December Board Meeting

December's meeting was another valuable meeting. However it was different in that as Brandyn West brought the devotional. She had contacted alumni from last year's class and had them write how the Maranatha experience was serving them in their current endeavors. The ringing validation that the work being done through Maranatha is impacting lives and preparing our students for life after school was consistent and strong. We invested a half hour of our meeting celebrating the Lord's work through our students and contemplating how do we package these testimonials and these results and reach other families to consider Maranatha. What a blessing! I have asked Brandyn to get permission for me to post some of these quotes here and to use them on our web site.

After that enjoyable, encouraging time, we went through the Committee reports with the main action taken of accepting the 5 year plans for each Committee. The Facilities Committee will be focusing on significant projects that enhance the fundamentals of the North Campus: finishing the monument sign,adding a security system, reworking the bathrooms in the gymnasium, new air lock entrance to gym and enhancing the stage area with curtains and sound.

The Development Committee will be seeking to raise funds to make some other leaps in our facilities like additional gym bleachers, and making some athletic team rooms. They will also be looking for ways to keep bringing the international students to enrich our school and finding other ways to stabilize our enrollment trends.

The Finance Committee is seeking to keep moving the school to increased financial stability. We are adding more reserve funds for deferred maintenance, capital, and endowment. In addition we are committed to finding a way to unfreeze staff salaries which have been held firm for several years due to budget constraints.

Please continue in prayer as we prepare for the new calendar year. Specifically:
* That families will keep there kids at Maranatha and that new families will join us
* That we will be wise in handling the tuition rate for 2011-2012
* That our finances would continue to build some cushion and provide for some additional contributions to our staff
* That the Board will continue to crystallize our unity around plans, policies and guiding principles
* Most important of all...that God would be glorified in all that relates to Maranatha.

Merry Christmas!

That is what I call a WIN!

No we did not win on the scoreboard nor did we even score more points than we did the previous night. However we did accomplish something much more important.

After Thursday night's performance of low energy, minimal commitment to what we had practiced, poor fundamentals, etc, I challenged the girls pretty strongly after the game. When I went down to give the pregame talk the next night, I was pleasantly surprised - although not shocked - to find that the captains - Emma Vavricek and Cassie Fulk - had called a team meeting during the previous quarter of the boy's game. The whole team had agreed on some goals for the team and went around the room and each girl took accountability for their part. I was so blessed by this! They covered every aspect of what I was going to cover about the mental and heart part of dealing with adversity and competing in games. All I had to then discuss was a few strategies and plays and they were ready to go. Parents of these girls, I am just confirming what you probably already know...you have some wonderful girls quickly learning how to deal with life in godly way.

So maybe we all could learn from these families: Vavricek, Hunt, Fulk, Espinoza, Meyer, Bennett, Chapin-Patch, McConnell, Buckner, Kyle and Kroening. I have! And this is why I believe in the Mission of Maranatha.

Coaching Basketball

Another role I serve at Maranatha is head coach for the high school girls' basketball team. I thoroughly enjoy this ministry! Wonderful young ladies who have linked arms to journey through a season of successes, adversity, joys and tears.

So much can be taught and then applied in the arena of sports. Several examples have already occurred for our team in 2010: we elect our captains at the end of previous season and that gives them almost a whole year of practicing leadership - communication, being an example, making decisions, and mentoring. Another example is adversity which comes when things don't go the way you want - like losing a game. One common theme I have been reminding the girls is that it is in adversity when we learn the most. Isn't that true in life? Well we lost our first game of the season in a fashion that no one enjoyed. How the girls and the coaches respond in our game tonight will be very illuminating as to the character of our team. The scoreboard outcome is unknown, but do we play with heart, do we learn from our mistakes, are we still joyful Christians even in adversity and will we be focused on ourselves or on our team mates?

In the crucible of the basketball court, our girls are getting to put into practical application the Christian character that is being taught and modeled in your homes, at school, in your churches and by the coaches. Let's make sure we are out there rooting them on to succeed at that...regardless of what the scoreboard says.

At the Core of a Christian Worldview

If you have a true Christian worldview, then you must anchor those beliefs in Genesis. Everything that is in the Bible finds it roots in Genesis. For example, no need for salvation if not for the Fall. The definition of marriage? Yep, it is right there in the first chapters.

However, there are a lot of people who are not well-armed to defend the truth stated in the first chapter of Genesis. And if you can't rest on the foundation laid there, the rest of the Bible becomes suspect. I am ardent believer in taking the literal-day creation account as recorded in Genesis as fact. If you are a Christian and are either undecided on your belief about creation and evolution, or if you lean toward evolutionary beliefs, I encourage you to take advantage of an upcoming opportunity to hear the literal-day creation view explained and defended. As I have said, it is fundamental to the Christian life.

Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis is coming to Lenexa Baptist Church on January 16 and 17th. You can find the location, and agenda at http://www.answersingenesis.org/outreach/event/6858/. Sunday will be focused on adults and Monday on children. Maranatha will be partnering with LBC to get the word out. Please go and take your kids. I am sure you will benefit from the insight that the Lord has given Ken.

