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LETTER FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL WENDY HOFMAN Dear LCS Community, Graduating students who are equipped to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ is the vision of Lansing Christian School. Seeing LCS graduates use their God-given abilities and their education to engage their communities, their homes, and their work for the glory of God is evidence that a Lansing Christian education is making a difference in the lives of our graduates. Each year we rely on generous donors from our community to help support the people and programs that allow us to deliver a high quality Christian education to more than 500 students at LCS. Included in the 2015-16 Annual Report are the stories of LCS alumni who have benefited from a Lansing Christian education and are now engaging and transforming the world for Jesus Christ in varied and exciting ways. I hope you take a few minutes to read their stories. Recruiting and retaining the very best Christian teachers is the foundation of any plan we put in place to benefit the lives of our students. In my every day work on our beautiful PreK-12 campus, I continue to be impressed by the life-changing influence of highly qualified, Christian teachers that live out their faith in their relationships and work with students each day. In 2015-16 we began to implement a five year strategic plan that will continue to advance programming in academics, STEM, athletics and the creative arts. Central to the plan is the goal of achieving a level of financial sustainability that will allow us to serve the next generation of Christian families. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we express sincere gratitude to our donors and the many other people who help make LCS a school where God is honored through excellence and where students’ lives are impacted by the transforming power of Jesus Christ. With hope in God,
Wendy Hofman 3 ANNUAL REPORT
HAVING IT ALL AT LANSING CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
What makes an excellent Christian education? At Lansing Christian School we believe you need three things—active faith, exceptional resources and programs, and affordable tuition. We think it is possible to have it all, and at LCS we provide this unique combination to families in the Greater Lansing area.
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EXPECTING EXCELLENCE FAITH At Lansing Christian School we are equipping young men and women to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ. We strive to fulfill this vision by cultivating an academic environment where faith and a Christian worldview are integrated into every subject we teach. Knowing God, loving His world and living for Him are the foundation for everything we do at LCS. We seek to live out our faith and glorify God in our relationships, our character and our service.
RESOURCES & PROGRAMS At Lansing Christian School’s PreK-12 campus, students learn in a safe first-rate facility led by some of the best teachers in Christian education. Our exceptional faculty create an engaging and nurturing environment where students can flourish as they discover and develop their God-given gifts and abilities. Our school offers competitive and robust PreK-12 athletic opportunities, an award winning and comprehensive arts program, integrated technology and a newly implemented STEM class taught in our Innovation Lab. With a low student-to-teacher ratio, nine advanced placement courses and close to 100% placement in a 2 or 4 year college, LCS is an academically challenging environment that honors God through excellence.
AFFORDABLE Making a quality Christian education accessible to as many families as possible is foundational to Lansing Christian School’s mission. Our Variable Tuition program allows us to match a student’s tuition to their family’s unique financial situation making an LCS education affordable for more families in the greater Lansing area. Through generous gifts made to our Annual Fund, no one pays more than 85% of the cost to educate a student which allows us to equip more students to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ.
