Dear Friends of Divine Savior Ministries,
In July, the DSM Governing Board met and discussed many aspects of our ministry. I could sum up the meeting in one line: God continues to bless Divine Savior Ministries! For more details on our growing ministries of DSA, DSS, and DSM, please continue reading.
People
We grew from 173 people serving in our churches, academies, and school to 215 in the new 21-22 fiscal year.
This growth of more than 40 new members to our team is a result of two factors:
Restaffing some positions that had been contracted due to COVID.
Growing enrollment across our campuses. This was the biggest contributor.
As a result of this growth, we have added an additional support position to our HR department.
This year, we will be centralizing IT across our campuses. To make this possible Phil Kurbis has been named Director of IT. This is a DSM position which will be a resource to all our ministries.
As of July 1, Brittany Babler joined our Divine Savior Church staff as graphic designer and social media director. In this role, she will serve all our DSC campuses.
Enrollment
Enrollment is being blessed across our campuses!
DORAL: Our goal was 1,030. We are currently at 1,033 with a few weeks left of summer. This campus will grow by more than 60 students this year.
SIENNA: We had a reach goal of 195. We hit that number last week. This campus too will grow by close to 60 students.
SANTA RITA RANCH: Our fastest growing campus is SRR which continues to track towards 200+ students.
DELRAY BEACH: This campus is growing, but not at the rate of the others. We are currently tracking towards 90-100 students this year, which would be an increase of 25 from last year. Please keep this campus in your prayers.
DIVINE SAVIOR SCHOOL: Our special needs ministry will double this year capping at 28-30 students. We are excited about a new Bridge Program that will promote inclusion in our traditional academy and allow us to grow our student enrollment.
This year we will have nearly 1,600 students hearing the gospel every day! We will have nearly 2,000 families connected to our ministry when you include DSC campuses. That is a lot of Jesus, a lot of the time.
Campus Highlights
Across our campuses, there are always new programs or outreach activities in the works. What follows are just some of the highlights:
SANTA RITA RANCH: DSC has created a new discipleship pathway. This is specifically meant to reach our school parents. DSA will begin offering Middle School this year.
SIENNA: DSA is beginning a High School. It’s exciting to think the WELS will now have an ALHS in the South Central district. DSC hosted its first soccer camp. We welcomed 52 children on campus with the help of 35 volunteers.
DORAL: A newly formed Strategic Planning Committee has begun the process of organizing our DSC ministry around the EOS V/TO system.
DELRAY BEACH: DSC hosted its annual soccer camp. It was blessed with beautiful weather and 90 campers. Parents and families joined each night – up to 200 people every night watched the festivities, heard the messages, and enjoyed meeting people.
WEST PALM BEACH: After a year hiatus due to COVID, summer VBS was back! Over 60 children from our church and community took part in the week-long event.
DSC: In March, our new DSC app was launched across our campuses. On it you can find find sermons, devotions, calendars, giving options, and more. Download it today!
Construction
There are currently two construction projects in development:
SANTA RITA RANCH: We are in the design and development process of a Phase II addition. This would include 14 more classrooms and a full-size gym. God willing, we will break ground in the fall of 2021.
DORAL: We are also working to finalize permitting of our Worship and Ministry Center in Doral. This will nearly double our seating capacity and provide a much-needed update regarding A/V, but even more importantly it will create dedicated office space and frontage for DSC Doral. This project is not as time sensitive, so we are watching the market to determine the best time to build. The consensus regarding construction is if you can wait…wait. As we get more information, we’ll decide what makes the most sense for our ministry.
COVID-19 Updates
As of writing this report, our plan is to be back to “normal” across our campuses this year. All programs will resume, and masks will be optional. We are encouraging faculty and staff to consider getting vaccinated, but there will be no mandate. Of course, like everything COVID related, this is all subject to change at a moment’s notice.
Over the last year, we were forced to rethink almost every aspect of our ministry. The one constant was God’s Word and His grace. We do not know everything 21-22 holds, but we’ll continue to work hard, stay humble, and give God all the glory. We look forward to more ministry together!
Pastor Carlos Leyrer
President - Divine Savior Ministries