And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Cor. 12:9-10
Dear Friends,
When eighteen months ago a small group of committed classical Christian home educators decided to launch Loudoun Classical School in the fall of 2019, it was quite the leap of faith. Would God provide a board? He did; and an extraordinary one at that—including an ordained minister, three liberal arts college professors, experienced businessmen, and local educators. Would he provide a building? He did. Would he provide a headmaster and teachers? Yes and yes. What about students? We calculated that we needed twenty-six to balance the budget the first year. God sent us twenty-six: fourteen enthusiastic Jr. High students and a dozen high-schoolers, thirteen boys and thirteen girls.
“I was willing to take the risk of moving schools because I believed I would finally get to explore the ‘how’ to learning and not just be told the ‘what.’ When my parents came home and told me about Loudoun Classical School, I was immediately excited because everything they told me about what they had heard was what I knew I had been missing.”—Talan Buterbaugh (7th grade)
We opened our doors on August 26 of last year with a team of skilled and sacrificial teachers and a community of committed parents and nervous but excited students. I don’t say “community” lightly; I was so blessed to see the way that God forged both students and teachers into communities of friends, bearing one another’s burdens and cheering each other on. God sure knew what he was doing, because we needed that community before long.
First, we had the growing pains of any new school: how to balance the ideals of our curriculum with our students’ skills and experience. Our teachers and parents all worked hard to establish realistic expectations and hold students to them, and to instill in our students the rhythms and study habits that would set them up for success.
“Working through a rigorous program and seeing great results in the end has helped my son experience the pride in sticking with and accomplishing goals he might have thought too hard before.”—Stephanie Banik, mother of Caleb (7th grade)
The next challenge was bigger. In mid-November, we learned that we would have to be vacating our building by the end of the semester, and would have to find a new facility on a tight budget. We prayed hard and reached out to the community, and waited for the Lord to provide. Within a few weeks we had signed a lease on a beautiful new space at Grace Bible Church in Purcellville, and donations had poured in to cover the extra cost. We moved into the space in January and enjoyed just six and a half weeks of classes before the next crisis hit: a global pandemic.
LCS was ahead of the curve in preparing contingency plans for remote instruction, but when the call came to close down on March 12, it was still a tough transition for families and teachers. How could we continue to learn together as a community when we could no longer gather as a community? How could we shape our students’ loves as disciples of Christ through a computer screen? However, we have leaned hard on the Lord and on one another through this most extraordinary challenge, and come through it stronger than ever. On Thursday May 21st, we wrapped up our first academic year with all twenty-six students still with us, and still growing in their love for God’s Word and God’s world, having only missed one school day to the pandemic.
“What LCS has done in adapting to a global pandemic has been nothing short of phenomenal.”—Julie and Todd Buterbaugh, parents of Talan (7th grade)
Through it all, we have had ample occasion to reflect on Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 12: truly, His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We will continue to take pleasure in our infirmities and our distresses, for we know that when we are weak, we are strong in Him. And as we face an uncertain year ahead, I am sure this verse will be on our minds many more times.
We do not know exactly what the pandemic will bring, but we have great reason to be thankful and rejoice. Nearly all of our current teachers and students will be returning next year and we will be adding several wonderful new teachers and more than a dozen new students. We have proven to ourselves and our families that our school is nimble enough and our teachers committed enough to handle any curveball, even if that means weeks of learning from a distance.
“My favorite class is science. Mrs. Curles has taught us so much about trees and birds and now I love them for their unique characteristics and species. The term ‘bird’ has a whole new meaning to me. I enjoy bird watching and sketching my observations in my journal on a daily basis.”—Sophie Baldwin (7th grade)
As we face this new year together, we invite each of you to come alongside us in prayer and support of this crucial ministry in our community. If our world’s urgent need for Christian wisdom, critical thinking, and Christlike service was not apparent enough a year ago, it is certainly apparent now. We have an essential work to do in preparing the next generation to be wise citizens and faithful leaders. Will you help us in this work?
We are pleased to share that, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, every gift between now and the end of our fiscal year (June 30th) will be matched, up to $2,500!
With our commitment to keep our tuition costs low (currently lower than any other private school in the area), and the need for a new facility to accommodate our growing student body, we rely on donations from parents, grandparents, and the local community to recruit and train the best teachers, keep our classrooms well-supplied, and offer a rigorous, Christ-centered collegiate-style education in Loudoun County. We know that in these uncertain times, many of you may not be in a position to give. If not, please continue to support us with your prayers, and by sharing our important work with other families in this community.
“This year has been the most positive and productive year in MJ’s schooling career. You all are a top-notch bunch of humans and educators. We are sincerely appreciative and thankful for each one of you and the dedication you showed to MJ and his education and growth as a learner and as a faithful Christian.”—Kelly Zaiko, mother of MJ (10th grade)
Even if you are only able to make a small gift at this time, we are a small operation, and every gift makes a difference, especially with this matching donation. If you’d like to send in a gift celebrating with us the Lord’s grace this first year, and looking forward to how He will bless our work in the year to come, please follow this link to our support page.
Thank you for your support and encouragement; it is a true privilege to serve this wonderful community in this important work!
Blessings in Christ,
Brad Littlejohn