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EQUIPPED TO SHARE MY STORY Alison Hodgson was a “lifer” at LCS who began attending the school as a kindergartner. Gifted in writing and storytelling, Alison recently published a book entitled The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home, that chronicles her family’s experience in 2010 when an arsonist set fire to their home. Through humorous prose Alison tells the story of how a dog brought peace and healing to her family after tragedy. We asked Alison to share in her own words how Lansing Christian School equipped her for life after graduation. Where has God taken you since LCS? In many ways my life looks a lot like I imagined it would back when I graduated in 1988: I married my high school sweetheart Paul Hodgson; we have three kids: Christopher (20), Lydia (18), and Eden (13), and we live in Ada, Michigan just southeast of Grand Rapids. And there have been many instances where things didn’t go at all the way I expected or planned. Most recently, in 2010 an arsonist randomly set our house on fire, and a couple years after that our family was involved in a serious car accident. The day of our fire an old friend said, “More material” which made me laugh—a lack of material has never been my problem. Good thing I’m a writer. I can’t really remember not knowing I’m a writer, despite the fact that the majority of my life I never wrote consistently. About ten years ago I decided writing is a part of the work I’m supposed to do here and made it a daily practice. As I moved forward—and by moving forward,
LCS IS AN ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
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I mean writing some, sending things out, getting discouraged, despairing, watching A LOT of movies on Netflix in the fetal position, eventually remembering that’s a dead end, and writing again—doors opened, I began to get freelance opportunities and eventually, after a lot of time and effort, and a few disasters, my first book The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home was published this past April by HarperCollins Christian Publishing. It tells the story about how rescuing a pug helped my family heal after our house fire. It’s a book about finding hope in unexpected places. How did LCS equip you for your professional or academic life after high school? I am so grateful to the many amazing teachers I had at LCS, and I have a special place in my heart for my English teachers, Mrs. Jones and Miss Somerville, who helped form my sense of self as a writer. Miss Somerville’s enthusiasm and delight for literature was affirming of my own, and she was so encouraging of my writing. I think I was a freshman when she read an essay of mine to her junior or senior English classes as a model for whatever they were studying. Getting a book published wasn’t nearly as thrilling. My senior year, Mrs. Jones encouraged me to enter Guideposts Magazine’s high school essay contest, which she had first told me about when I was in 8th grade. It was a busy time and I resisted. Mrs. Jones wasn’t having it: she was gentle and kind, and implacable. I
placed sixth out of eight thousand entries, winning a scholarship and, perhaps even more importantly, receiving very specific and complimentary feedback from the judges. Most writers struggle against self-doubt and this clear encouragement meant so much. Mrs. Jones was so proud of me, and I was so glad to make her dream—for me—come true. I know that sounds funny, but sometimes others see things more clearly than we can, and their vision propels us forward.
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Each day has its worries and troubles, as well as its gifts and joys. It can be hard to live in the reality of both, and yet that’s where God is.
How do you hope to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ in your personal and professional life? In the future I hope I get to write more books, but whatever I do the only way I can hope to engage or transform the world is by living as honestly and as graciously as possible. Each day has its worries and troubles, as well as its gifts and joys. It can be hard to live in the reality of both, and yet that’s where God is. Immanuel isn’t just one of his nicknames, but the ultimate truth: God is with us. Knowing that God is here with me—and I so easily forget—means I don’t have to pretend things are better than they are or go to the other extreme and feel hopelessness and despair. I have had times when my chest has hurt from stress and the only thing I could pray was, “God is with us; he’s carrying us through this.” That is pretty much the reduction of my faith, and it’s everything in good times and bad. ANNUAL REPORT 7
EQUIPPED TO COMPETE While at Lansing Christian School, Jay Noyola could often be found on the athletic fields or in the school gym. As captain of the soccer, basketball and golf teams Jay honed his athletic talents and leadership abilities while nurturing his passion for sports and competition. “God has given me the gifts and abilities I have, “says Jay, “but He has also given me an absolute love for sports. No matter where I end up in my life journey, sports will always be a part of it.” For Jay, that journey took him to Calvin College where he desired a strong science and engineering program, but also the opportunity to live out his love for sports by playing on a collegiate team. Initially, Jay began his freshman year at Calvin playing for the basketball team, but struggled when he found it wasn’t the right fit for him. Jay credits his family and specifically his dad, whom he describes as his biggest supporter, for providing him with encouragement during this time and for keeping him focused on academics while he tried to discern where God was leading him. “God knew it was not going to be a straight forward route to get to where I am, but he put a great father in my life to keep telling me to do what I love. God was with me in these times, and enlightened me with a saying I have stuck
with, ‘fear God, not failure.’ I like to think it is a paraphrase of Isaiah 41:10 ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my right hand.’” Despite having taken a year away from the soccer field, Jay felt called to continue using
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God was with me in these times, and enlightened me with a saying I have stuck with, ‘fear God, not failure.’
