LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

November 26, 2008

Dear Friends:

The dream of early 2008 has become a reality. Christus Lutheran Academy opened its doors in September with eight ninth-grade students. How did this happen? It was a gift from God through prayer and the support of the Christus Church community. Pastor Carol Book teaches Algebra I; Karen Bernhardt, Associate in Ministry, teaches Earth Science; and I teach English 9 and World History. Several volunteers from the Christus community and students from Rutgers Law School have helped to fill the gaps. We are grateful for their presence. It is hard to believe that the first marking period is now behind us, and the students are doing well in their academic work.

We were so pleased with our trip to St. John’s Hospice in Philadelphia on Friday. The students helped to feed over 300 homeless men who walked through the line to get food after a week of drastic chilling cold. Our students greeted the men with dignity and respect, and the men responded with smiles amid their dire circumstances. Our Mission Year intern, Kristen Gillman, was such a blessing to the students and the homeless, greeting the men with a luminous smile and encouraging the students to be very much “into” the entire experience.

Afterward, our students were exuberant. They felt the presence of God and gave back to the community. We were so proud of them. Here are some of their comments:
"The homeless …are the unfortunate who are in need of our help as well as our support."
"It was sad to see that there are so many people out there who are homeless, but I was happy because I was helping them."
“I learned that anyone can be homeless.  It felt good to help people who needed help"
Thank you for your prayers.

Yours in Christ,
Lynne Rogers
Principal