Dear friends,

We have an Academic Dean coming in just over a month!  The visit with Kevin and Dawn Newman (April 27-May 1) went very well and we were able to have a good number of meaningful interactions that gave both them and us a good sense of the potential partnership.  I formally extended the invitation on Friday and just received word today that they have accepted!

This is such an amazing development!  The school has had a separate functioning President and Academic Dean for only three weeks out of the last 12 years.  This will simplify my life and ministry greatly and allow me to focus on really growing and developing the school further.  I am excited to figure out what a “real” president does…  🙂  Thank you to those of you that have faithfully been praying for this for many years!

Graduation is coming up on Saturday and we may have as many as 19 students receiving certificates and diplomas!  There were only three receiving these in the first graduation I presided over in 2009…how the school has changed in just four years!

We will have students over to our house TWICE this week:  about 20 students tomorrow night (Tuesday) for the last class of my Christian Family course and around 30 staff and students Friday night for the graduation-eve “Bachelor’s Dinner”, in which we honor and pray for the two students graduating with their four-year degree.

Some prayer requests:

• Pray for the Newman family as they wrap up their ministry in Alaska this month, move to Flagstaff in early June, and begin to strengthen their support base this summer.  Pray that their support would come in quickly and that the three children moving with them would make the adjustment easily.
• Our other great staffing need is for a librarian; we have two candidates and would appreciate your prayers that they would both come, as one would come for just 1-2 years and the other for a more extended period.  We could really use both of them!
• The annual board meeting is this Thursday-Friday and then Graduation/Commencement is on Saturday.  Please pray for the board meeting as we discuss core values, policies, leadership structure, office rental, and more…Pray also for the students that will receive a certificate or diploma at graduation.

Thanks for standing with us!

Jason and Sarah