his athletic talents and pursued a spot on Calvin’s soccer team. Since successfully securing a position on the team, Jay has become an integral player. Starting every game of the 2015 season that ended with a 26-1-1 record, he was named to the AllConference team. As he enters his last year of eligibility, Jay is excited to once again take on the role of team leader. “I am now going to be a senior at Calvin and was fortunate enough to be voted as one of the captains. Thankfully I have been in this position before and am looking to improve
LCS OFFERS PRE-K TO 12 ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING 20 VARSITY TEAMS
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myself, and my team, as young men of God, as well as athletes.” For Jay, sports have provided a unique opportunity to develop Christian character, by expecting excellence in competition and by challenging him during times of uncertainty. With graduation from college in sight, Jay is starting to focus on what life after school will look like. He credits Lansing Christian School with developing qualities that will last long after graduation. He has a love for Christian community and was well prepared to think for himself through challenging coursework and the personal experiences shared by chapel speakers. He also finds inspiration from LCS faculty, noting that one of the most influential parts of his time at Lansing Christian School came from seeing how his teachers, with diverse personalities and
backgrounds, demonstrated Christ in the classroom. As he begins his career as an engineer, Jay hopes to follow his teachers’ example by demonstrating Christ’s love wherever he is led. In thinking about his future Jay says, “I am nervous, but excited to go out and hopefully get people asking, ‘why are you so different.’ As a Christian I want to stand out from the crowd, and let people notice how the Spirit of God is a light in a dark place.” While his college sports experience may be coming to a close, Jay will continue to make sports an important part of his life beyond school, even competing in his first season as a member of Lansing United, a soccer team that plays in the Midwest region of the National Premier Soccer League.
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EQUIPPED TO SERVE
LCS IS A RIGOROUS ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT WITH 9 AP COURSES
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As a student at Lansing Christian School, Abby Kern took a special interest in the areas of math and science. In fact, she can remember a time as early as second grade when her teacher challenged her in her daily math work. As a high school student, Abby continued to be challenged through AP classes in Physics and Calculus preparing her for coursework in electrical engineering at Grand Valley State University. She credits those AP classes with allowing her to complete college on schedule and to lessen her academic load the first semester in her engineering program. After graduating from GVSU Abby began working for Consumers Energy in the area of electric distribution in their Grand Rapids service center. It was her first boss at Consumers Energy who told her, “include God in your work and trust that He will direct you.” Compelled by his advice and a desire to serve others, Abby began looking for opportunities to use her skills as an engineer in the mission field. God, and a google search for “engineering missions,” brought Abby to Engineering Ministries (eMi)--a missions organization that pairs engineers, architects, land surveyors and construction managers with ministers and Christian aid organizations to design facilities that serve the poor in developing countries. Although initially hesitant about pursuing an internship with eMi, she was compelled by their mission “designing a world of hope for the physically and spiritually poor” and decided to sign up for their newsletter. Abby recalls, “not long after, I received a newsletter with a face I recognized on the cover—a fellow classmate from high school. After that I decided to apply for the internship and let God close or open the door. The door was opened!” In order to serve with eMi, Abby took a six-month leave of absence from Consumers Energy and moved to Colchester, England. During that time she traveled to Africa to work on a design project for a school in Wakiso, Uganda and served in the UK office of eMi until the project was completed. Abby is
thankful for the opportunity to support global missions and says she “loved volunteering with eMi because we were able to use our training as engineers/ architects to serve missionaries who are on the front lines in sharing the gospel.” After completing her internship with eMi Abby returned to her job at Consumers Energy and has continued her relationship with the organization by traveling to Peru, Uganda and Mexico as a project volunteer.
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People who love God’s work in creation would love to study science and technology! He holds it all together.
