From the Principal <strong>BeamS</strong> Honoring God through Excellence in Academics Concordia Academy seeks to create a community that honors God through excellence in academics, arts, athletics, and relationships. In this issue of the newly renamed Beams, we highlight several aspects of our academic program. Our cover story features our innovative and state-leading on-campus college program. This year alone CA students will save over $1,310,000 in college tuition because of this program! We will also share with you our exciting new stem 2 initiative. Our desire to honor God through academics is rooted in a rich theology of education. Table of Contents News & Notes 9, 12-13 Alumni Updates 10 Condolences 11 Donor Gifts 14 This new program prepares our students to take the lead in advanced fields of science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine. Finally, we’ve included an article by our Resource Program director Diane Bisping. Diane shares a very personal and heartwarming story in her article Shards of Excellence. Our desire to honor God through academics is rooted in a rich theology of education. This theology is first revealed in Genesis 1:28 where God commissions humanity to carry on His creative work. When He calls humanity to “rule” and “subdue” he is telling us to explore, question, learn and develop the powers and potentialities of His amazing creation. Though we have been tainted by sin this original “creative commission” remains. Anchored in this theology, CA’s teachers and students are free to Save the Date The 15th annual Celebration Dinner Auction will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2013, at CA. More details to come, but for now… save the date! Celebrate CA 2012 “do school” in a way far different than most do school. Wonder, questioning, learning, and creating are not only encouraged so that students can get good grades -to get into good colleges –to get a good jobs; rather, these are encouraged because when we wonder, question, learn, and create we fulfill our destiny as the “image bearers” of God. We are created in His image to carry on his creative work. This is our sacred calling; education is an act of worship. There is of course much more that could be said about the implications of educational theology and if you should ever wish to stop by my office I would be more than happy to, together with you, attempt to work more of it out. For now, it is my hope that you enjoy this issue of the Beacon Beams. It is my hope that you would celebrate with us CA’s rich legacy of honoring God through excellence in academics. Concordia Academy’s 14th annual Celebration Dinner Auction to raise funds for technology, financial aid and the Endowment Fund was held on Saturday, November 3. At Celebrate CA 2012, 300 guests enjoyed a buffet catered by TST Creative Catering. Musical entertainment was provided by Dean Dunavan and friends in the jazz band, Cheap Therapy. The night was a tremendous success and raised a record-breaking $73,000 after expenses, far exceeding our goal. Many thanks to everyone who helped make Celebrate CA a wonderful success! We would like to thank: • The many generous donors at CA and the Twin Cities community • Underwriters who helped offset our costs • Volunteers who gave their time and talents before, during and after the event to ensure its success • Everyone who attended the event and generously bid during the Silent and Live auctions Please mark your calendars for next year’s event, Celebrate CA 2013, to be held on Saturday, November 2, 2013. You want to be there! Extending your blessings into the world. It is a treat to share a story from Andrew McCarty Grossen a Junior CA student who is currently in Cashel, Tipperary Ireland in an exchange program. Andrew will return to CA for his Senior year. His story is told in the context of a Christmas card we received in mid December. Greetings fellow Beacons! I would like to take some time to wish all of you a blessed Christmas season and also share a few of my experiences here in Ireland. Living abroad is a very eye opening time. To live among people with a different culture, different customs and a whole different way of life gives you a great insight to the world outside our ‘normal’ lives. My relationship with the Lord has been tested greatly and I feel closer to God than ever before. I have recently been blessed with a friendship with an elderly man, who just a few weeks ago turned back to the Lord. I first met him on a Sunday morning. I was coming out of the church and he was sitting alone on a bench outside a pub. He asked me where my family was. I told him they are back in America. He then bought me breakfast and over the meal, the topic of religion came up and he revealed he had not been a believer for more than 30 years. This man’s eyes showed he had seen dark times in his life. I had an inside desire to try and help this “blind man see” but I was doubtful that a man who had lost faith so long ago would be willing to accept Jesus once more. It was two weeks later when I asked him to accompany me to church. In the month following the two of us attended church, prayed together and had talks about faith and God beside a fire. I came home from school one day and I found him outside with tears in his eyes and he told me the joyous news that he had accepted Christ as his Savior. I tell you this because I believe my time at CA (even though it was only one year) helped prepare me to go out and be a good example of a Christian and be able to share the Good News with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe it is a sacred place where believers can learn and grow through education and through the Lord. I am happy to write I will with out a doubt will have the blessing of joining all of you next year. I miss all those I know and miss not knowing all those I don’t know. I especially miss my teachers and chapels, you are all my family. I think of how I met my friend and now think my first words to him should have been “my family is every man and woman.” Now that my soul accepts this it makes spending Christmas away from home a bit easier. I would like to conclude with a big Thank You to all staff and students for your spiritual presence that is with me daily. I hope all of you have a joyful and peaceful Christmas and time off. I am really excited to experience this special time in different country and see similarities and differences from MN, USA. Good luck and God Bless. Merry Christmas Andrew McCarty Grossen 2 Beams • Winter 2013 Winter 2013 • Beams 3