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School mission offerings are an incredible tool to teach children about sharing the blessings received from God and supporting neighbors.
Justin Vilski, principal at Crown of Life Lutheran School, West St. Paul, Minn., has seen firsthand how powerful these offerings can be—both to the students and the ministry they are supporting.
Thanks to generous donations from its students and families, Crown of Life collected $10,000 in the spring of 2022 for Branch Lutheran Schools in Haiti, a WELS-affiliated ministry.
The idea to collect offerings for Branch Lutheran Schools came from Dave Noack, a teacher at Crown of Life. During chapel one morning, Noack gave a presentation on what he saw during his time visiting the school in Haiti. Many students’ families were also in attendance that day and heard about the ministry.
Noack shared poignant stories and photos that made an impact on the children. Each child saw with his or her own eyes how some of the Haitian students only had soda cans for toys and tattered clothes as options in their wardrobe. “He really connected with the kids and revealed the blessings they might not think about in their own lives,” Vilski notes.
For every $200 raised, a child can attend Branch Lutheran for a year and receive lunch. With this in mind, Crown of Life set its initial semester-long offering goal at $2,000. Faculty members kept the mission front and center by making weekly announcements and filling a large paper thermometer with how much money had been raised.
The initial goal was reached in just six weeks. After that, a $4,000 goal was set—and that was surpassed too! On the last day of school, Crown of Life faculty shared with the children that $7,626 was collected that semester. By the end of the day, an anonymous donor lifted the grand total to $10,000.
It was an extraordinary way to end the school year. Says Vilski, “The kids saw in a very real way how much God has blessed them and how they can bless others.”
Author: Gabriella Blauert
Volume: 109, Number 09
Issue: September 2022
