Ministry Plan Part I - School Description (recap)

Once I completed my time as Director of the Compassion International program, I turned my focus completely on preparations for the school.  From July through October of last year, I researched all the elements needed to start a school in Honduras, and then wrote a ministry plan detailing all the different aspects.  In this next series of blog posts, I will share the plan that I wrote.  There will be parts that repeat posts I have already shared, especially at the beginning when I give the school description.  However, I hope the rest will help people have confidence that I have indeed done the research needed to start the school, and have thought through every detail.  Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions you may have about the school plan as you read through these posts.

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Christian Life Academy is designed to provide Honduran children from low- and no-income families, the opportunity to receive a quality, Christ-centered, bilingual education.  With a good bilingual education, students will develop the skills needed to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, and they have the potential to earn a salary that is almost double what a non-bilingual person would receive.  This will allow the children to eventually leave the cycle of poverty and begin to change the economic climate of their communities.

Unfortunately, the education system in Honduras is greatly lacking.  Public education is considered a right for all citizens; however families have to pay for uniforms, school supplies, and sometimes a monthly fee for the guard at the school.  When families do not have the funds to cover these expenses, they either do not enroll their children in school, or else the children are expelled for not meeting the school requirements.  Within the schools, there are often 60-80 children per teacher.  In some schools, there are only two teachers for grades 1-6.  There are not enough desks and chairs, so children sit on the floor or in the windows.  There are also no books, so students are required to purchase those as well, or make copies of the books from someone who did purchase them.

The quality of education in the public schools is also poor.  Teachers often use antiquated methods of memorization, copying pages from books, and cut and paste activities to “teach” the children.  Higher level thinking skills, analysis, and problem solving are not taught, thus creating adults who also lack these skills. 

Christian Life Academy will meet the educational and spiritual needs of the children who attend.  All classes will have a Biblical focus, and Christian principles will be taught throughout the day.  The curriculum will be a high-quality, research-based program, teaching children to think analytically and apply what they are learning to their daily lives.  For a minimal fee, students will be provided their uniforms, school supplies, and books.  No child in need will be denied services as long as their family contributes to the extent they are able.  Those families who are unable to contribute financially would be given opportunities to serve in the school. 

The children who will be invited to attend Christian Life Academy are those who live within a 30 minute walking distance from the school, and are from low or no-income families.  The focus of the school is on children who do not have the means to attend a private school, so those who do have the means will not be accepted at the Academy.

Christian Life Academy will have several advantages that will make it a success.  First and foremost, it was conceived as a vision given from the Lord, both to the one who received the initial desire to start the school, and to the Pastors of Christian Life Church in Comayagua, Honduras.  The Lord brought them together through a divine connection, and has continually spoken to both parties that He will be the one who completes the work which He has begun.  The school will be located about half a mile from the Christian Life Church, allowing strong connections between the church and school.  The Christian Life Church also participates in the Compassion International program.  The families enrolled in this program have already been identified as families in need, and would thus be pre-approved to enroll their children in the school.  The families live in the surrounding communities, where there is much economic need.  Christian Life Academy has the potential to transform these poor communities through the superior academic formation the children would receive there.

Christian Life Academy also commits to hiring only those teachers who are committed to Christ, have proper formal training as educators, and have a desire to serve Christ through their gift of teaching.  Missionary teachers from the U.S. will be invited to serve at the school, as will licensed, Christian Honduran teachers.  The additional personnel will include Christian Life Church members, as well as other Christian employees who are active in their local evangelical churches.  Teachers will participate in ongoing training seminars, to ensure they are always using best practices in their classrooms.  The Administration will be responsible for ensuring efficient operations, including on-time class schedules, close supervision of all children at all times, and a mature, responsible handling of the gospel both in and outside the classroom.  All personnel will be held to the highest Christian standards of conduct both on school grounds and in their personal lives.  They are to be constant examples of Christian leaders to the children and the communities in which they live and serve.  Thus, the children and their families will witness Christian values and learn to live by them.

The purpose of Christian Life Academy is to transform lives through a solid education and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It will be a positive step in transforming not only the lives of the children who attend, but the entire community of Comayagua, and eventually, the country of Honduras.