Many Thanks!

As I talk to parents, especially those that interact with the school frequently, it is quickly apparent that it is to our teachers that we should direct our appreciation. They are the main messengers and personifications of our Mission. And from the accounts that I am receiving, they are doing a splendid job. Please express your appreciation to our teachers during this Thanksgiving time for the impact on your children and thereby on our world. And remember to pray for them for wisdom, patience, and understanding.

There are so many other things to be thankful for that I hope you will truly take the time and spend it alone with our Father expressing your praise, worship and gratefulness.

Finally, I want to thank each of you for your encouragement directed to me and the Board. Your kind words help us keep seeking God's face for the future of Maranatha in spite of our other many commitments of jobs, family and church.

P.S. Basketball is upon us. I hope to see you at our basketball games this season. I would love to meet you and hear from you(both about the school and cheering for our teams). Of course, during the High School girls' games, please wait until the games are over. I may not be able to give you my undivided attention if you come over and sit on the bench with me while I am coaching. :)

Progressive Dinner

At the school auction, I bought a slot for my wife and I to participate in a Progressive Dinner with other Maranatha families. And, wow, am I glad I did! It was a wonderful evening of fellowship with parents I had not met before, had visited little with and catching up with those I did know. We had elementary parents hearing perspective from high school parents, parents with kids only at the North Campus hearing from parents with kids just in the South Campus. It was a fun evening just enjoying each other's company when everyone had something in common - Maranatha. Plus I made some connections that may help my daughter as she looks at getting a job in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. You never know who you will meet and the new friendships you may start.

Of course the hospitality and food was incredible - we went to the Schneider, Raydo and Welch's homes for appetizers, entree and desserts respectively(there were other host families for entrees, which helped divide up the work). I highly recommend that those with the gift of hospitality consider helping draw the Maranatha family closer together, by offering more of these kind of events.

What can you do to encourage that closeness of family?

New Landscaping at High School Entrance

A big shout out to our alumni: Jonah and Bo Nelson and David Hamm for a beautiful new landscaped entrance into the high school. Mr. Beck asked if I could help do something to make the entrance to the high school look more inviting and more like, well, a high school. So I tapped into the small group that meets for Bible study that I am a part of and Lisa McCracken started drawing some designs. She then contacted the Nelson's for ideas and help. They jumped at the chance. Jonah became our lead designer, purchaser and job foreman.

So Saturday, a few of us and the 3 men from Nelson's Nursery came out and worked all day to provide a beautiful new entrance to the school. It was hard work, but very rewarding to see these alumni come back and give to the school with such a great attitude. Plus they surprised us with a huge eagle statue that we placed at the entrance. I will be placing pictures here on the blog tomorrow, but it is even more beautiful in person. So if you see one of the Nelsons: Eric, Lorrie, Jonah or Bo, please thank them for their contributions to our school.

November Board Meeting

The Lord's presence was very evident last night at the Board meeting. We started out looking at John 17:20-23 and Psalms 133 and discussing Jesus's desire for unity among believers. We believe that it is consistent with that desire to have unity on the board - not uniformity - but unity. God loves diversity and we are stronger when that diversity is united in its beliefs and action.

With that backdrop, we started tackling some key fundamental issues with the intent of attaining unity on these matters. We discussed the following issues: 1) are we a ministry or a business, 2) do we have a bias for action immediately, 3) are we carrying out our Mission Statement well, and 4) what is/are our point(s) of differentiation. We had unity about the first 3 points in a rather quick timeframe. There is an ongoing discussion about point 4. I believe we are close to agreement, but it warrants more prayer, thought and discussion.

I don't feel at liberty yet to share the position statements yet as several of our board members could not attend last night, but when we reach agreement, I will be sharing the statements here. Are there key, foundational issues that you would like clarity from the Board and the Administration about who Maranatha is, what are our priorities or where are we headed? Next up for us are 1) Financial priorities and actions and 2) What "growth" means...how would you define it?

- Enrollment is stable.
- We are on budget.
- We formally approved the budget for this fiscal year.
- We have completed the retaining wall at the North Campus.
- We are targeting to have the new monument sign in place in the next few weeks.
- We will start work on the roof at the North Campus next week.
- We are moving towards hiring a development director in the 2011-12 budget year
- We are thoughtfully developing succession plans for key personnel for that time when those plans will be needed.
- We reviewed reports from the administrators which were rich in content concerning our efforts to instruct with a Christian worldview, develop Christian character and achieve academic excellence.

MAP

I had the privilege of stopping by the North Campus and visiting this group of committed, engaged, energetic parents who are dreaming big and working hard. The more I circulate around the school, I am finding more and more people who believe in what God is doing at Maranatha and are bringing their talents, time and treasure to serve His mission. It is exciting to be part of it! Please don't miss out. Do a little investigative work and find out who is on this committee and see how you can engage. Hint: look for them at Maranatha events - big and small - you will find one - or two or three.

