The Village

A half a mile away from Eastern Christian High School, a group of volunteers circle up on the retail floor of ditto. In just a minute, the doors will unlock and the upscale thrift store will be open for business. Located on Belmont Ave in North Haledon, the venture donates 90% of its profits to support the mission of Eastern Christian School and is powered nearly exclusively by volunteers; to date, the store has raised more than $2M toward the cause of financially supporting the mission of EC and accessibility for as many Christian families as possible.

But first things first: it’s time for prayer. “We are all brothers and sisters in Christ,” shares Tim Maggiore, store manager. Every morning, “We always pray for our kids. And when I say our kids–I mean the more than 800 kids in the three campuses at EC.”

There’s an old adage that says it takes a village to raise a child. It is a touching and humbling thought to recognize that every day, your child is being nurtured by Godly teachers, inspired by local pastors who regularly participate in the life of school, and even prayed for by strangers.

Since its start in 1892, Eastern Christian has always acknowledged the work of a faithful God to nurture future generations, as well as recognized the responsibility to steward our time, treasure and talents in partnership with Him. A booklet celebrating the 25th anniversary of our school once shared:  “Men with vision like this save a people from perishing. Though they would insist that God receive all the glory, and rightly so, God also uses means, and His glory is in part reflected in the work of His children.”