Learning to Abide: Building a Faith That Lasts
There are plenty of things competing for a teenager’s attention.
Academics. Athletics. Friendships. Activities. Achievement. Plans for the future.
Many of them are good things. But what happens when even the good things begin distracting us from the most important thing?
That was the question students were challenged to consider during this week’s Middle and Upper School chapel, led by guest speaker Samantha Arp. A Christian author and ministry leader, Arp is also a contributing writer for Sadie Robertson Huff’s Live Original.
It was a timely message for Oakbrook students. This year, our schoolwide theme, ABIDE, comes from John 15:5:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…”
Throughout the year, students are exploring what it looks like not simply to know Christ, but to remain connected to Him—even when life becomes busy, demanding or distracting.
And sometimes, as students heard in chapel, those distractions aren’t necessarily bad.
A full schedule. A goal worth pursuing. A friendship. A sport you love. Academic success. Even something good can begin occupying a place in our hearts that it was never intended to hold.
That makes learning to abide particularly important during the Middle and Upper School years.
Faith That Becomes an Anchor
Adolescence brings new independence, greater academic demands, changing relationships and increasingly complex questions about identity, truth and the world around us.
At Oakbrook, we believe students need more than occasional conversations about faith to navigate those years. They need a foundation.
Nurturing Faith is foundational to The Oakbrook Way—our approach to educating the whole child, Rooted in Truth and Growing in Wisdom. That means spiritual formation isn’t confined to one chapel service each week. It is intentionally woven throughout the student’s experience.
“Our desire is for students to understand that abiding in Christ isn’t something reserved for chapel or Bible class—it is a daily relationship that shapes how they think, how they respond to challenges, how they treat others and how they understand their purpose. We want to give students opportunities to know God’s Word deeply, ask meaningful questions and develop spiritual habits they can carry with them long after they leave Oakbrook.”— Olivia McNeely, Spiritual Life Director
More Than One Moment a Week
Every Oakbrook student from K3 through 12th grade participates in Bible instruction each school day, but our approach goes beyond simply adding Bible to the academic schedule.
Through biblical immersion, students learn that faith isn’t something they practice only in Bible class or chapel. It shapes how they see the world, how they treat others, how they make decisions and how they respond when life gets difficult.
Whether they’re reading a novel, studying history, exploring science, competing on the field or navigating friendships, students are continually encouraged to connect what they are learning and experiencing back to biblical truth. Faith isn’t one part of an Oakbrook education. It’s woven through all of it.
Creating a Rhythm of Discipleship
That same philosophy extends beyond the classroom. Middle and Upper School students begin their days with opportunities for Scripture, reflection and prayer in homeroom, creating space to center their attention on Christ before the academic day begins.
Each week, students gather for chapel and worship, hearing from Oakbrook faculty, pastors, ministry leaders and guest speakers like Arp who challenge students to apply biblical truth to the realities they face.
Upper School Students also participate in small groups and discipleship opportunities led by faculty mentors, where conversations can become more personal. They have space to ask questions, build relationships, encourage one another and talk honestly about what following Christ looks like in everyday life.
Experiences such as our annual Windy Gap retreat take those conversations outside the normal school routine, bringing Middle and Upper School students together for worship, community, reflection—and plenty of fun.
Each experience is different. Together, they create a rhythm: Learn the Word. Talk about it. Worship together. Ask questions. Build relationships. Put truth into practice. Return to Christ. Again and again.
A Faith They Can Carry With Them
Ultimately, Oakbrook’s goal isn’t simply for students to graduate knowing the right answers. We want them to know where to turn when the answers aren’t easy.
We want students to develop a faith capable of meeting real life—a faith that provides clarity when friendships become complicated, courage when doing the right thing isn’t easy, peace when academic pressure builds and perspective when the world tells them their worth depends on achievement.
And we want them to understand something students were reminded of in chapel this week: The answer isn’t eliminating every distraction or abandoning all the good things God has placed in our lives. It’s remembering where those things belong. Because branches don’t produce fruit by trying harder. They produce fruit by remaining connected to the vine.
And from K3 through graduation, that is what we want our students to practice. Abiding. Staying connected to Christ. Returning to His Word. Growing in wisdom.
And carrying a faith with them that lasts far beyond their years at Oakbrook. That is Nurturing Faith. That is The Oakbrook Way.