Happy New Year from Divine Savior!
One of the blessings of doing ministry together is the opportunity to pray for one another and to support each other in our needs. As we stand at the beginning of 2019, it's a fitting time to pray for the work in front of us across our campuses.
Please join us now in praying this list:
1. The Divine Savior School
Our Governing Board is about to consider the decision to accept or decline the lease contract that would set into motion a new ministry in Doral: The Divine Savior School. This new ministry would serve students with special needs that we do not have the resources to serve on our Divine Savior Academy campuses.
A private group unrelated to Divine Savior has purchased the land adjacent to our campus on 104th Avenue. They have worked with us to design a building to house The Divine Savior School on the first floor and Divine Savior Ministries' offices on the second floor. If the Governing Board approves this agreement, our ministry would enter into a long-term lease with an option to purchase the building. The construction would take place over the next 9-10 months. Divine Savior Ministries hopes to occupy the second floor offices by Christmas 2019, with a soft start of The Divine Savior School in January 2020.
Please pray for our governors as they consider this ministry opportunity.
2. Phase 1B: Sienna Plantation
Our Sienna Plantation campus has grown by 17% in less than a year to a student body of 101. The addition of new students, as well as a preschool program, has brought the following God-blessed problem: we are running out of classroom space!
Starting next year, the campus will rent portable classrooms to provide a temporary solution for this problem, but a classroom expansion is needed to solve this issue long-term for our Sienna campus. With this in mind, the Sienna administration together with Divine Savior Ministries and our architect has begun laying out plans for a classroom expansion, as well as a master site plan for the campus with parking, fields, worship space, and future athletic facilities. With the resources on hand, we are optimistic that Sienna will be able to build the classroom expansion phase in the next few years. It will house the needed classrooms, a space for large meetings/school lunch, and additional offices. The rest of the site plan's timeline will be determined by the rate of student growth.
These drawings will be ready for Sienna's February 20th Open House, and members of DSM will be traveling there to present to the campus's current and prospective parents at the event.
Please pray for those planning the future expansion, as well as for this ministry to continue enrolling students.
3. Student Body Growth: Delray Beach
With the delays in construction, Delray Beach's student count needs to grow. We are thankful for the enrollment of two new students last week, and we're working hard in our marketing and admissions efforts for the 2019-2020 school year.
Please pray for our staff on the front lines of this effort and for the families of this community.
4. Financing and Fundraising: Santa Rita Ranch
We praise God for the loan approval for our Santa Rita Ranch campus last week! With this approval does come the requirement to raise more money than originally planned by April, so that a ground-breaking can take place early this summer and timelines can be maintained for a Fall 2020 opening.
We pray for God to bless our fund-raising efforts for this ministry!
5. The Church Community Builder Launch: Our Churches
As our church campuses continue to grow, the need has arisen for new, unifying systems and processes. One such system is Church Community Builder, and we join together to pray as it launches that it becomes an effective and efficient tool for Divine Savior Church staff and volunteers to more do more ministry. Specifically, that Church Community Builder would:
provide staff and lay leaders the opportunity to take ownership of their area of ministry.
provide ways to connect, follow-up and engage with guests.
create opportunities for members to be actively engaged in their discipleship, stewardship, and service.
6. Staffing: All Church and Academy Campuses
It takes a wide variety of gifts and talents to meet the needs of five church campuses and four academy campuses! We give thanks to God for the addition of new staff across our ministries that have begun work in this second semester of the 2018-19 school year, and we ask Him to continue to send willing volunteers, workers, and resources to do all this ministry together.
Please pray for those just beginning their ministries on our campuses, as well as those holding calls for the next school year.
Thank you for joining us in prayer! It is a blessing to do ministry together.