They are behind all of the events that build up the community and family of Maranatha and the efforts to provide funds for the projects and operations of the school. They link arms together in the spirit of many hands make light work. They make a difference and the more people who join them will only make our school a better place to grow young men and women who love and serve our Lord.

Being around them is contagious, so beware. I was so encouraged, I signed up to help with Upwards. More on that later.

Committee Meeting Updates

Planning - this committee is committed to keeping the Board looking forward and one of the topics for consideration is succession planning - when key leaders decide to retire, move on or for whatever reason leave their Maranatha office, what steps and plans do we have in place to address those. We will be developing those plans over the coming months including discussing those scenarios with representatives from the Maranatha family. In addition the Planning committee continues to follow up on work done at the Annual Planning meeting in regard to points of emphasis and focus for the Board and the Administration such as Development(attracting families and encouraging investment in the school), Finances and Facilities.

Finance - so we now have a proposal for our priorities and for a 5 year plan to accomplish those priorities. If accepted by the Board at the meeting on November 4th, I will share those here. Good news is that we have a budget for this year that sets the target to have positive cash balance at the end of the year. We will do this while taking some important steps to build margin in our financial position: set aside funds monthly to establish a bank loan payment reserve fund and a deferred maintenance fund. So far this year, we are on budget with both revenue and expenses.

Faciliities - the important, but not glamorous, project to build a retaining wall at the North Campus just outside the lunch room to keep water from entering the building is well on its way and should be completed within 2 weeks. Work on installing a new roof at the North Campus over the Pre-School wing should start within 2 weeks. We received a bid for several thousand less than what it cost us to do the other half a couple years ago. Work on the monument sign should start in November. The Facilities committee also has prioritized other maintenance and capital improvements for undertaking over the course of the next 5 years. If accepted at the Board meeting, I will share those plans here.

Next up the Development committee next Tuesday.

Meeting season...again

Yes, it is that time of month again. Board committee meetings started last Friday. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but I am sure much was accomplished as follow-up to the Annual Board meeting that was held in early October: unity around key matters, looking to the future, etc.

Next up is the Finance committee tomorrow where we will look at approving the budget for this year, monthly metrics, enrollment numbers and our portion of the 5 year plan. Facilities plans to meet on Wednesday to discuss monthly metrics and their portion of the 5 year plan.

On November 2nd, the MAPs group will meet and keep up their energetic efforts to raise funds and engagement with the Maranatha family. It is exciting to see all that they have done and are planning to do. Perhaps you should consider joining them. Lauren Miller is one of the leaders in this group in case you do want to join in. Also on November 2nd, the Development committee is scheduled to meet and will be talking about marketing plans, other revenue sources, monthly metrics and their portion of the 5 year plan. That evening I am going to meet with the Board chairs and Dr Daugherty to gather their thoughts about what they think the future of Maranatha looks like so that we can work towards building a common view on key components of that future.

All that builds up to Board meeting on November 4th, where we will review the committee reports and continue work from the progress made at the Annual Review meeting

Looking to the future

Every month I have the privilege of sitting down for lunch with Dr. Daugherty to talk about leadership of the school. We spend a lot of time thinking about possibilities. Things like how do we increase salaries and benefits for our teachers, how do we pay off the loan for the North campus, how do we attract new families, what kind of facility would meet the needs of the future we are contemplating, and how do we get all of the Maranatha family engaged in the Lord's work here.

It is an energizing time for me because of the potential and real impact of our school on the world. That impact happens today when our football team invites the visiting team to kneel with them in prayer after the game and it will happen tomorrow when your student lives and shares the gospel in college and the work place.

So I believe that it is our duty to passionately plead with our loving Father to bless His ministry at Maranatha to further that impact. I also believe that we all should enthusiastically, persistently, and sacrificially invest ourselves and our resources in our students to prepare them for a life in His service.

As mentioned in my previous post, the Board and Administration are working diligently to develop a Master Plan for answering the questions I asked above. I believe that as we become unified in the direction we take with the school, God will do a wondrous work in our midst. I am certainly praying to that end.

Board Annual Planning Session

For most of the day on Saturday, your school board with Dr Daugherty was holed up in a conference room at Lake Quivira Country Club. The planning committee did an excellent job of setting up the agenda for a productive day. It started off with an hour of sharing personal testimonies with the intent of increasing the understanding of how God has developed each board member and brought them to this point in time. It was moving and challenging!

With that tone set, we then jumped into several hours of discussing and praying about where God would have Maranatha go. It was a strong consensus that we know that God is working at Maranatha and we want to stay engaged with that work. We don't have to look far for His work. That is a good thing!

As we talked about the future, one thing is abundantly clear, there will be change. We strove to gain even more unity around important matters such as finance development, personnel development, mission execution and facilities development. In my opinion we advanced that unification of mind - not uniformity of mind, but unity - so that as we work in our committees, we know we are rowing in the same direction.

Finance development - as we discussed opportunities and threats, it became clear that one of our first priorities is to "owe no man anything" as that is a clear principle in the Bible. So as we come to you with vision for moving the school forward, the first big step is eliminating debt. One motivating factor among many is that we only see more and more government intrusion into the operation of religious organizations and we want to be free financially to invest where we need to protect the school.

