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 Obviously we want our children to receive an
excellent education and to experience many opportunities for growth.
But an excellent education is more than learning facts and figures.
In our fast-paced society our children are going to be applying what
they have learned in jobs that don’t exist yet and using technology
that hasn’t been invented yet. Incorporating new technology and
planning for the future are certainly important goals every school
has, but we believe there is something more fundamental that should
not be overlooked. No matter what careers our children pursue, or
whatever technology they might be using, we want them to be equipped
to succeed. And we do that by not just learning knowledge and
skills, but also developing faith and character.
A wonderful benefit of being private schools, and in our case,
Lutheran schools, is being able to live out what we believe. There
are two Lutheran schools in Logan County: Zion Lutheran School in
Lincoln and Zion Lutheran School in Mount Pulaski. And at both
schools we believe that students should not separate their
faith-life and their school-life. Instead, we are whole people, and
at a Lutheran school we are able to educate the whole student
physically, academically, emotionally, and spiritually. And these
naturally combine and strengthen the whole student. And as we are
proud to be Lutheran schools, we certainly welcome students of all
faiths, and encourage them to grow in that faith.
We believe that God is in the classroom whether we want Him to be or
not. And so we joyfully acknowledge His presence and intentionally
incorporate our faith into everything we say and do. We believe our
faith is not something to be ashamed of or to be compartmentalized,
but to be celebrated, nurtured, and developed.
As we do this, our students are not only equipped to handle math
problems, but also ethical problems. Our students wrestle with
understanding how their bodies work in science classes, and also
learn who God made them to be in religion classes. We can explore
the hard questions, like ‘Who am I? and ‘What is my purpose?’ and
use God’s Word to answer clearly. We are sinners who have been saved
by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and our purpose is to love
God and everyone around us because of what our gracious God has done
for us.
Our Lutheran schools in Logan County have been committed to
Christian Education for more than a combined 200 years. Some of the
things we do and learn in our classrooms have changed a great deal
in recent years, but many of the things have stayed the same, and
will remain the same, because, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Read about one student’s experience at Zion, Abby Coers,
“I am currently the Marketing
Coordinator at Central Illinois Ag in Atlanta, IL. My position
allows me to dream big and make ideas come to life. The hobby that
has
taken over my life is running marathons.
“Due to the smaller class sizes at Zion, I was able to learn how to
speak up and talk in front of the class - it's nearly impossible to
'hide' within the seats of a classroom at Zion. I was taught from
the beginning how important it is to be yourself and do your best.
As a young student I never realized the impact that Zion had on my
life at the time and how it would affect me moving forward.
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“The foundation of my faith came from years at Zion. I may not have
been the best student in religion class, but when it comes down to
it, I was still exposed to God's word. This stayed with me and I
would not be who I am today without the lessons and values I learned
while at Zion. When your children are young it may not seem worth
the extra expense of Christian education, but the positivity,
Christian friendships, and values learned will stick with them their
entire life.” These values drive what we do
at our schools. And when we visit nursing homes, go on field trips,
and even do our part in cleaning up after ourselves in the
cafeteria, we put our faith in action wherever we go and whatever we
do.
Our teachers model this life of faith and show
genuine care and compassion for their students while also holding
them to a high standard of excellence. Being private schools allows
us to focus on these values and not just prepare students for a test
or the next level of school, and so we are able to prepare our
students for their entire lives and for eternity.
Zion Lutheran School
1600 Woodland Rd
Lincoln, IL 62526
217-732-3977
www.zlclinc.org
Zion Lutheran School
203 S Vine St
Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
217-792-5715
www.zionmp.org
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