A School Note

Monday, March 8, 2010

Blessed day to you. This is Monday of National Lutheran Schools Week and across our country students are preparing for a very special week of events that will celebrate the joy of being in Lutheran education and the blessings of being able to worship, talk about, and be a witness for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Mr. Bill Cochran, Executive Director of LCMS Schools writes about this week: “National Lutheran Schools Week is an opportunity for Lutheran schools to celebrate their unique ministry to children and families they serve,” said William Cochran, interim executive director of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) District and Congregational Services, the office that oversees school ministry for the LCMS.  “It is also an opportunity to share that message with the community in which the school is located.  Lutheran schools are Christ-centered, academically strong, and respectfully operated!”

LCMS congregations operate the largest Protestant parochial school system in America.  A recent report for the 2009-2010 school year showed the LCMS has 2,444 total schools with an enrollment of 255,176 students in grades pre-school through 12th grade.  The average Lutheran elementary school has 114 students and the average high school, 187 students.

LCMS schools focus on educating the whole child, physically, mentally, and spiritually.  In some schools, more than half the students are not members of a Lutheran congregation.

Each day of this week, I will share a story from one of the 92 Lutheran Schools within the Southeastern District. I invite you to join with me in prayers of thanksgiving for the mission opportunities that are present daily in each of schools as children come to learn, to grow, and to know Jesus as Savior.

From Principal Cindy Deatherage
Prince of Peace Lutheran School
Springfield VA

Every morning as the teachers come to work, the love of Jesus Christ shines through each of them. The families and children are greeted each day by faculty and staff that share the love of Jesus, without hesitation. God works in all of our lives continually, never resting! Many, many of our faculty and staff have been tested this year, but God is always by our side giving us strength, comfort, and peace. I am reminded of a three-year-old during our Christmas Chapels that anxiously waited, and waited to see what was in the package on the Altar (a brightly wrapped package representing the present that God gave to us when His Son was born). The little boy came to understand that Jesus was the gift that we celebrate at Christmas each year. Faith is built when we can not see, but as we come to know that God is always there. I am blessed each day by being surrounded by women of such strong faith and women wanting to share that faith with others.

Dear Lord, we give you thanks for all who serve you in classrooms. Let their love and joy for you be a visible witness in the daily interactions with students, parents, and staff members. Grant them joy and delight in their serving. In your precious name. Amen.

Sally Hiller
sjhiller@se.lcms.org
800.637.5723 ext. 205