Personnel development - At some point in the future, faculty, staff and administration personnel will leave due to retirement, other opportunities, etc. We need to thoughtfully plan for that. We have and will continue to do so.

Mission execution - We love our mission statement. It is what we are all about. So we need to make sure we are evaluating our effectiveness in carrying it out and then making adjustments to do so even better.

Facilities development - talk about potential government intrusion, we can see a time where the government will say you can't use public facilities and grounds because you discriminate against certain type of people (i.e. whether they are Christians or gays) so you can't use our tennis courts, soccer fields, etc. So the next step in finances and facilities is to fund securing possession of land and buildings to defend against that development. Is that land at North campus, purchasing a former Shawnee Mission school, new land, etc has not been decided, but we do believe that continued energies in that investigation need to continue.

So a good day! Please remember to thank all of the guys and the lady who serve on the board for their time praying, contemplating, discussing and acting on behalf of Maranatha so that we can stay in step with our God as He carries out His ministry at Maranatha.

1st Annual Maranatha Cross Country event

I grew up in a small town in Kansas that did not offer cross country due to the fact that we needed all of the boys out for football and all of the girls on the volleyball team. So I didn't get my first taste of cross country until a couple of years ago when I went out to cheer our team on at a Lansing event.

It is an interesting event for spectators. If you choose to you, you can get some exercise by running to different points on the course to cheer on the competitors. And you can get within an arm's reach of the competitors as they go single file through forest, field and hill.

It would be great to see a host of Maranatha people show up at the Zarda's farm this afternoon to kick off the first ever Maranatha hosted cross country event. I am planning on being there ready to run. Hope to see you there!

Finance Committee

The Lord is good all the time, but we often don't take time to realize it, so He smacks us right in the face with His goodness.

The Finance Committee met last night to review the proposed budget for this coming year. No, things are not rosy, but as I listen to the news of Shawnee Mission schools closing and major universities shutting down major sports like baseball, I am reminded that we are all upheld by His mighty hand, and He will accomplish His purposes no matter what the economy around us is doing.

We have a proposed budget that is balanced and starts to put in place measures for addressing significant needs like a reserve fund and deferred maintenance. Dr. Daugherty and his staff work diligently to plan in a wise manner yet know that in all things God is in control.

There are several keys to a balanced budget: enrollment (net loss of 6 students K-12, still over 500 total), giving (the auction netted over $25,000) and managing expenses (they have done a remarkable job to date). Our need to replenish text books hit us this year, so that expense almost doubled over last year, but most of our expenses are very much in line with what we experienced last year. We continue to look for ways to provide for our teachers - both in salaries and benefits. We are praying earnestly for God to provide in this area.

Two topics that the Finance Committee would like to respond to from the feedback provided by our Maranatha family last year through surveys and forums were around cost and funding improvements. In later posts and in the Maranatha Matters, we will strive to provide insight and plans for managing and addressing this feedback.

Development Committee

There were two key topics from the Development Committee this month: 1) Investigating a marketing firm to help us with a concerted effort to market our school for the 2011-12 school year. 2) Discussing what steps should be taken to strengthen the position of our pre-school in the marketplace. The pre-school is a critical component to our school offering for many reasons, and one of those is its profitability. So keeping our attention on this enterprise is of high importance.

Facilities Committee

The Facilities Committee has two main projects they are trying to complete before year end: 1) Deal with some drainage issues at the North Campus that cause water seepage into the lunchroom area. 2) Install a sign at the southwest corner of the North Campus publicizing that the land is Maranatha Academy. It will be a large, well-built, permanent sign that will be an attractive notification of the school's presence at that 4-way stop.

As are all the Committees, the Facilities Committee spent some time contemplating the future. There are many things that could really upgrade our school in our current facilities, so they have created a list and prioritized those efforts. Next up is figuring out a way to fund those projects.

Planning Committee

It is so encouraging to be around other people who match or exceed your investment and passion in a subject. The more I am around the other members of the Board, the more I realize that they are putting their heart and soul into God's work at Maranatha - and they are good at what they do.

I was unable to attend the Planning Committee meeting this month, but seeing the notes from their meeting, we are blessed to have their leadership in looking to the future. As they are quick to recognize, only the Lord knows the future, but He asks us to be thoughtful and wise about what could happen. The planning committee continues to do just that.

So this month they worked on getting the Committees organized around goals and specific metrics that will help us gauge how well we are moving toward those goals. The also considered succession planning which is prudent since inevitably each of those serving at Maranatha will retire or move on to other opportunities. Thoughtfully planning for the replacement of key positions is critical. Finally, they instigated a plan to keep the Mission, Vision and Core Values in front of the Board on a regular basis to help us stay on track.

With the Lord guiding the members of the Board, staff and teachers through their walk with Him, their experiences, knowledge and skills, I really think even better days are ahead for Maranatha.

