For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:14-19

Dear Sarah,


In the St. Peters Basilica in Rome, there are several mosaics that are behind many of the altars throughout the cathedral. I had seen these several times when visiting with the students on senior trip and never realized they were made of thousands of tiny tiles. From a short distance (around 6 feet away) the tiles all blended and look like a magnificent painting. One of my favorites of these is titled, "The Navicella." The mosaic depicts the Apostle Peter sinking in fear after Jesus invites him to come out of the boat and walk on water over to Him. For years I thought this image was a masterful painting. It was not until the Vatican was doing some restoration work on the image that I noticed it was made of small tiles. Truly a masterpiece!

It is important for us to recognize that like "The Navicella," we as followers of Christ are united in a masterful mosaic depicting Christ Himself. The "body of Christ" is revealed to the lost by each of us, not singularly but collectively, who have answered the call of Christ himself when He has exclaimed "Come." (Matthew 14:28) Each of us in unity, though diverse, represent something much larger and more wonderful than any one of us alone. Similarly, StoneBridge is not just a school singularly striving to survive in the market pool of educational options in Hampton Roads. Rather, it is a community united around a mission to raise up the next generation in the way they should go, so they will not depart from it.


StoneBridge is made up of an aggregation of individual, like-minded families committed to Christ to strengthen the community's efforts and effectiveness in the mission to enable each child to reach the fullest expression of their value in Christ. With this in mind, I would like to invite you to participate in 14 days of fasting and prayer. This invitation is extended to our faculty and staff as well as the entire student body.


It has been my prayer that this year all of us – students, parents, faculty, and staff – will grow closer to Christ. I know that when each of us unite with Him, our families, students, school, and even the nation will be transformed. It is in Christ that we become the light of the world. Please consider uniting with the SBS staff January 9-23, as we fast and pray for our students, families, our school, and nation. Below you will find a prayer schedule. 

  • Jan. 9: Lower School students
  • Jan. 10: 6th and 7th graders
  • Jan. 11: SBS teachers
  • Jan. 12: SBS Senior Class & Senior Trip
  • Jan. 13: 8th graders and speeches 
  • Jan. 14: The USA
  • Jan. 15: SBS parents
  • Jan. 16: 10th Graders 
  • Jan. 17: 11th Graders
  • Jan. 18: SBS alumni 
  • Jan. 19: Like-minded families that support the mission 
  • Jan. 20: 9th Graders
  • Jan. 21: Campus grounds and facilities 
  • Jan. 22: SBS staff


Noel Thomason

SBS Head of School

Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  YouTube