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.