Don't Miss the Fun

I am attempting to get to as many Maranatha sporting activities as I can. I am doing that for several reasons: 1) I enjoy sports, 2) I enjoy watching kids that I know compete, 3) I like the opportunity to visit with the parents, staff, friends and kids, and 4) I know the kids and coaches are greatly encouraged when there is a good contingent of Maranatha fans rooting for their team.

I know there are way too many events - many going on simultaneously - to attend all of them, but if you want to create memories, feel a part of the Maranatha family, and have some fun, don't miss out on the opportunity to come out and cheer on our kids. I can tell you that the atmosphere at the home volleyball games is even more fun than last year. Maranatha kids who are not involved in volleyball are bringing their parents and coming out to cheer. And they don't cheer quietly! It creates a wonderful environment for the games.

Hope to see you out there!

P.S. The Board Committees are starting to meet next week, so I should be posting some updates from them on there efforts.

Facilities Committee

The facilities we use are one of the most visible aspects of our school. So it is important for us to invest the time in maintenance, improvement and planning to ensure that the facilities are not only kept in optimal working condition, but they demonstrate our wise management of resources to take care of the things God has given us to do His ministry.

The Facilities Committee has been diligent about maintaining and improving many things around the school. They have done it while working with a tight budget. An impressive list of wise investments over the past year have been completed: new roof on North building, a new outbuilding for storage at the North Campus, new parking lot at North, new lights in the gym, and an upgrade in the athletic field at the South campus. Praise the Lord for His goodness! He certainly is not limited by our economic down turn.

There are other necessary enhancements that we are focusing on this year: taking care of a drainage issue at the North campus that will deal with the water that can seep into the building near the lunch room and do another side of the roof at the North campus. Necessary investments, but they are certainly not exciting.

As we firm up our understanding of the Lord's vision for the school, what we do with facilities will be a key component. Should we build out the North campus to more fully meet the needs of education and athletics? Should we buy a facility that could meet our needs? Should we buy different land and build? Should we stay where we are? All important questions, and we ask that you pray with us in asking for God's guidance in what we should do and for His provision in funding that direction.

Planning Committee Approach

The Planning Committee has a lot on its plate for this year as Sean Slattery shares here.

I am excited to be part of an outstanding group of committed Christ-followers and Maranatha parents serving on the Maranatha Academy Board of Directors. As you know, I recently began serving as the Chair for the Planning Committee where we consider and draw up plans for MA for the next 3-5 years. We think and plan about the future of MA in light of our mission, The Mission of Maranatha Academy is to train and equip students for life and for service to Jesus Christ through a biblical worldview, character development, and academic excellence. Last spring I lead a Board devotional describing our approach to planning. I thought I would share some of the key points for the readers of the MA blog.

Our Approach to planning considers 3 key areas:

Providence of God + Prayer + Preparation = Proper Planning

I. Providence of God in Planning
Source is from God
Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Warning Against Leaving God Our of Planning
Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

II. Prayer: Asking The Lord to Intervene
Proverbs 15:29 "the LORD is far from the wicked but He hears the prayer of the righteous."

Phillippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to god. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Jesus Prays for all Believers: He is our Example
John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message..."

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

III Preparation: Actively Manage What God Has Entrusted To Us
Matthew 6:14-30 The Parable of the Talents
* School Leadership
* Experience from the Board of Directors
* Input from Parents

Can you lower everyone's tuition?

I have been pondering that question for some time. The finance and the development committees have been wrestling with how can we operate Maranatha and keep tuition costs down for months if not years(remember, tuition is 95%+ of top line revenue). As mentioned in the update on the development committee they are working on several ideas.

This post's purpose is to pose to you (how is that for alliteration?) how you could help lower tuition. Yes you can impact it. I am sure there are other ways, but I have one idea for you to kick around. What if every parent and student became part of the marketing arm of Maranatha? I think if we all were properly motivated and sought to encourage other families to join our Maranatha family, I think we could see enrollment go up significantly. If enrollment goes up, expenses get spread out more, and perhaps we could lower tuition for everyone.

Perhaps we will formalize this as a strategy for the 2011-12 school year. That is for the board and administration to work out, but just thought I would throw it out there for your consideration and comments.

Enrollment Numbers

Although all the movement hasn't stopped, Dr Daugherty did say that our enrollment numbers are a little higher than we were expecting. We are at 504 students enrolled in K-12. A couple of weeks ago we were expecting around 491. Praise the Lord! This is slightly down from last year, but extends our streak of 20+ years with enrollment in the 500's.

It is fun to see some full classes in the Jr High and always wonderful to welcome new students and parents into our family. A special note of welcome to our students from Korea. There are nine in total that are a long way from home, so let's all be an encouragement to them. Thank you to the host families who have taken these kids in.

August Board Meeting

I love it when God works His plans in spite of us. I spent a lot of time praying, thinking and planning things I would like to cover in the Board meeting tonight. Well, come to find out, God had a different order of events. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we did not get started until 15 minutes late and even then not all of the members were there. So we started with prayer, and what a wonderful time of encouragement and laying ourselves at His feet. Those of you who have heard me speak recently know that prayer is one thing I wanted to emphasize. Seems like God had already been working in all of the Board members drawing them into prayer before I said a word.

