An online parent survey for those interested in sending their children to an Early Childhood Learning Center in Danube will be posted on this website soon.
Sharing the message of Christ Crucified and Risen
As we prepare for our annual celebration of Easter we consider the great love our Savior demonstrated as he suffered and died in our place. We are blessed at this time of the year to come together for a spiritual feast every Wednesday night for six weeks as we consider his passion. We are blessed with the opportunity during Holy Week to welcome our Savior with shouts of Hosanna, enter the upper room with Jesus and his disciples, travel with them to dark Gethsemane, and climb Calvary’s mournful mountain. What wondrous love our Savior our dear Jesus has for us sinners! The sinless Son of God comes in humility and dies in our place. He takes away our sin, defeats death and hell and gives us heaven. He brings us to the tomb with Mary, Peter, and John so that we may share in the joy of his resurrection. This is the height of the Christian church year. This is the source of the hope that we have. This is the message that we want to learn more about and share with those around us.
During this particular Lenten season our congregations have been led to consider a special opportunity to share this good news of Christ crucified and risen with our community. The four WELS churches in the area are discussing plans to start an Early Childhood Learning Center. We pray that the Lord would bless our plans to reach out with the good news of Jesus while supplying a quality early childhood education. The following article from www.wels.net speaks to this rise of early childhood education in our nation and our synod, and then details the benefits of such a ministry. May the Lord bless our efforts in this field as he sees fit.
“The Rise of Early Childhood Education”
A national spotlight has been recently focused on early childhood education, but for WELS, early childhood education has been a growing and important ministry for some time. For WELS congregations, early childhood programs open the door to families who are seeking a quality education, some who may not otherwise be connected to a church or know the saving gospel message of Christ. Currently, WELS has just over 400 early childhood programs around the country, serving nearly 11,000 students. Cindi Holman, coordinator for WELS Early Childhood Ministries, says: “In so many communities throughout WELS, early childhood ministries are true mission fields where the gospel is shared with little ones and their families. We are motivated by Christ’s love for us and by the Great Commission. In all WELS early childhood ministries, we look to provide high quality care and education motivated by God’s redeeming love for us and for all people.” Holman also says: “Research has highlighted and emphasized the importance of the early years in a child’s life and the impact of an environment that provides rich experiences, either in their homes or in early childhood centers, to help children learn. Enhancing and enriching those experiences as early as possible for every child is critical.” With more emphasis being put on this formative stage of education and with more families needing early childhood services, the programs are going to continue to grow. To meet the growing need for early childhood programs – which range from infant childcare to preschool – Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn., is planning to build an early childhood learning center to train the synod’s future early childhood teachers.
view the original article here:
www.wels.net/lutheran-schools/rise-early-childhood-education