Interesting Times Bring Interesting Possibilities

We're barely two months away from the Millennium Change - do you feel any different?  No?  Me, either!  Yes?  Me, too!  What I mean is, it seems that most of life will go on in just the same way, but what's different (for me) is the possibility, the hope, of a new millennium and all that it might bring.  Which raises the question....
Are we ready for these possibilities?  Are Trinity Lutheran Church and School ready?

We could just let the future happen to us, react to whatever comes, and deal with the consequences.  It could be, after all, that nothing will change.  Life could go on as it has.  Unless... unless there are hints of something other than the “business as usual" mentality that it seems so easy to just let happen.  I think there are not only hints, but shouts of warning that an opportunity is coming.  Are we ready for it?  Not quite, but we're moving in some of the right directions. Here are a couple of examples you may not be aware of....

For several years our school enrollment has been declining.  When I came to Trinity just over five years ago, our school had 212 students.  Remember that in it's “heyday," our school had over 500 students.  The numbers were dropping, class sizes were falling, and we even had to combine some grades.  This was not good, because a small class, especially in the lower grades like first or second grade, will generally stay small as it works its way through the grades over the years.  This trend was becoming more and more pronounced.  Last year's enrollment hit 172, and we were projecting a further drop to the low 160's unless something was to be done.

With a new principal (Kathy Rutt), an energized school board and Parent/Teacher Organization, and a lot of energy and support from everyone involved, things changed almost overnight.  Instead of opening the school year with 160 students, we opened it with 220.  Instead of combining more classes, we had to split them back into their separate grades.  Instead of closing classrooms, we're opening them up.  Instead of letting teachers go, we had to hire more.  Instead of cutting programs, we were able to expand them into new areas.

Will we make it back up to 500 students?  No, and we can't.  We realized that with the decreased class size of the state schools around us, to be competitive with them (not to mention providing the best environment for the students and teachers!), our real capacity is more like 265 with current class rooms and 
teachers.  If we have another jump in enrollment like we did this year, we
could be at or near capacity next year.  Yikes!  What do we need to do to get ready for this?  Are our facilities up to par?  Can our infrastructure handle this? Do we have enough basketballs?

Another example... We are seeing the fruits of something we have been working on my whole ministry here at Trinity begin to happen.  School and preschool families are becoming a part of Trinity Lutheran Church.  And they're becoming active, they're beginning to take some ownership in the place and mission along with longtime members.  What if these two trends (continuing increased enrollment and school/church crossover) meshed?  Are we planning for that to happen?  Again, Yikes!  We have a lot of work to do!

Soooo... Paul D., your Council Chairperson, and I are inviting you to attend one of three Investment in Trinity's Growth Dessert Meetings at church this month:

Join us for one of these opportunities to show your support for the ministry of the Gospel here at Trinity.  Pledge cards for the coming year will be given out, along with some exciting information and goals for the coming years of ministry. Sign-ups for these meetings will be taken after church for the next two Sundays, or you can call the church office to let us know which meeting you can attend. We'd like every Trinity family to come! Please plan to be at one of these meetings.

In Christ,
Pastor Larry Becker