We then went through all of the committee reports which I have shared in previous posts and we are of one mind that we must keep the Mission as the main thing. Again, this was a point I wanted to emphasize, but Kevin Bergerhofer beat me to the punch and passionately made this point. Praise God! So his point was that we have limited resources - humanly speaking - we can not do everything. We can't even take action on every good or even great idea. So as we take on tasks or ask the administration to do things, we must continually evaluate whether we are advancing the Mission or distracting from it. Remember that our Mission is "to train and equip students for life and for service to Jesus Christ through a biblical worldview, character development, and academic excellence". And when parents choose to stay or to leave the school, we must take immediate action if they leave because we are not adhering to our Mission. If they leave because of extracurricular activities, finances, etc, we should only address those things if they don't distract from the main thing. Note that any thing we do, we should do with the best quality we can give it as long as it doesn't distract us from the main thing...catching a theme here?

So the only thing I had to cover was the emphasis on communication. We want to be present at as many activities as we can and voice a unity of voice about matters of the school. We want to listen to the concerns and needs of the Maranatha family. I believe everyone was in full support of it. In fact many demonstrated that commitment at recent events such as the ice cream social.

So a successful evening with all the credit to our Lord. Plus we were done in under 2 hours!

Development Committee Topics

Dr Daugherty serves as the chairman for the Development committee. He provided these highlights from their meeting this week.

Themes from parent survey - the committee discussed several questions that revolved around the potential of the community giving to the development of the school. Their observation was that we are a blue collar community. Most parents are willing to financially support the school but don't have much means to do so. Those who can are most interested in supporting a capital campaign and scholarships.

Fund Raising - 1) continuing to work toward a goal of not depending on fund raising and gifts for operations. We want to reserve those funds for projects. We have reduced our dependency on gifts and fund raising for our operations budget by $60,000 over the last 2 years. We current rely on 2 all-school fundraisers: Spirit of 12:44 Annual Fund and Corporate Partners. 2) Exploring alternative methods for generating substantial revenue outside of tuition such as a service oriented business.

Marketing Strategies - 1) Redesigning our website, 2) More emphasis on radio marketing, 3) Bill Boards, 4) Leverage traffic to Swarner Park with more signs, 5) consider cable TV and 6) get a professional assessment of our marketing materials and tactics.

Preschool Enrollment - the preschool is a critical component to Maranatha's financial viability. So additional attention will be given to make sure we have the preschool in optimal shape (marketing, staff, facilities, programs, etc) to maximize enrollment. This will start with internal and external evaluations.

As you can see, the Development committee has a lot on its plate, and it is all very crucial business. Please pray for God's wisdom and leading for this committee as it thinks, plans and works.

Board Members and Committees

As I have been visiting the different committees that are part of the Board structure, I thought it would be good to remind you of what those committees are, their purpose and who serves on each.

Development - Dr Daugherty (Chair), Brandyn West, Shawn Stewart & Dennis Wiley. There is also a strong contingent of non-board members on this committee - Kristy Swank, Linda Jennings, Devona Troutman, Cary Shiner, Lauren Miller, Jennifer Sneider, Karen Bond & Jana Thomas.
Purpose - to help the school connect with our family and the community and provide opportunities for giving and generating additional revenue.

Planning - Sean Slattery (Chair), Jim Cotton & Chris Wojcik.
Purpose - to lead the Board in looking forward and aligning around our mission, vision and goals.

Facilities - Kevin Bergerhofer (Chair) & Andy Hageman.
Purpose - to oversee our facilities and ensure we have a plan for maintenance and enhancement.

Finance - Mark Schultze (Chair) & Blake Welch. Additional non-board members are Curtis Crawford, Bernie Zarda and Rob Metcalf.
Purpose - to oversee the financial aspects of the school to ensure we are wise in our spending and thoughtful in governing our revenue.

Dr Daugherty attends all of the committees and is a wealth of information and insight. I plan to attend all of the committees as my work schedule permits to encourage synergy and collaboration between the committees.

Please pray for our Board members and their work in leading the school. We covet your prayers. Also please feel free to reach out to them to share ideas and opportunities as related to their roles.

Finance Committee Topics

The Finance Committee met today and our agenda included:
* The July Financial Report
* Delinquent Accounts
* Approving Wayne Bridges & Co for compilation with tax return
* Enrollment update
* Committee goals for 2010-11
* Responding to parent's survey feedback
* Planning for budget review approval meeting in September

So all of these items will be reported on to the full Board at our meeting on the 19th. What I can share at this point is that enrollment looks to be a a little lower this year. We are tightening up our policies for dealing with delinquent accounts while demonstrating grace and understanding as each situation is different. We have identified a few goals we are considering as focus areas for the Finance Committee and we will solidify that list down to a couple next month.

More to come later, but one goal we are considering is how can we leverage all of the collective wisdom and resources of the Maranatha community to help us address top line revenue and expenses. Perhaps after the Board meeting, we can start getting you involved in working on some of the ideas we have already.

