Your Gifts in Action - A Progress Report

Pastor Charles Salinas • March 18, 2025

Dear Partner,


In The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan the Lion is not only the King and creator of Narnia but also the captain of the ship Dawn Treader. Similarly, we have made the intentional decision to make Jesus, our Lion King, the captain and Lord of our school. He is the One who guides and directs our path, the source of our strength and purpose, just as Aslan is in the world of Narnia.


With His leadership and love, we trust that under His authority, our school will continue to thrive both spiritually and academically. It is my privilege to share with you the wonderful accomplishments that, by God’s grace, we achieved this school year as an educational community. At Dawn Treader Christian School, we believe that every child in Paterson deserves the opportunity to experience a Christian education filled with love, values and academic excellence. This year, we are overjoyed to celebrate a 10% increase in enrollment, which is a clear reflection of God’s faithfulness.  We are grateful for the collective effort and dedication that has made this possible, and it is with great honor that we share the fruits of this ministry of Christian education with you.

"Thank you for your continued support. With God’s help, we are confident that the best is yet to come".

 


Accreditation through ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International)

One of the greatest milestones we reached this year is obtaining accreditation from ACSI, the Association of Christian Schools International. This recognition validates the high standards of education we strive to provide and serves as a testimony to the unwavering dedication and hard work of our teachers and leaders. Their commitment to teaching with excellence, while honoring God in all they do, is evident in this significant achievement. We are excited about the new opportunities this accreditation will bring for our students, both academically and in their spiritual growth.



Renovation of 219 Windows in the School

 

This year, we were also blessed to complete the renovation of 219 windows across our school. This project, made possible by the generous support of our community, has enhanced the security and comfort of our school environment and symbolizes the renewal that God works within us.


Just as we continue to renew and improve our facilities, we also seek spiritual renewal, striving to align our hearts and actions with God’s will in all areas of our lives.

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

 

Expansion of Programs and Classroom Improvements


Looking ahead, we are committed to expanding our educational programs and further enhancing our classrooms. We understand the importance of providing a nurturing learning environment where students can grow academically, socially and spiritually. Our goal is to offer programs that enrich the whole child, developing knowledge, character and faith. We trust God will continue to bless the growth and success of our school, and we eagerly anticipate the direction He will lead us in the coming years



I Pray that We Continue Forward with Faith and Hope

I pray that this message touches your heart and inspires you to continue partnering with us in this important work. Every prayer, every contribution, and every act of support leaves an eternal impact on the lives of our students. Together, as the Dawn Treader family, we can continue moving forward, trusting that the Lord will lead us into a future that will bear much fruit for His glory.


We invite you to share this testimony with others who may be a blessing to our school and the mission God has entrusted to us. Thank you for your continued support. With God’s help, we are confident that the best is yet to come.


With gratitude and blessings,


Pastor Charles Salinas

Meet Dana Roberts

April 29, 2025
Meet Dana Roberts, Alumnus and President of our First-ever Alumni As sociation

7 Things to know About Pastor Charles

April 29, 2025
1. He served as a corrections officer in Passaic County before joining Dawn Treader. 2. He is the father of four children, all girls. 3. He has been married for 25 years, and last month celebrated that milestone anniversary. 4. He is the founder of King of Kings Worship Ministries and City Impact in Paterson. 5. He is a traveling missionary, often serving people in the Dominican Republic. 6. He has served in ministry in Paterson for 30 years and has a heart for children, young adults and Christian education. 7. He names his dogs after characters from the Little Rascals. Bonus Fact: He will never shave his beard.

Meet Maria Rivera Jones

April 29, 2025
My prayer has always been "Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in His commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed." Psalm 112:1-2

Saved to Serve A Lesson from Narnia

April 29, 2025
In the early 1970s there was a group of Christians who gathered as a missional prayer group to help provide Christian Education for students of Paterson and Passaic who could not afford it. They purchased the current building, which had been abandoned for nearly 40 years in July 1977 with the school opening in September. The decision had been made to name the school Dawn Treader, borrowed from the CS Lewis book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of seven of the Chronicles of Narnia. Pastor Stan VanderKlay, of Northside Chapel CRC and ECUMP Board member, preached at the Sunrise service the day before the school opened and explained in his sermon the reason for this name. I quote from Stan’s message as recorded in his book Chains of Grace: “The Son of God was incarnated in Narnia as a large golden lion named Aslan, who had once offered himself to be slaughtered, but then came alive again to save the Narnians from the corruption of sin which had entered that world. Dawn Treader was a sailing ship on a royal mission to the East, toward Aslans’s country. Three children of our world were looking at a picture of that Viking-type, single sail ship with its dragon head and tail splashing through the waves when suddenly they began to get wet and then found themselves drawn into the real Narnian seas. Rescued by the Dawn Treader they spent more than a year on that mission having many adventures and learning much about life and faith. “Near the end they were directed to go to the side shore of the sea. Aslan met them there, opened a door in the sky which ushed them back into their real world and told them that there they would come to know him by a different name. Their voyage on the DT would help them learn how to live Christianly back at home. “Dawn Treaders are people of the Son” was our motto. In this living history lesson, in a mill where children once worked long, hard days weaving sild, brightness would now be woven into their lives, so that with Christ as the center of everything, their voyage in our Dawn Treader would, we prayed, empower them to live relevantly for Christ in the real world .” Jesus saves us to live in a relationship with God not just so we can go to heaven after we die, but so we can live out Christ’s mission while we live. We are “saved to serve.” Just like Aslan sent the children back to their world Jesus sends us out into His world to carry out his mission of “making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19 Our goal is to disciple each child at Dawn Treader to follow Jesus so they can then also make disciples. Thank you for all you do to help our students on their academic and Jesus- following journey.