[LCMSNews] LCMS school to open in Vietnam

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

>

>9.2.2010
>       LCMS News

>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod

September 2, 2010 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 78

>LCMS school set to open next year in Vietnam

>By Paula Schlueter Ross

If all goes according to plan, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod 
will
open its third Asian international school -- in Hanoi, Vietnam -- in
fall 2011.  The other two schools are in Hong Kong and Shanghai, 
China.

Concordia International School Hanoi (CISH) received a green light 
from
the Vietnam government in August.  But the school's planners are still
negotiating for rental property -- ideally, some 27,000 square feet of
available office space that could be converted into classrooms.  At 
one
potential site, the school would use the first two or three stories 
of a
12-story building.

The school also is searching for 12 to 15 acres of land in the 
northwest
quadrant of Hanoi on which to build, and may purchase that land as 
early
as next year.

Like its predecessors -- Hong Kong International School and Concordia
International School Shanghai -- CISH will offer a "high-quality
American-style education in a caring learning community," according to
Headmaster Steven Winkelman.

The first year it will enroll students through seventh grade, with
additional grades to be added through Grade 12.  The new school will
likely operate in rented facilities for the first two or three years,
while a new school is being built on purchased land.

Winkelman said he's "excited" to take part in the development of
"another opportunity to strengthen, care for and educate the children
entrusted to us."

The school will admit students with foreign passports -- mostly
expatriates whose families are based in the Hanoi. Vietnamese children
who possess multiple passports also may be admitted to CISH, Winkelman
added.  And, if the country's government later decides to allow all
Vietnamese to attend the international schools, "Concordia will 
request
the opportunity to enroll them," he said.

"In Hanoi, the expatriate population consists of over 20 different
nationalities," he said, with citizens from the United States,
Australia, Canada and Great Britain making up the largest percentage 
of
native English speakers.  The largest foreign populations come from
Japan and South Korea.

Foreign investments and companies that establish factories and offices
in Vietnam contribute to the country's development, noted Winkelman, 
and
right now "the expatriate populations of Hanoi have very few choices 
for
international education."

The new school, he said, "will meet the ever-growing demand of
expatriate families for high-quality education."

Dr. David Birner, associate executive director for international 
mission
with LCMS World Mission, said, "In the future, the school will reach
more than 850 students and their families with the same solid Lutheran
education that has shaped the LCMS for generations."

Fan into Flame, the campaign to support Ablaze!-related ministries
worldwide, already has provided some $443,000 to CISH.  Those
contributions have been used to pay pre-operating expenses including
Winkelman's salary, the establishment of an office, with staff, in
Hanoi, feasibility studies, and fees for consultants, attorneys,
accountants and other experts over the past four years.

At least $900,000 in Fan into Flame funds have been earmarked for the
school, according to LCMS World Mission.

>****************************************

>Seminary cancels interim ministry event

LCMSNews No. 77, released yesterday, Sept. 1, carried a link to a
Reporter Online story about a "Discernment for Interim Ministry"
workshop to be held Sept. 28-29 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

That event has been canceled by the seminary.

>****************************************

If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact
Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

>****************************************

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