Martin | Slovakia | May | 2021
PROGRESS REPORT
Dear Friends and Partners,
If a psalmist were among us in May and looked back over the spring dominated by Covid pandemic restrictions, he would exhort: Give thanks to God’s holy name, for His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime (Psalm 30:4-5). Yes, after all the lockdowns and empty classrooms, all our students finally resumed in-person learning and our school is filled with life. Looking back, we must confess with the Psalmist that God’s favor surely dominates in our lives. This perspective gives us strength to face all the present and future trials, knowing that His favor shall overcome. This May we received an extra measure God’s favor and are excited to share it with you.
First, there is an encouragement from one of our long- lasting partners, Vision Slovakia in St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi, MN. We are so thankful for this partnership and now especially for Paul Berge. This year it has been 20 year of Paul’s serving as the director of Vision Slovakia. As he puts it: “The years of our shared vision have gone quickly as the school has grown in numbers of students, faculty, staff and expanded facilities. In these years we have experienced God’s presence and guidance in our lives and those of our students from the youngest children through graduating high school youth. We are thankful for this shared partnership and vision and look forward to our future together in this gift God has entrusted us. “
Second, our school’s enrollment is an extraordinary reason to give thanks to God. Student applications again outnumbered our capacity at all levels of education. On one hand, we are thrilled because it affirms the high credit of our school in the region. On the other hand, it reminds us to work hard on reconstructing the available space in the New Building into more classrooms and school facilities. We could have opened another classroom in the kindergarten in the elementary school and in the high school. Over 50 additional children and families could have been reached through our mission if we had had an appropriate infrastructure.
Our growing infrastructure is a third big reason to give thanks. We have finished equipping the Art Studio and the Music Studio will follow in June. Moreover, an anonymous donor has pledged $250,000 for the Indoor Gym! In about two years, a total of $473,000 was given or pledged, for which we built an Outdoor Sport Field ($90,000), Playground for Children ($11,000), Outdoor Fitness ($13,700), and Music and Art Studios ($75,200 and $42,600). The Outdoor Classroom ($12,000) is halfway completed and we are about to build the Indoor Gym.
This is a great witness to God’s favor and your generosity that was not stopped even by a pandemic. This gives us a lot of hope for our next project: eight more classrooms and two offices in the New Building so we would not have to turn down so many applicants. God’s favor dominates and the month of May in our school is a witness to this truth. Praise be to God!
Yours in His service,
Adrian Kacian, Director of Development Bohdan Hroboň, president of CCE
| Ways to GIVE | Make your tax-deductible gift in one of these ways: | ||
| Vision Slovakia |
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church |
New Heights Foundation |
| Paul Berge, Director St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, MN 55115 (651)-762-9143 pberge@saintandrews.org || DONATE NOW || |
Kathy Clolinger, 815 S. Washington St., Naperville, IL 60540 (+1)630-281-4226, accounting@oursaviours.com |
Mark Johnson, Board Member 7913 NE 58th Ave., Vancouver, WA 98665 360-606-7505, mjohnson@traxxcorp.com |
| Through Your Home Church If your church is a partner of the Center for Christian Education, make a donation noting “CCE” in the memo line of your check. Your church’s business office will include your contribution along with its regular support. |