Our Teachers and Staff

I had the priviledge of attending the all staff and teachers meeting this morning. What a blessing! Many of these people are veterans of many school campaigns, and yet their passion for the kids and awareness of their impact for the kingdom was very evident. I went to introduce myself, encourage them and share from a Board perspective. I left encouraged and challenged. There stirring testimonies of how God worked in and around them this summer was remarkable. It reminded me that our staff and teachers are human and the devil is anxious to divert them from their mission of developing our kids with a bedrock of a Christian worldview and strong character. I am reporting today, that the devil is working overtime, but our Lord is invincible!

My enthusiasm and energy to seek God in using our Maranatha community and especially our staff and parents, to further His kingdom just got ratcheted up several degrees. I encourage you to pray for our staff and teachers, and I urge you to get to know them. I guarantee you will be blessed.

August Board Agenda

Well this is the busy time of the month for me as we get ready for the monthly board meeting. This month we are meeting on August 19th at 7:00 at the school. In my role, I met today with Dr. Daugherty to discuss the agenda and what the Lord might have in store for the school and the Board this year. I always enjoy visiting with Dr Daugherty, and the excitement and energy at the table today still has me going. We talked about facilities, web sites, volunteering, and what is the main thing(see earlier post for several of these topics). I am also planning on visiting all of the Committees (Development, Facilities, Planning and Finance - where I serve as chair) to get a feel for their work.

Below is the Board agenda for the meeting. It does not have a lot of detail about the topics this time, but we will work on that. I am also hoping that after the meeting, I will be able to post a high level summary of the meeting. In the Scripture reading, I plan to present a case for raising the bar on our commitment to prayer based on the book of Nehemiah. Pray for me that I might deliver the challenge as the Lord would have me do so. In the Chairman's Welcome, I want to further challenge us to keep a couple things at the top of our list this year: communication (listening and sharing) and effectively monitoring the health of the school and responding appropriately. Pray for the Lord to provide us wisdom to do so.

In the coming days, I will share topics from the Finance Committee - enrollment numbers, final budget status from last year, and other issues. Looking forward to seeing you at the Ice Cream social on August 15th!

Scripture Reading & Prayer
Agenda Revisions
Chairman's Welcome
Campus Chatter
Committee Reports - Facilities, Development, Planning, Finance
Standard Business - reviewing the minutes
Old and New business - none identified right now
Information sharing - enrollment updates

Financial Priorities

In talking with parents of Maranatha students, it becomes quickly apparent where Christian education lies in their financial priorities. It is a challenge to make the commitment of thousands of dollars a year to enlist a partner to teach our children a godly world-view. So some give up when other - sometimes selfish - needs or desires call. Some make deep sacrifices.

I have admired those who have sacrificed much to make this happen. Their stories challenge me as to my commitment to using my resources for godly things. The world certainly questions and redirects our thoughts and desires toward investing in selfish things. So it is wonderful to hear stories of Christian brothers and sisters who are not being selfish, but rather coming alongside those who are struggling with amazing acts of generosity.

Isn't that part of what makes being a Maranatha family member so worthwhile? God says He will reward those who help those in need, and He honors those who sacrifice to obey Him(He commands us to teach our children in His ways). So when all of that is happening in one family, it is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

So I ask you to do a couple of things: 1) Pray for all our families as they recommit to providing Christian education for their children and 2) Look for those that may be struggling and give of yourself and your resources. Blessings await!

Lower Tuition!

Boy, that will get your attention won't it? If you got a letter from Maranatha stating that we had found a way to lower your tuition for the year by $500, that might get you a little excited. If you are really concerned about the school's long term success, you would be delighted to hear that we found a way to also raise teachers' salaries by $500 a year.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. The economy is tough on all of us including the school. The administration continues to have to make tough choices about offering programs, keeping staff, updating school supplies and books, etc. But what if there were a way we could start chipping away at these things and at least keeping tuition rates steady? First of all, it looks impossible. But who is there that has some experience in dealing with the impossible? That's right...God. He asks us to have faith and exhorts us in James that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. Are you praying for that big of a miracle? Is the God you believe in capable of that? Let's all stretch our faith and ask God for something big. Remember He is not limited by a down economy.

Now when David was running from King Saul, he didn't just pray. He was active and used his God-given talents and mind to keep himself and those around him safe, organized and fed. So while your praying, put those active minds to work about how we could be using our talents and resources to help the school accomplish its mission to grow kids with a Christian worldview, godly character and academically ready to be in the world.

So who will be the first to share an idea for how we could provide more resources for the school?

Facilities Development

School facilities should never be the main thing, but responsibly utilizing, expanding and maintaining our facilities is an important function of the administration and staff. It is also a matter of oversight and vision that the School Board will be discussing in the coming school year.

There is a lot to consider: 1) How much do we spend on maintenance and improvements of the existing facilities? 2) When and how do we plan to allow our school facilities to grow? 3) How do we finance whatever we do with facilities?

The best place to start with all of these questions is on our knees. We need to pray for guidance and that whatever is accomplished is done to bring God glory. We need to ask for God to move in a way that the only way it could have happened is that He provided.

