Friday, June 1 is my last day as principal of St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, MO. In just a few weeks Rhonda and I will be packing up and heading west to serve St. John Lutheran School in Bakersfield, CA. We move from being a "Cougar" to a "Saint" along with a huge change of scenery. It has been an emotional several weeks as we say goodbye to a calling of 12 years. We have been blessed to have left fingerprints over much of the ministry we call "school." During these years we have seen three building campaigns, doubling of enrollment, national awards and establishment of a strong reputation among our community and national denomination. It has been an amazing ride with some talented and gifted staff members who work way above their pay grade and job description. I have had the opportunity to learn from volunteers who provided expertise in finance, business, communication, marketing and education who mentored me in my own development as a leader. As we prepare to leave, we sent out the following note to our SJLS community:
Rhonda
and I wanted to express our deep gratitude and thanksgiving to the
entire St. John community for the kindness, gracious words, gifts and
encouragement we received during our final weeks here at St John
Lutheran School. It has been a privilege for both of us to serve this
ministry for the past 12 years. I never expected God to leave me us in a
place this long, but it has been a great blessing to be able to
literally grow up with students and families in our church and school.
We have personally seen God at work bringing change and blessings to the
community of our church and school.
Some things I will miss...
Members of the School Ministry Team who have stepped up and served this
ministry community by working behind the scenes to establish a solid
mission and vision of our school. The leadership of Eric Token, Mike
Aufdembrink and Jeff Winters and the many team members that have used their gifts to shape the school we are today.
PTL leaders who have established a strong base of activities and events
that support students and families of our school. Their ideas and
creativity continue to tweak a good program to make it better. My thanks
to the leadership of Eric Guberlet, Sheryl Miller, Michelle Abel and a
supporting cast of hundreds who put on events that are rivaled by few.
Kathy Childers - Day in and day out reflects the servant heart of
Jesus. She is a gift to this school and the families. Her smile and kind
words are a welcome sight to anyone entering our office.
This staff of dedicated educators who love kids and Jesus. I have been
involved in bringing most of them into this ministry and their unique
ability to be open to change and growth puts them in a unique class of
teachers. My assistant principals of Julie Durst, Scott Osbourn and
Rachel Bausch have been blessings to my personal leadership development.
It has been a privilege to work with so many gifted teachers over my
12 years. I can only say “Thank You” for their partnership in our
calling.
The St. John Ministry allowed me to use my gifts and talents to lead
the school. I was a good fit in melding the creative and contemporary
dna of the ministry with the school. I am thankful to be associated with
the time and place I was called to serve. I worked with phenomenally
talented leaders, many of whom have moved on to serve in other
ministries.
Partners
in ministry such as Karen Slimack, Rudy Schaser, the Tandy's, Craig Borchelt and the
many opportunities we have to get kids involved in mission work. Creating a
heart for service in our kids is a critical goal of Christ and His
church.
Parents who understand that their greatest job in life is leading their
children to know and love Jesus Christ and allow their kids to grow up
to be who God intended them to be.
Our story is richer for our service to this community. We will not
forget the many kindnesses afforded us by so many of you during our
years here. I resonate with Paul’s words to the Philippians in chapter 1
“I thank my God every time I remember you... being confident of this,
that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus!”
Our new home is St. John’s Lutheran School in Bakersfield, CA, 4500
Buena Vista Road, 93311. Our permanent address is yet to be found, but
we will contact the school community once we locate a home. We look
forward to meeting you again when God can bring us together. Until then,
God’s great peace to you all!
Spencer and Rhonda Peregoy
