WLHS Contact - Wisconsin Lutheran High School

A
Message
from...
Pastor
Kenneth Fisher
Director of Mission Advancement
“Have you heard about what’s
happening at WLHS?”
“Do you know what’s going on at our alma mater?”
News often travels fast—especially with the instantaneousness of email, Twitter, and
Facebook. Bad news sometimes seems to spread more quickly than good news.
So what have you been hearing about Wisconsin Lutheran
High School these days?
Have you heard about some of the challenges facing WLHS? Congregational support
has been gradually declining and enrollment gradually dropping over the past eleven
years. Since last year, WLHS’ Board has been wrestling with strategic issues critical to our
ministry. In the spring, they appointed a special task force of highly qualified financial and
educational professionals to study all components of WLHS in light of the declining trends
in enrollment and financial support. They brought forward a number of recommendations
that would reduce the budget deficit while maintaining the high academic standards of your
school. The recommendations included the elimination of some staff, administrative, and
faculty positions without reducing any programs. In January, the Board voted to eliminate
a number of positions. That’s sad news at WLHS.
Even as the Board has been navigating through these challenges, they endorsed a bold
campaign to strengthen the school’s financial position and bolster its recruitment.
The campaign, titled Gifted for Praise, will be introduced to you in this issue of your
Contact. This comprehensive campaign is vital to the future viability of your school.
The campaign will help us to responsibly manage past operating debt, support current
ministry, and enhance and improve facilities which will strength the school’s recruitment
and programs in the future. Without this campaign’s current support, the cuts would
have been more drastic. That is why the Board voted to boldly move forward with this
campaign—even in these challenging times.
“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land,” says one proverb
(Proverbs 25:25).
Will you join me in praying that in the coming years, we will be able to share only good news
with you? I am confident that our God, who gave us his best, will bring good news to his
people. I hope that you’ll agree that God’s blessing Gifted for Praise is vital for WLHS.
Keep your high school in your prayers, and thank you for your support!
2 CONTACT March 2012
Pastor Kenneth Fisher
Director of Mission Advancement
WISCONSIN
LUTHERAN
HIGH SCHOOL
For Christ’s Love Compels Us...
Apostles of Christ
Atonement
Calvary, Thiensville
Centennial
Christ, Big Bend
Christ, Milwaukee
Christ, Pewaukee
Christ the Lord
Divine Peace
Fairview
Faith
Garden Homes
Gethsemane
Gloria Dei-Bethesda
Good Shepherd
Grace, Milwaukee
Grace, Waukesha
Jordan
Loving Shepherd
Messiah
Mt. Calvary
Mt. Lebanon
Nain
Nathanael
Pilgrim
Redemption
Resurrection
Risen Savior
St. Andrew
2 Corinthians 5:14
Our Purpose
Christ’s love compels us to provide a
comprehensive Christian secondary education
for Milwaukee area youth.
Our Mission
Wisconsin Lutheran High School exists to work
in partnership with Milwaukee area WELS
congregations to make disciples of young
people and their families now and for eternity
by developing in them a Biblical worldview
as well as the personal skills necessary for a
lifetime of service to Jesus in their homes,
churches, careers, and communities.
Wisconsin Lutheran High School is
owned and operated by the following
congregations joined together as the
WLHS Conference:
St. Jacobi
St. James
St. John, Lannon
St. John, Milwaukee
St. John, Mukwonago
St. John, Oak Creek
St. John, Wauwatosa
St. Lucas
St. Marcus
St. Mark
St. Matthew
St. Paul, Cudahy
St. Paul, Franklin
St. Paul, Milwaukee
St. Paul, Muskego
St. Peter
St. Philip
Salem, Cramer Street
Salem, 107th Street
Siloah
Star of Bethlehem
The Point of Grace
Trinity, Waukesha
Victory of the Lamb
Woodlawn
Zebaoth
Zion, Hartland
Zion, South Milwaukee
WLHS Contact© is the official alumni publication of
the Wisconsin Lutheran High School Conference.
Superintendent: Reverend James Kleist (’68)
Editor: Yvonne Quint
Design/Layout: Gail Wittenburg
Research Editors: Nancy Raabe (’66), Nancy Reichert
Contributing Writers:
Philip Eckert (‘83), Jeff Sitz (‘74)
Photography: Moments & Memories
Contact us with comments or questions at
414-453-4567, ext. 2012, or
via email at yvonne.quint@wlhs.org
Please notify the high school if you would like to be
removed from our mailing list.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated,
are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica,
Inc. TM used by permission of Zondervan.