HARD WORK AND HARVEST :
A Spotlight On Legacy Christian Academy , a RenewaNation Christian School Launch
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“ od provided the avenue to what we needed through RenewaNation . RenewaNation literally assisted us from the ground up !” In spring 2021 , a request to launch a Christian school came across our desk . Sara Choat from Carson City , Nevada , along with a few of her church members and fellow teachers , had decided to launch a Christian school in their community . After a couple of meetings with RenewaNation , they agreed to proceed and signed a simple , no-nonsense agreement .
Over the next eighteen months , the launch team met every two weeks with a thoughtfully planned agenda , with homework assignments when there was no meeting . Anytime Sara or a team member needed us , we were available for her and the team .
The eighteen-month plan covered every possible area of starting the school they named Legacy Christian Academy and included a lot more than they expected . Sara and her team saw the task ahead and second-guessed their decision . They needed some reassurance , and that ’ s exactly what our launch team did . After over a decade of testing the process , our goal is to assist teams in removing most of the anxiety and frustration that come with launching a school .
The LCA Board Chair , Larry Rodriguez , said , “ We had God ’ s mission and vision for discipling children , but we had no building , no staff , no students , no funding , nothing .” Almost every launch team struggles with a few areas in the beginning , and the
LCA team experienced a couple of those , with the facility being the primary concern . While some churches wanted to work with them , their buildings were not what was needed or could not pass inspection unless significant upgrades were made .
God provided a facility almost as a last resort . It had been reviewed earlier , and the team kept coming back to it but
BY AL GAINEY
thought it would not work financially . When there seemed to be no hope , God showed up as He always does . This “ showing up ” at just the right time and place brought along two other ministries , and all three share the space and the finances . God is never late , and He always provides .
With our extensive templates , it was easy to keep the team on track and accountable for the work to get launched in fall 2022 . All of the coaches have a saying they tell every launch team : “ In order to keep your team on schedule , I am going to be ‘ lovingly brutal .’” That seems to work every time we launch a new school .
Fast-forward to fall 2022 . Parent meetings , school tours , and parent interviews were conducted , and faculty and staff were hired . All the rooms were painted , furniture deals were made , the playground was equipped , and operational items were in place . The launch countdown to fill the classrooms with children was at “ T-minus ” a day , and everyone was praying for a strong start to growing God ’ s kingdom in Carson City .
The school opened with fifty-three students and , like any new school or business , experienced some bumps along the way . RenewaNation was there to help them through some of those tough spots . Overall , year one went well , with a retention of over ninety percent !
Now , Legacy has completed year two and begun year three . At this writing , they report a healthy increase in students this fall .
Here is Sara ’ s perspective as she reflected on this journey : “ Our team and now our Board of Trustees will always have a passion for providing a Christian school grounded in a biblical worldview that immerses our children with biblical truth in every subject . Our mission and vision included a Christian school where every class starts with prayer and a Christian school where discipling children is why we do what we do !”
Larry continued , “ We can ’ t believe we have completed two years and starting our third year . God is so good ! We would like to give you a brief update on just a few things that God has done through and in Legacy over the last two years .”
32 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW