Progress Report – 2025 – September

At the Lutheran Academy in Martin, Slovakia, (LAMS) we opened the school year 2025-2026 as always – worshipping and thanking God for all His care and help. Our school pastors Jana Bosákova and Natália Kacianová encouraged us to be genuine disciples of Jesus, taking up our personal crosses and follow Him. This Jesus-centered program is the time-proven way to find meaning for our lives and secure a long-lasting peace with God and people. As Jesus said, “for those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matt 16:25).

The present school year’s enrollment is 751 students: 71 in kindergarten, 414 in elementary school, and 266 in high school. Besides Slovaks, there are now 18 fully integrated Ukrainian children studying in our school. All these students are served by 91 teachers and 21 administrative staff members. As in the past, LAMS can rely on the ongoing financial and spiritual support of our Christian Education Foundation and the Bible School, connecting with you, our faithful partners.

During the first week of September, our high school freshmen attended a camp in a Lutheran retreat center near the High Tatras Mountains. Under the leadership of the school pastor and the school psychologist, 60 freshmen spent quality time together praying, reading the Bible, learning to listen each other and building relationship. Twelve of our peer ministry students served as their counselors. The peer ministry has proven again to be a very effective tool to share faith and Christian values among teenagers.

Similar retreats, focused on communication and social skills, were held also for our middle schoolers at that time. The 6th and the 7th graders spent three days in discussions, workshops, games, and prayers, learning how to properly express themselves and how to help their peers to handle their emotions. Again, our peer ministry students were helping out. We are very pleased that this ministry is growing and has been extended to the middle school level.

When it comes to facilities, we are happy about the new classrooms’ progress. As you can see from the pictures, the upper floor (5 classrooms) is done, and the lower one is about 70% finished. This month we started a partial reconstruction of our kindergarten. The portion of the ground floor is being renovated adding a new entrance, an office for the vice principal, and a teachers’ lounge. Soon we hope to start working in the kindergarten cafeteria, which needs reconstruction as well. Yes, there is much to work on, but we still have freedom and the opportunity to do it, so praise God and do what we can and while we can for His kingdom to grow.

Dear friends and partners, the beginning of a new school year is a great opportunity to take our crosses and carry them to our personal Golghotas so that we can experience resurrection and have life in abundance. Jesus walked this path before us to give us an example and to grant us the Spirit that lightens our burden. He also gave us each other. Thank you for your support and prayers. Let us keep walking together, following Jesus this school year as well.

in His service,