God is the author of great and compelling stories. When God does incredible and/or impossible things, we absolutely should share them so that we do not rob God of the glory He deserves. This practice not only gives God the glory due Him, but it also strengthens our mutual faith. We serve an incredible God who does truly amazing and impossible things, and what we’ve witnessed God do in 2022/23 is nothing short of miraculous! Because of this, we feel it’s important to share God’s story and give Him glory!
Miracle 1: In the Beginning
May 1994: A School Is Born
On May 11, 1994 the congregation of First Assembly of Prineville Oregon held a special business meeting for the purpose of resolving to begin an inter-denominational “Christian School” in Crook County the following September. A quorum was achieved and the motion passed at 90% with 54 of 60 votes.
As improbable as it seemed, the church congregation & board resolved to remodel the church and be open by September for classes. It was a miracle, and Crook County Christian School was born.
May 2022: A School is Reborn
Fast forward almost 28 years to the day, and on May 6th, 2022, God made it abundantly clear to our church board that we were to replant and reopen Crook County Christian School as an inter-denominational ministry to the community. We recognized it would be an extremely difficult task given the timelines.
I will never forget what happened on May 28th, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I left my family in Vancouver, WA to come home early for church with a heavy burden on my heart. We needed to hire teachers, but we had no way of being able to guarantee them there would be enough students in September to keep them employed. As I pulled away from my in-law’s house, I prayed a simple prayer, “God, your Word is clear that our mandate and your will is to make disciples. Since that is our deepest desire, we believe this is your will, and you always provide for your will. We CANNOT do this without You.”
After praying, an incredible wave of peace came over me. Just two short hours later, as I finished driving through Madras and began the final leg home, an unexpected call came in. The voice on the other end of the phone asked, “What do you need to get the school up and running for Fall?” I explained our biggest immediate need was hiring teachers, being able to guarantee employment, and purchasing curriculum. The voice on the other end of the line confidently spoke, “We want you to go ahead and hire the teachers you think you’ll need to staff the school. We will cover any shortages or monthly gap in salaries and operating expenses that aren’t covered by tuition for the first year.”
As we hung up the phone, my Spirit soared as I began to openly praise the Lord. In just two hours, God had taken our most impossible and improbable obstacle and removed it in an instant. He knew we were incapable. He knew that we needed a miracle, and He provided our most critical need. This miracle validated the call to reopen CCCS, and enabled us to hire our first teachers. Additionally, they provided us additional funds to purchase the curriculum. What we didn’t know was that God was just getting started!
Miracle 2: Assembling the Starting Team
By early June, we had no teachers or staff, and less than 75 days until inservice to somehow find enough qualified people. Once again, we prayed, and God immediately began bringing them to us. On June 10th, we signed our first staff member, an incredibly gifted Kindergarten teacher. In the days that followed, God brought us several more gifted and qualified teachers that were hired. By July, we had filled almost the entire team, and by August, we were ready for inservice to start. Not only did God build the team quickly, but He created an incredible team dynamic. This team loves God, loves one another, and loves our kids and families. I’ve never worked with a better staff, and they regularly tell us this is the best place they have ever worked!
Miracle #3: He Makes All Things New
When Crook County Christian School closed in 2015, it was determined that the First Assembly church would not have any immediate need of all the school equipment (desks, chairs, computers, curriculum, etc.). The board decided to donate those items to another non-profit and were able to give them to a newly formed school.
When it was determined that Crook County Christian School would be reopened, we knew it would be necessary to furnish all the new classrooms, purchase curriculum, and other very expensive startup purchases. Additionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, it was necessary to also replace all the cafeteria tables, kitchen appliances, and playground facilities. Once again, God was just getting started. In the span of two months, we were overwhelmed by generous donations, including the following highlights:
- A BRAND NEW, complete playground upgrade! Infinity Solar gifted our church, school and families with an incredible playground set. We did the ribbon cutting in October!
- BRAND NEW kitchen appliances for our kitchen and staff room including 4 refrigerators/freezers and 2 stainless steel gas ranges.
- Four like new folding cafeteria tables.
- BRAND NEW desks and chairs for every classroom.
- A like-new conference table and chairs for our staff room, working desks/tables for classrooms, shelves, and office supplies from a business closing in Vancouver, WA.
- Brand new equipment for teacher staff room
- An incredible $12,000 donation of all brand new teacher and classroom supplies from a big box retailer
- Brand new furniture, cubbies and shelving for our preschool classrooms
- Donation of like-new computer monitors for all of our classroom computers (for our Accelerated Reader program).
- Purchased 3000 student book titles for our elementary program for $500 that were also utilized for our new Accelerated Reader program.
When we walked into the building and classrooms for the first time on July 1, 2022, it was nothing but an empty shell and canvas. By the time school began in September, we had beautiful, newly painted and redesigned offices and classrooms filled with primarily new furnishings and equipment. God has always been generous to our school through the years, and we’ve seen miracle after miracle from 1994-2015. But, 2022/23 saw a year of incredible generosity that went so far beyond our expectations and imagination as God rebuilt the walls and foundation of Crook County Christian.
As we approach the end of the 2022/23 school year we stand in utter awe and amazement as a staff and church, at all that God has accomplished in such a compressed amount of time. It is no overstatement that what He has done goes far beyond what we imagined when He called First Assembly of God to exercise the faith to replant and reopen the school after its doors were closed in 2015. Over the course of the year, nearly every month, God has accomplished miracle after miracle. In part 2, we’ll detail some of the incredible things God has done to prepare us for the years ahead! God is sooooo good!
Next Article (Part 2)
If you haven’t already, click here to read Part 2!
More Info about CCCS
Are you a parent wanting to know how your child can thrive at Crook County Christian School? At CCCS, we aim to help students pursue God through excellence in Discipleship, Academics, and Leadership!
Reach out today and make a change that will benefit your student for a lifetime!
Praise God