Psalm 107, As We Dismiss for Thanksgiving Break

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.  

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south...

Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord. 

Psalm 107:1-3; 43

As a school community, we have much for which we are thankful to the Lord as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving.  There have been times when, looking back, the future did not appear the way that it looks now, as the most recent past.  We have weathered a season of uncertainty which included some enrollment and financial instability, as well as having to navigate through a pandemic.  But the Lord has been faithful. 

He has consistently provided for us by sending us the people he has led and called to service here, whether as teachers, or as auxiliary staff members.  There have been times when we have wondered whether we would be able to fill a teaching position, or find someone qualified for a staff position, and then, at times when we think we've come to the end of the possibilities, someone shows up.  

There have been moments when making ends meet has been difficult.  We've been gifted with talent when it comes to understanding a budget, making difficult decisions regarding the effectiveness with which we spend our money, managing things like early enrollment, allocation of funds for specific purposes and seeking the help of those who want to consider MCA for a gift have all come together to give us a measure of financial stability and security that is extending into its fifth year.  

We have had businesses and individuals, like the Gies Foundation, Ozinga Concrete, the Harger family, among others, who have seen needs on our campus and provided to meet those needs.  As a result, we have a renovated, nice, very practical and usable gymnasium facility, a smooth parking lot, and we are preparing for replacing the windows in the main building.  We have been able, with the help of these kinds of gifts, to finance, out of our own budget, a roof replacement and some interior sprucing up of carpets and paint.  

Our enrollment has been stable for five years now.  Families seek us out, and we are able to come close to the point of filling, or almost filling, all of our available seats each school year, which leads to maximum efficient operation of the school.  We are able to know, long before we dismiss for summer break, what our student body is going to look like in the fall, and to welcome those who are new for the first time.  

Our academic and spiritual reputation has shown up in the peer evaluation we have conducted which we call accreditation.  We did a lot of hard work to reach this point, where outside evaluators have indicated that MCA is meeting is goals in its mission and purpose, which is, first of all, to bring glory to God and to his son, Jesus Christ.  \

So we approach this holiday season with thankful hearts to God for all he has done for us.  We share our thanks with you, because God sent you this way and doing this would not be possible without him.