to. Those were our three graduating seniors, Mary Dudley Pillow, Madeleine Coleman, and Sara Butler Makamson, who will be entering college this fall.

Now, two other young people in the church are going away to school this fall. They will be living in dorms, just like our graduating senior girls, but their dorms will be on high-school campuses. You see, these young men have made the bold choice to complete their high-school education in a setting very different from their homes. They will be attending separate institutions. However, their experiences will embody many of the same characteristics. Baylor Pillow, son of Steven and Kim Pillow, will be attending The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while Nathan Carter, son of Kent and Kim Carter, is enrolled in The Mississippi School For Mathematics and Science in Columbus, Mississippi. Baylor will be entering as a Sophomore and Nathan as a Junior this fall, and both will experience changes much like our three young ladies away in college, but just getting the experience a few years earlier.

Westminster will certainly recognize these young men before they leave home. And, in the interim, we will have plenty opportunity to say our “good-byes” and wish them well. After all, they are taking a giant step of faith, and we must certainly applaud their self-determination, if not, just recognize their grit in making the decision to attend school away from home. Although their decisions were made independently of each other, their motives are much the same: a strong desire to gain knowledge and to develop, more fully, the talents that God has given them.

Now, many of you will be asking the obvious question, “Why do they want to go away to school when their friends and family are in Greenwood? Can’t they just as easily complete their high-school education right here?” Well, to be honest, there are many reasons, and none of them are intended to imply dissatisfaction with home life. Nor do they wish to cast aspersions on their school experiences here in Greenwood. But their reasons are “in addition to” and “on top of” any reasons for remaining. They simply want to go further in their studies and be surrounded by a culture that stresses career development as well as education.

In addition to smaller classes, which afford more individual attention, they will be stretched both mentally and physically as their peers tacitly teach them that it’s cool to study and to excel. Discipline and personal responsibility will grow to be uppermost in their daily lives as they exercise more independence and develop sharp study habits. The experience will certainly be life-changing for Baylor and Nathan, and I know that their parents would appreciate our prayerful support along the way, both for them and their young men.

You might be thinking, “How could you possibly know what Baylor and Nathan are going to experience? What do you know about leaving home and friends before the ‘normal’ time to go away for college?” Well, I will tell you. Almost 56 years ago I made the same choice and took the same direction that Baylor and Nathan are taking. Like them, I was not being “sent away to school” due to some errant behavior. Not at all! In fact, like them, I chose to do so, and my parents readily supported my choice. So, I speak from experience! I remember vividly the shock of being thrust into an environment that was totally alien to me, but one, nevertheless, which I desired deeply. My friends at home could not quite understand my way of thinking. I was immediately introduced to a faculty of incredibly knowledgeable teachers who were outstanding in their disciplines and who sincerely wanted me to learn about subjects that previously I had only a perfunctory knowledge of. My new environment was surprisingly competitive, and I initially felt uncomfortable in it. But I received support from both students and faculty.

It seemed I had just entered into the most exciting experience of my life and everything had become new and different. We had varied and great sports programs and great sports facilities, too. We had numerous arts programs, language labs, mechanical drawing labs, and a well-stocked library where the only noise was the silence of learning. My new classmates were intense regarding their future career decisions, and they were already planning courses of study well in advance of college. The student body regularly heard addresses by well-known professionals who stressed the idea that making the most money in life was not necessarily the meaning of success. Don’t get me wrong, they were focused and motivated, and, by interacting with them, I was in awe because that was just not my experience at home. For a country boy from the Mississippi Delta, it seemed that my whole world had ratcheted up several notches, and, as a result, I had to claw and scratch hard just to keep up. And by the Grace of God I did keep up and built great memories while doing so. In fact, the contrast of the new environment was so dramatic that my entrance into college two years later seemed like a breeze by comparison.

I am praying that God will bless these young men as they go away to school. I pray that they grow physically, mentally, and spiritually over the next two years. In addition, one fact I know for certain: the experience will broaden them in ways that now they can only imagine. And, I am confident that through the experience, they will come to realize that the simple act of going away to prep school does not make one smarter. Intelligence is the gift of God. But our minds must be continually exercised in order to bring Glory to Him. The desire to learn without distractions and the willingness to be open and vulnerable to new situations will add vibrant color to their life’s fabric.

Gene Stansel
June 2015