Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:

Peace Lutheran Preschool, Camarillo, CA

Mt. Calvary Kid's Corner, Running Springs, CA

Immanuel Lutheran School and Preschool, Riverside, CA

Below are photos from Mt. Calvary Kid's Corner, Running Springs, CA:

Kid's Corner celebrating Dr. Seuss week

Pre-K class learning how to play chess

Pre-K class celebrating Chinese New Year with a field trip to a local Chinese restaurant

Below are photos from Immanuel Lutheran School and Preschool, Riverside, CA:

Immanuel 1st and 2nd grade students singing the National Anthem at the California Baptist basketball game

Immanuel Kindergarten students riding their bikes for their Pedal for PTL fundraiser

Immanuel students lining up in their Chapel families to worship together in Wednesday Chapel

Join Rachel this Friday an hour early - at 12:00 p.m. - for a Facebook Live devotion!

Please take some time to go through all of the resources that we have collected on the PSD COVID-19 website: psd-lcms.org/coronavirus . We are frequently updating this page with new and additional information, including details specifically for schools, so please check back often.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ of the Pacific Southwest District,

I pray that you and your families are safe, healthy, and living daily in the grip of His grace.

I always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. I remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)

 

The purpose of this is to share with you a joint letter that President Mike Lange (CNH District) and I sent to California Governor Gavin Newsom requesting that he reclassify the church as  essential  and grant permission for churches to reopen as soon possible. President Lange and I next will reach out to our Nevada pastors to determine what we should communicate to Nevada’s Governor, Stephen F. Sisolak. Finally, I will send a letter to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to express our thanks for his support of the church.

I thank you for your encouragement and prayers during these days. Our God is doing wonders that are amazing to behold!

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson

PSD President

View letter to Governor Newsom

Congratulations to Faith Lutheran Academy, Las Vegas, NV , for being selected as a participant in Cohort #1 of the Lutheran Education Digital Futures and Learning Project. This innovative initiative, led by Dr. Bernard Bull, will be of specific assistance to help Lutheran schools create a digital learning vision and plan to serve present and future students and families. Faith Academy and Christ, Costa Mesa, CA, were two of 17 schools who were accepted as the first participants! 

As we find potential grant opportunities, we will share them with you. Please read through the full information at the given link to determine if the opportunity is one that matches projects and programs at your school. Our sharing this information with you does not imply a partnership with these grant funding organizations.

NEW! Grant for PD to teach Computer Science 

National Science Foundation’s Computer Science for All: This program aims to provide all U.S. students with the opportunity to participate in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education in their schools at the preK-12 levels. With this solicitation, the National Science Foundation (NSF) focuses on both research and researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) that foster the research and development needed to bring CS and CT to all schools. Specifically, this solicitation aims to provide: (1) high school teachers with the preparation, professional development and ongoing support they need to teach rigorous computer science courses; (2) preK-8 teachers with the instructional materials and preparation they need to integrate CS and CT into their teaching; and (3) schools and districts with the resources needed to define and evaluate multi-grade pathways in CS and CT. Awards have been wide ranging to include grants of more than $1 million. Deadline: February 10, 2021, the second Wednesday in February, and annually thereafter.  More Information

 

NEW! Grant to help with costs in creating a campus safety app

Campus Safety App Grant: The Campus Safety App Grant is designed to provide awarded institutions with the requisite licenses and services to a comprehensive Campus Safety App. Following the Campus Consortium’s due diligence process, grant recipients may receive up to $30,000 in software licenses, support and implementation services for a term of up to five (5) years. Deadline: TBD.  More Information

Our Hearts for Jesus goal is to provide the funds for 1,500 children to attend Children’s Bible Clubs. To date, we will be able to support 744 children with the contributions received. We are almost halfway to our goal! Thank you to all who have supported this mission! It’s not too late to begin participating in the HEARTS FOR JESUS: Mission India project--even remotely! This is a great opportunity to help send children in India to Children's Bible Clubs!

Through the work of Mission India, children in India will get to hear the Gospel (many for the first time!) and share what they learn with their families. The ripple effect? Entire villages and communities hearing about Jesus and His saving grace.

There are still millions more children in India who haven't heard the opportunity to hear about Jesus. There's still time to help us reach them with the Gospel!  The cost for a student to attend the Children’s Bible Clubs is $24 for an entire year!

Here’s the link to all the information you need:  http://missionindia.org/hearts . The site is password protected because of the sensitive nature of sharing Jesus in India and persecution of Christians, which is on the rise.



 If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Klitzing at [email protected] or Ellen Pratt at [email protected] . Thank you for getting involved!

Each week, prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for teachers, administrators, support staff, pastors, students, and families of the Lutheran schools, early childhood centers, and churches of the Pacific Southwest District are listed. To include names on the list, please send information to [email protected] by noon on Wednesday of each week. This week we pray for:

Schools we are praying for the week of May 24 :

Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool, Canyon Country, CA

Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

First Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten, El Cajon, CA