Administrator's Welcome,

Welcome to Tree of Life Tallahassee!  

 

Tree of Life Tallahassee is a K-12 Messianic Jewish / Christian private school serving the students and families of Tallahassee, Florida.  

 

I want to share with you the Tree of Life Tallahassee school vision.  Tree of Life Tallahassee was born out of a conversation with my husband, Rabbi Joshua Lessard of Tree of Life Synagogue of Tallahassee.  Our congregation had recently been blessed with a large donation and we were praying for direction and wisdom concerning where to invest this precious gift.  I had been teaching in the private school sector for a while and the last school I was employed with had gone through a dissolution.  It was heartbreaking to say the least because I had become so attached to my precious students and to teaching!  One of our synagogue board members suggested to Joshua that Tree of Life start our own private school.  I jumped at the chance to bring this vision to life.  There was also great excitement and much prayer and confirmation from our congregation that the Tree of Life Tallahassee School was born!  

 

Why Messianic Judaism?

 

This school was birthed from a Messianic Jewish congregation.  We firmly believe in a private school that lifts Yeshua (Jesus) up as the pinnacle.  We believe that Yeshua died for our sins, was laid in a tomb, was resurrected on the third day, and ascended into heaven.  This is the foundation of what we teach our students.  We welcome Christian students as well as Messianic Jewish students!  We teach the New Testament scriptures of the Bible as well as the Old Testament but we put Yeshua back into His Jewish context.  We feel that if you understand the Old Testament from a Jewish perspective it only strengthens the argument for Yeshua as Messiah in the New Testament.  It is my personal commitment to Yeshua that drives my desire to serve the students of our community.

 

Why the name Tree of Life?

 

As I was in prayer for this exciting new journey I felt the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) whisper into my heart the following scriptures as the foundation for my vision for the school:

​

Psalm 1:2-3

"But his delight is in the Torah (Word) of Adonai (God), and on His Torah he meditates day and night.  He will be like a planted tree over streams of water, producing its fruit during its season.  Its leaf never droops - but in all he does, he succeeds."  -  TLV

​

John 4:14

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty.  The water that I give him will become a fountain of water within him, springing up to eternal life!"  

- TLV

​

Isaiah 61:3  

"Besorah (Good News) for the Brokenhearted"

"that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Adonai, that He may be glorified."  -  TLV

​

The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) led me to Isaiah first.  I remember having a conversation with my husband about how I wanted to be an oak of righteousness but lacked the know how. He smiled and told me how his next sermon was on that very topic!  He then led me to Psalm 1 where it talks about being a tree planted by streams of water!  I was then led to John 4:14 where Yeshua talks about His living water.  This was the vision!  

 

Our students at Tree of Life are little seedlings that God has entrusted to us.  It is our hope and prayer that they will grow into mighty oaks of righteousness planted by streams of living water!  The living water that Yeshua talked about is the Word of Adonai. 

​

This vision is the foundation for everything that we do at Tree of Life Tallahassee. Prayerfully consider entrusting your "little seedling" to us!  

​

Blessings in Messiah Yeshua,

​

April Lessard 

​

Administrator, Tree of Life Tallahassee

​

​

​