This fall, Abby plans on beginning a graduate program in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan where she expects to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ in a new way. Abby says, “I hope to become a professor of engineering and work with college students. One motivation for this is that I want to inspire young people, especially women, to go into STEM fields. Mainly, I want to teach because I believe the university classroom is an incredibly influential space. That is where I hope to shine the light of Christ. People who love God’s work in creation would love to study science and technology! He holds it all together. ‘The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.’ (Psalm 111:2)” As an engineer and academic, Abby is finding unique ways to utilize her gifts to bring honor to God and to serve others regardless of where she is in her life and career. As a student she appreciated the influence and love shown to her by her teachers at LCS, and as an adult she is poised to provide that example to her own future students through her work with eMi and the passion she has for God’s creation. ANNUAL REPORT 11
EQUIPPED TO HELP Building a life centered on service and providing for the health and well-being of others has long been a focus for Alex Corcoran. Since graduating from Lansing Christian School in 2004, Alex has been working in the medical profession, first as a Medical Assistant and then returning to school to get his graduate degree as a Physician Assistant. For Alex, the call to a vocation in the medical field was first heard during a mission trip his senior year of High School. “There were several instances that I felt the Lord calling and leading me into this career path and life mission. The first, and arguably the greatest, was during my senior year at LCS when I traveled to Panama for a spring break mission trip,” says Alex. “A group of about fifteen seniors went with a couple of LCS
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teachers, Ms. Somerville and Mr. Blamer, to assist a medical mission couple provide aid to the indigenous people of Panama. It was a very eye opening, challenging and rewarding trip. The Lord spurred in me a
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I was able to participate in sports, the musical, choir and student government. At any other school I would not have been able to have that well rounded of an experience
desire to pursue medical missions in the future, which helped set me on my career in medicine.” Alex’s passion for people and his desire to serve God eventually led him to a health clinic in Greenville, MI, where he is uniquely equipped to live out his calling by providing medical attention to patients whose financial situation may limit their access to healthcare. As a Physician Assistant at an integrated health center nearly two-thirds of the patients Alex sees rely on Medicare or Medicaid. His work serves families in the community who may not otherwise have access to ongoing preventative care. “At my current job I try to help those who are low income and in need of medical care, and provide them with hope for their current situation and their future.” By pursuing a vocation that utilizes his gifts in the area of the sciences and his desire to serve others, Alex is able to reflect Christ’s love to the patients he sees on a daily basis.
Along with giving him a heart for serving others, Alex credits his time at Lansing Christian School with preparing him for the academic rigors of his undergraduate work at Michigan State University and his graduate courses at Central Michigan. He remembers the challenging coursework he had at LCS and is thankful for the seventeen college credits he was able to earn through AP classes. But Alex says that it is the small class sizes, personal attention from teachers and the variety of opportunities available to him that stand out when thinking about his time at LCS. “I was able to participate in sports, the musical, choir and the student government. At any other school I would not have been able to have that well rounded of an experience.” After school Alex continues to pursue those other areas of interest by volunteering with his church’s college group, helping with Sunday school and being a father to his young daughter. As Alex reflects on his time at LCS he says that some of the most poignant lessons he learned were taught outside the classroom. Alex recalls that during his four years in high school at LCS four faculty and staff members passed away, and their deaths left a lasting impression on him. “What I learned from each of their passings was one, that life is too short; two, leave a lasting legacy; three, be kind to all; and four, enjoy the small things in life.” As a Physician Assistant, young father, and active member of a faith community, Alex is striving on a daily basis to live out the lessons he learned at LCS and transform and engage the world for Jesus Christ.
