Grace, Peace and Mercy, be to you from God, our Father, and from Jesus Christ our Lord.

A blessed and Happy New Year to each of you now and always.

What does a New Year bring? For many the idea of a New Years Resolution comes to mind. It is with this thought in mind that this letter is being written. As you know our congregation is a member congregation of the Association of Springfield Lutheran High School. What does that mean? It means we are part owners of Springfield Lutheran High School. As owners of the High School we and we alone as association members are responsible for the financial obligations of Lutheran High School. As our congregation looks at her budget, our short-falls and our blessings, we need to remember we have made a commitment to Lutheran High School. As we are responsible for the salaries for those who work directly for our congregation, remember the faculty and staff of Lutheran High work directly for us as well, thus we are responsible for those salaries also.

Springfield Lutheran High School has been faithfully serving our community for thirty plus years now and Lord willing will continue to do so. Current costs per student are very nearly $10,000 per year. Tuition for one year stands at $6,150 for non-association members and $5,150 for association member students. As you can see there is a need for Association Congregation assessments as well as third source funding. There is a large financial concern at Lutheran High School about the operating budget, and how to deal with the needed funds to operate. Some of the congregations of the association are roughly $120,000 behind with association payments. The congregations of the association are assessed $8,000 plus a per-student charge. The annual totals these funds generate are $190,000. As you can see this leaves the operating budget in quite a bind. Currently Lutheran High will be able to make payroll but by the end of January or mid February this will not be the case. As you can see it is of the utmost importance to make timely and regular congregational assessment payments that our Lutheran High School has the operating capital it needs not only for salaries but for mortgage payments, insurance payments, and utility payments as well as other day to day costs (like copy paper and other supplies a school needs).

The executive committee as well as a few other members of the Lutheran High School Board of Directors met on Monday December 12, to discuss the current situation and if there was a need to change the way the congregations are assessed for the costs of the High School. There were nine or ten different forms of assessment that were discussed, yet without communication and education on the situation a different form of assessment would only change what is on paper. There will be other meetings scheduled and further discussions held, yet that still leaves the current problem facing us at the end of January or mid February.

As a congregation of the Springfield Lutheran High School Association we have made the commitment to the mission of spreading the Gospel to high school students in the Springfield area, providing an excellent education in a Christ centered environment for the good of the student and their family, both academically and spiritually, and helping with the training of Christian leaders through secondary education. Perhaps as a congregation we need to prayerfully consider our commitment to Lutheran Secondary Education here in Springfield and prayerfully consider our regular and timely commitments, both spiritual and financial to Lutheran High School.

New Years Resolutions are some times things that are very well intended but rarely followed through on. Some New Years Resolutions are made in a drunken stupor and just as soon forgotten. Still other resolutions are well thought through and prayerfully considered. As we recall the commitments we have made to Lutheran High School we can also recall the commitment our Lord has made to us, not only through His Son’s death and resurrection but in the other physical and financial blessings that we can indeed meet the commitments we have made to our Lord through our congregation to our faculty and staff at Lutheran High. It is time to prayerfully consider a New Years Resolution to remember in a regular and timely way our commitment to Lutheran High School as we continue to give thanks and praise to God with our tithes and offerings to Him through our congregation and our association to Springfield Lutheran High School.

In His Name

Pastor James L. Hennig

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