We need to raise at least $1.1 million before we can break ground on the girls’ dormitory construction, and we are hoping to begin with site prep this summer.  You can participate in this project by making a pledge or making a gift online (via ACH debit or PayPal), or by sending a check to 5801 Beattyville Rd, Jackson, KY  41339.

Once we reach the $1.1 million mark, we will still have a significant sum to raise.  At a minimum, we will need $450,000 to complete the fundraising portion of the girls’ dorm construction and the Odermann Hall project.  But $1.1 million will get us started, and we will be able to lock in construction prices before they rise further.

I want to share with you in an upcoming post the ways in which we are saving money on the construction of the new girls’ dormitory by using volunteers, finding suppliers to sell at greatly reduced prices, and other forms of cost savings.

This is an exciting project!  Someday, and for decades to follow, it will be home to 40 girls, where great ministry takes place in their lives.

• Funds for current operations and scholarships are an essential need that we would not be able to stay in ministry without.  We need $250,000 per year to meet our operating and scholarship obligations.
• A new girls’ dormitory is being planned that will cost $1.7 million.  Toward this 40-bed facility, we have raised just over $1 million!
• We have plans for the expansion and renovation of Odermann Hall, our boys’ dormitory.  At a cost of $150,000, we will count on the help of many.
• Other projects during this campaign period will enhance the ministry – new roofs on buildings, and infrastructure improvements, and new sidewalks and paved parking lots.

The total goal for the campaign is $2.5 million, and we are nearly halfway to reaching that goal.  We are so grateful for all who have given and trust that God will move in the hearts of many to help us reach our goal.

All of that is exciting, but it doesn’t scratch the surface about the best news:  Each one of our nine graduates made great strides while at Oakdale in all areas of their lives.  Each one has been accepted and plans to attend college.  And each one left here having made a commitment for Christ – most made their first-time commitments while at Oakdale!

I can scarcely overstate the importance of your giving.  For the upcoming year, we will have to reduce budgets and freeze salaries.  It is to Oakdale’s great benefit that God has created joyful, resourceful, and sacrificing people who are delighted to find meaning in service at Oakdale – people who are highly qualified and could command higher salaries elsewhere.

Your prayers and support for Oakdale Christian Academy, its students and staff, are much appreciated!

The evidence abounds that these things are happening!  It is found in the attendance of many students at the Good Friday communion service and in the high number of students who attended the sunrise service Easter morning.

It is found in Xinyi, (we call her Cindy), a Chinese student who came to salvation at Oakdale and has grown tremendously in her faith.  During spring break she asked to move from the new, quiet, pleasant space of the girls’ overflow duplex housing back into the old, crowded dorm so she could provide leadership to the younger girls there!  We are proud that Cindy has been accepted to Spring Arbor University, and look forward with eagerness to see how the Lord directs her life.

I see it at the student variety show, where I got to see the fruit of lives increasingly directed toward Christ.  Shelby, a junior, sang two songs she wrote that reflects her growing Christian walk.  Shelby has benefited greatly from staff input not only in her Christian life, but in her songwriting skills.

Another student, Elnatan, shared a video he created to highlight the worldwide epidemic of human trafficking, which was an extension of how God has softened and molded his heart to care for the helpless and vulnerable.

We see students directing other students on how to respond to difficulties and frustrations.  We rejoice when a student first begins to take those steps of responsibility for each other and make someone else’s need their own urgent call to prayer and involvement.

Oakdale provides a rich experience for its students that changes their lives.  The impact of Oakdale Christian Academy extends far beyond their years here.  This is much more than just a good education!

When I returned, I was privileged to present Honor Code to sixteen of our students for the third quarter of the school year.  The Honor Code is determined by student exemplification of five measures:  Honesty, Respect for Authority, Following Rules, Kindness, and Positive Leadership.  What a delight to see students earn Honor Code for the first time ever, and to see their classmates cheer them on!  Vanessa, an 8th grader, is one who received it for the first time, and she absolutely beamed upon being announced as an Honor Code recipient!

As we seek to develop leadership in our students, the Honor Code is only one of our programs that help students learn how to become the kind of people that will be good employees, neighbors, and church members.  Our Peer Leader program helps identify students who exemplify the kind of trustworthiness and character that is needed to supervise other students in various capacities, further directing them toward learning skills and qualities of leadership.

Our Job Training program allows students to be promoted along four categories of autonomy and supervision.  We often have students who rise to the level of crew supervisor, who are able to learn both how to lead as well as how to be a conscientious employee.  Job Training also provides much-needed support for campus facility upkeep, so it has real-world implications and importance.

Oakdale Christian Academy is providing opportunities for our students to learn how to lead while learning how to follow Jesus Christ.  Thanks for your interest and support!

We would not be able to achieve our accreditations without having an excellent academic program.  Of course, having an excellent academic program requires an effective team effort:

• A teaching staff that has high qualifications and is dedicated to their work. Seventy-eight percent have master’s degrees; they hold high standards and are diligent to seek out the students needing extra help.
• Dorm parents who take a special interest in students’ academic work and who provide structure so that students will do their homework.
• A community culture that values education.  Sixty five percent of all staff members combined have master’s degrees, showing our student that we value learning.
• Friends like you who provide funds for educational facilities and resources.  Our donor friends make the difference in providing technology, textbooks, library resources, as well as scholarships for students.

The Oakdale staff, parents of students, and our prayer and financial supporters are a team, so I commend you in the achievement of our AdvancED accreditation.  Thank you for being part of Oakdale Christian Academy and for helping improve the ministry we provide that includes a high quality education and the opportunity to know Jesus Christ.

 Most of our staff members have master’s degrees, so they value and promote high levels of academic achievement.  All of our staff members love Jesus and want, more than anything, to model Christ’s love toward others and Christ-like responses to the realities of life.  The activities of the Oakdale staff members – leading activities, teaching science or literature, supervising dormitories, or giving correction – are best done through the lens of God’s love for students.

 Oakdale staff members serve beyond the confines of their regular work day, and ministry does not end after students graduate.  Our staff members host students in their homes for study or social activities, and they spend hours on the phone with graduates who are seeking direction and answers to life’s question.

 Oakdale staff members are in it for the right reasons – to make their lives count for God.  The rewards of their work are found in changed lives and bright futures.  They rejoice in the meaning that comes in doing the Lord’s work.  I believe that our supporters find great meaning in knowing what a great use can be made with their funds, and we value your partnership!