After you have spent some time in prayer about this important topic. So that I can know your thoughts on this matter, add some comments to this blog, catch up to one of us at a Maranatha activity, or get in touch with me by email, text or phone (mschultze21@yahoo.com, 913-645-8901).

The Main Thing

I intentionally added two polls to this site because I am interested in what is top of mind for the Maranatha community. I am sure that there will be several important points that will be of interest to all that vote. That is a similar issue with the Board. We all look at the school from different perspectives based on the age of children and their involvement, our own experiences and economic situations, and what is important to us.

Last year in our School Board planning session we talked a lot about what is important to Maranatha. One of the conclusions we reached was that when we people compare Maranatha's offering with public schools, the standout differentiator for Maranatha is not academics, sports or the arts. Our differentiator is, and always will be, our commitment to teaching our children to be prepared for life with a Christian worldview. That is why our Mission Statement is so important for all of us including the Board. We can get caught up in trying to compete with other schools in the very important areas of academics and extracurricular activities, but in the end, that is not what matters most. However, we should do our best in these areas. More on that in another post. So as you pray for Maranatha, please pray that the School Board, administration, staff and the Maranatha community will excel at achieving our Mission:

The mission of Maranatha Academy is to train and equip students for life and for service to Jesus Christ through a biblical worldview, character development, and academic excellence.

New Members

I am excited to have two new people join our School Board effective August 1st. Blake Welch and Andy Hagemann are the new members, and I am sure you will get their complete bio in a school newsletter. Having them join causes me to remember when I was first asked to consider being on the Board. I quickly learned it wasn't about me, but rather it was making sure that I was ready to be used by God in this role. It has been quite the ride. We have dealt with the economic downturn, voted against a school merger, made improvements to our facilities and sought many different ways to engage our parents and community in Maranatha. In it all, the Lord has made His presence felt.

There will be more important crossroads where we will need to lean on God for direction. That process will be so much simpler if all of us - Blake, Andy and the rest of the Board, administration, parents, students and our community are constantly seeking His face in all matters. Please help us prepare for those special times when the budget doesn't balance, a new opportunity arises, illness affects our staff, our facilities fail, etc and we need to see a special dispensation of His hand at work by seeking His face today.

Getting Involved

There are many reasons I am still involved in Maranatha even though my daughter graduated several years ago. I love the mission of the school which I will talk about in a later posting, I love the interaction with other parents who think Christian education is something worth sacrificing for, and I love working with kids who are Christians and want to do right. It has been so rewarding to coach the high school girls' basketball teams. Wonderful girls with wonderful hearts for the Lord and for each other. I got an additional blessing on Saturday as I was a witness to another side of a few of those girls.

Cassie Fulk, Mollie Chapin-Patch, Brittany Espinoza and Haley McConnell gave up their Saturday afternoon and worked diligently in organizing a chaotic Athletic Closet in the gym at the North Campus. We worked for hours sorting, carrying, organizing, disposing, etc. In fact we started by pulling everything out of the closet. When we had it spread out on the gym floor, it was hard to believe it would all go back in, let alone go in neatly. But through persistence, hard work, much laughter and conversation, we did it. The results are very satisfying. In addition the opportunity to see these girls work and enjoy each other's company was a blessing I won't soon forget.

I hope all of you will seek out opportunities to experience what Maranatha is all about outside of shuttling your kids to and from school or school activities and paying their tuition and fees. The joy of Maranatha is the Lord and his people. Mingle, work, play, talk and engage. You will love the results.

Free Estate Planning Seminar

Finances are an integral component of our testimony to the world. How we manage them, what priorities we assign to them, how much we rely on them for happiness are all factors that weigh in the eyes of the world as they see if Christians are different from the world. Maranatha relies on your ability to manage your money in a godly way and your commitment to Christian education for our financial stability. Combine that dynamic with most people's desire to leave a legacy with their children and impacting the world through organizations, the free Estate Planning seminar (http://abundantlivingministry.org/seminarlegacy.html) that my wife Cindy and I are hosting becomes an important opportunity for those who have not thought about these matters. So I hope you will let me know if you are interested in coming on August 21st, 8:30-9:30 at my home. Email me at mschultze21@yahoo.com or call me at 913-645-8901.

This will be a good opportunity for me to meet some other members of the Maranatha community or continue building relationships with those I have already met.

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in Maranatha Academy in Shawnee, KS. My name is Mark Schultze and I recently assumed the responsibilities of chairman of the school board and want to demonstrate my commitment to a two-way communication between the leadership of the school and all of the people that make up the Maranatha community. This blog is one of those commitments.

I plan to use this blog space to share plans, thoughts, events, celebrations, prayer concerns and issues so that the Maranatha community can be informed. I hope you will use this information to pray and to provide wise counsel to the leaders of the school.

The summer months are a critical time for the school as parents are making decisions about the education choices for their children for the upcoming school year. Please pray for hearts open to God's leading and providing the finances that are needed to attend Maranatha. I hope you are excited about the upcoming school year and that excitement carries over to being involved in school activities and events.

Hope to see you at those events.