4th Annual Imago Dei Week 2026: Make a Joyful Noise
Written by: Ijeoma “EJ” Unegbu, EdD, Director of Community and Culture
Each February, the community and culture office holds its annual Imago Dei Week program for GCS students and employees. International flags are hung in the school halls to set the tone for the week.
Imago Dei Week is a time to highlight the beauty of God in all people. This year’s theme was “Make a Joyful Noise.” The headline speaker for this year’s event was Ms. Tanesha Jackson. Tanesha is a worship leader and a vocal trainer with over fifteen years of experience. She is a member of Reveal Church in Tyler where she serves as the church’s youth praise and worship leader. She has a heart for helping young people discover their God-given voice and confidence, in music and life.
Imago Dei Week also organizes G.R.A.C.E breakout sessions for students. These sessions are from friends and professionals in our community to share with students from a biblical lens, gender or generational topics, or race or religion content, or to provide information on age or ability; community or culture, and economic/ethnic matters. Some of this year’s speakers were Preston Reece of Boathouse Ministry with his discussion “Created for More: Identity, Belonging, and the Image of God,” Devon Churchill with the American Heart Association, and Pastor David Ramos with Grace Español Church in Tyler discussing “Kingdom Community and the Church’s Responsibility as a Beacon of Light in These Times of Culture and Ethnic Challenges.” We also had some of our students serve as breakout speakers, namely Emerson Evans share with students her recent mission trip to the Amazon, and Lilly Kennedy and Landon Herod talked about women in the early church.
For our Feast of the Nations portion of Imago Dei Week, we showcased some delicious samples of international, ethnic, cultural and regional cuisine. We had a great showing of faculty participation in bringing family treasured dishes, and also made it a food competition with our student legacy groups! We love food and fellowship!
For worship chapel, we welcomed the Texas College Choir. Their powerhouse praise filled our Burgess Auditorium. “This choral ensemble draws from diverse academic programs and musical skills, covering a varied array of repertoire and diverse styles. Through many appearances and performances, the members of the Texas College Choir continuously strive to be productive student leaders on campus and in surrounding communities” (courtesy, Texas College website).
Last year we started Around the World Trivia for high school students. This new element is partnered with our Logos Lab. Via a QR code, students each day could participate in trivia related to tribes, languages, and food to win daily prizes and have their name entered in a grand prize for a meal, or Starbucks gift card.
To round out our special week, we have Imago Dei Worship Sunday, where GCS students and faculty can attend church with one of our local church partners. For Imago Dei Worship Sunday, Pastor Charles Burns, of New Zion Baptist Church #1, welcomed Grace Community School for worship with his congregation.
Overall, Imago Dei Week serves as a beautiful tapestry of God’s image shown throughout humanity and we look forward year-to-year of highlighting and celebrating the beautiful Revelation 7 community of our school.