Progress Report – 2025 – May

In May, we in the Center for Christian Education (CCE) celebrated our eighth high school graduation. It was a great occasion to rejoice with students and their families, thanking God for all his care. This group of 49 graduates experienced the words of Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Help was needed especially throughout the first two years of their studies, when the Covid pandemic hit. Schools were locked down and they had to switch to online education. However, thanks to the Lord and our dedicated teachers and staff, they overcame this situation and other difficulties, they graduated and now are ready to move on. Most importantly, they have learned that it is the Lord who is their help!

Student enrollment is another of our May concerns. As usual, applications outnumbered our capacity at all grade levels. Out of 196 applicants for the high school level, we could only accept 60. This interest reflects the fact that our school ranks among the best in the region. Even though we will open four new classrooms this September, many students still had to be turned away. Paraphrasing Jesus’ words “the applicants are plentiful, the classrooms are few.”

In May, Natalia and Adrian Kacian visited one of our partner churches – Grace Lutheran Church and School in River Forest, IL. During the traditional benefit dinner fundraiser, the Kacians gave an update on the CCE progress. In addition, they finalized the plans for VBS this summer and for the exchange program of our four high school students who would experience Christianity and Church ministry in Grace throughout the month of June.

Another our faithful partner, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi, MN, visited us in May. For a whole week, a group of 17 dedicated members teamed up with our teachers and taught conversational English, music, theology, and Pilates. Under the leadership of Pastor Amy Michelich, they greatly enhanced our “mission through education” endeavor, improved English conversational skills of our students, and encouraged our teachers. We are very thankful for this pilot project, hoping for more groups to come and share their faith as part of regular classroom instructions. It is doable, very effective, and a lot of fun.

Dear friends and partners, as Christians we have the privilege to be Christ’s witnesses in this world. Our school is an incubator where young people can be inspired and driven by such witnesses. We thank you for your prayers and support and we look forward to seeing many of you this summer.

in His service,