Published Friday, March 28, 2003
Herald Staff Writer
This will be the last year that students graduate from Rhema Christian Academy in New Wilmington.
Next year, graduates will earn their diplomas from Wilmington Area Christian Schools.
The school -- which serves students in preschool through 12th grade -- was started by members of the Living Word Church in New Wilmington as a way for church members' families to get an education with a Christian background, Principal Mick Lohrenz said.
The school is breaking away from its founding church.
Over the years, many students came to the school from various religious backgrounds and "we didn't want to be tied down to any one doctrine. We need to take care of the needs of Christians throughout Mercer and Lawrence counties," he said.
Lohrenz said school officials thought it would be better for the school to go out on its own and be available to other people. Students have always been able to attend Rhema regardless of their religious affiliation, he added. Lohrenz said he hopes the name change will also make people more aware of the school and its location. "It's amazing how many people, even from the Wilmington area, say 'Rhema? What is that? What's Christian Academy?' '' he said.
People also confuse the school's current name with a national ministry of the same name in Oklahoma, Lohrenz said.
"We're not changing our strong academic program or our student-to-teacher ratio. We'll still meet in this building. Living Word will still give us use of the building for free so we can keep the tuition down," Lohrenz said. "Our parents are very positive about it (the change) so we're hopeful that the whole community will respond positively."
The school will host an open house from noon to 4 p.m. April 12. "People can come and see our facilities, meet our staff and see how modern our facilities are," Lohrenz said.
This year, the school has 80 students, but the number fluctuates from year to year -- sometimes going as high as 105, Lohrenz said. He said the school hopes to be incorporated and have a tax-exempt status by June 30.