The Kansas-Nebraska Conference has experienced significant change during the past five years. Maintaining two boarding schools—Platte Valley and Enterprise academies—became too much for the conference to afford. Because of our constituents’ deep commitment to Adventist education, they voted to merge the two schools into Great Plains Academy. Despite every effort to help this new school succeed, enrollment did not increase. In the spirit of meeting the needs of our students, rather than preserving buildings, Great Plains Academy was closed in May 2010.
The conference developed a new scholarship plan with the monies traditionally used to subsidize our boarding schools, along with other contributions. More than $300,000 was distributed in the 2010-11 school year to assist over 50 youth attending the Adventist boarding school of their choice, as well as providing significant scholarship assistance to College View Academy, Midland Adventist Academy and Wichita Adventist Christian Academy. This self-perpetuating scholarship fund will make it possible for many Adventist youth to get the education they need and want.
Throughout our educational dilemmas, the Kansas-Nebraska Conference continued a strong evangelistic outreach. And now the financial situation of our conference is on much more solid ground than it has been. The academy situation had drained funds to a very dangerous level, but over the past five years, resources have continued to increase and God’s people have been faithful in returning His tithe—and very generous in supporting His work in our two-state territory.
Sharing the gospel continues to be the driving force behind all we do. We will continue our mission of building congregations that are healthy places for believers to grow and mature, while also providing a welcoming, loving environment where new people can experience Jesus. This is our goal for the next quinquennium.
