Cumberlite 2024 Issue 1

Forward
Together
TOWARD A
NOBLE PURPOSE
BY NANCY GERARD
November 1961: “The Georgia-Cumberland Conference
has officially started the most ambitious project in its history.
Groundbreaking of the first major building for the new boarding
academy marked the commencement of construction…Groundbreaking
symbolizes the effort of a people to dig into the earth,
to lay foundations, to raise superstructures, forming buildings
that spell progress and success. This beautiful site and useful plot
of dedicated ground appears to have been marked by God for
this noble purpose.” Oscar L. Heinrich, Director of Church Development
Service, Southern Union Conference.
The “noble purpose” Oscar Heinrich referred to was the beginning
of what later became Georgia-Cumberland Academy, the
boarding school that would open the doors of Adventist Education
for young people in the Georgia-Cumberland Conference.
For nearly 60 years Georgia-Cumberland Academy has provided
Adventist Education to students for whom local access was not
an option. Boarding students have been the dominant student
demographic through the years and the dormitory experience
has been celebrated as a very positive aspect of the GCA experience.
Its “noble purpose” is still being fulfilled!
A season of economic and enrollment success some years ago
gave GCA leaders the courage to begin dreaming big about facility
needs and how the school might be taken to the next level
of excellence. With prayer and the encouragement of donors,
Georgia-Cumberland Academy launched a major, comprehensive
Conceptual drawing of dorm exterior
fundraising campaign in 2015 that was called Continuing the
Mission.
From 2015-2020, God inspired donors to give more than
$21,000,000 to Georgia-Cumberland Academy for new and
renovated facilities, student scholarships and endowments, and
program enhancements! The students and staff, as well as the
entire Georgia-Cumberland Conference, are now blessed with a
thriving Adventist educational environment, thanks to the generosity
of donors!
When the Continuing the Mission campaign ended in 2020,
donors began asking the question, “What’s next?”
Considering current needs and what was not addressed in the
Continuing the Mission campaign, our next steps became obvious.
The dormitories needed to be the next major capital project
for Georgia-Cumberland Academy.
Why invest in dormitories? Welcoming, safe, comfortable,
and well-functioning dormitories are key to attracting families
and students and will play a major role in the future success of
Georgia-Cumberland Academy. A strong residence hall program
better serves the needs of families and ensures a robust enrollment
for GCA. Even day/village families want the full boarding
program that the school offers; not a typical day school schedule
that ends at 3 pm. With that being the case, the dormitories
are a vital facilities piece since this is “home” to GCA’s boarding
students.
Looking to the future, plans are being developed to make
significant improvements to dorm rooms, bathrooms, laundry
4 CUMBERLITE ISSUE 1 | 2024