LCS CURRICULUM INCLUDES INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY AND AN INNOVATION LAB
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2016 GRADUATES Following is a list of colleges and universities that the 2016 graduates were accepted into for the 2016-2017 academic year. Those in bold reflect the colleges students plan to attend. Albion College Alma College Anderson University Aquinas College Arizona State University Augustana College Boston College Boston University Butler University California College of Arts Calvin College Carnegie Mellon University Central Michigan University City University of New York Columbia College Chicago Concordia University Ann Arbor Eastern Michigan University Grace Bible College Grand Rapids Community College Grand Valley State University Grove City College Hillsdale College Hope College Kalamazoo College Kettering University Lake Superior State University Lansing Community College Liberty University Luther College
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Miami University Michigan State University New York University Northeastern University Northern Michigan University Oakland University Olivet Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University Pratt Institute Purdue University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rochester University Saginaw Valley State University Siena Heights University Spring Arbor University Syracuse University University of Detroit Mercy University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Oregon University of Tennessee University of Vermont Washtenaw Community College Western Michigan University Wheaton College
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For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7 I 15 I Journey ANNUAL REPORT 15
2015-2016 FINANCIAL REPORT OPERATING INCOME: $4,023,896
81%
TUITION
18%
CONTRIBUTIONS
1%
OTHER
OPERATING EXPENSES: $4,393,629
70%
9%
7%
FACULTY & STAFF
DEPRECIATION
FACILITY
7%
6%
1%
ADMINISTRATIVE MATERIALS/ TECHNOLOGY
STUDENT PROGRAMS
FUNDRAISING
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GIVING AT A GLANCE TOTAL DONORS UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING BLACK AND GOLD CELEBRATION RESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING ENDOWMENT THIRD PARTY TUITION ASSISTANCE
260 $567,000 $133,000 $56,000 $80,000 $62,000
TOTAL CASH GIVING
$898,000
WHO ARE OUR DONORS? 9% 34% 10% 24%
PARENTS ALUMNI PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS
GRANDPARENTS
13% 16% 14% 14%
STAFF
16% 13%
BUSINESSES
24% 10%
OTHER
ALUMNI
9%
BREAKDOWN OF DONORS BY CATERGORY
2 5
$100,000+ $50,000 to $99,999
6 16 48 183
$10,000 to $49,999 $5,000 to $9,999 $1,000 to $4,999 $0 to $999
NUMBER OF DONORS BY DOLLAR AMOUNT ANNUAL REPORT 17
HOW CAN I MAKE A DIFFERENCE? ANNUAL FUND Each year we depend on the generous contributions of parents, grandparents, alumni and friends, who have a passion for Lansing Christian School to advance our vision. Like most Christian schools throughout the country, tuition and fees do not cover the full cost of educating a student. The money donated to the Annual Fund provides an immediate impact on the school by “closing the gap” between what tuition covers and our total budget. A gift of any amount helps us maintain a standard of academic excellence while making a Christian education accessible to more families. The financial support of the LCS community to the Annual Fund is an expression of faith and support in God’s work at the school, and we ask
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every family to prayerfully consider a yearly contribution to the Annual Fund at a level they feel comfortable. Gifts to the Annual Fund can be made by check or electronically at lansingchristianschool.org/annualfund
ENDOWMENT Since 1951 Lansing Christian School has been a source for quality Christian education to the greater Lansing area. Thousands of students have graduated from our school equipped to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ. A gift to the LCS Endowment helps to ensure that a Lansing Christian School education will be accessible for generations to come. All gifts designated for the endowment are invested in a restricted fund through the Barnabas Foundation. Building our endowment now will
allow us to utilize the interest as a source of income in the future and help us work towards long-term financial sustainability. Please contact the development office if you would like to learn about the different ways you can make a charitable contribution to the LCS Endowment.
PLANNED GIVING Naming Lansing Christian School in your will or trust exemplifies a life-time passion and on-going commitment to the mission of our school. Receiving gifts from an individual’s estate is a huge blessing to the school. Naming Lansing Christian School in your will helps create a legacy of quality Christian education for generations to come. In addition to naming LCS in your will or trust, you can designate Lansing Christian School as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or life insurance policy, or you can create a charitable gift annuity which provides immediate support to the school
during your lifetime. Please contact the Development Office for more information about including Lansing Christian School in your estate plans.
MEMORIAL GIFTS Providing a gift to Lansing Christian School in memory of a friend or relative is a way to honor their commitment to LCS while helping to equip more young people to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ. When an honoree or family has requested that gifts be given to Lansing Christian School in lieu of flowers, the donations are made to the Annual Fund unless otherwise specified. Donations to the Annual Fund help maintain an academic environment that seeks to honor God through excellence. In recognition of the individual in whose name a memorial gift was made, a brick will be placed outside the main entrance to commemorate their legacy at Lansing Christian School.
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Equipping young men and women to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ.