Updates from congregations around the Church of the Lutheran Confession
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1)
Anyone visiting Grace of Valentine, Nebraska, who is familiar with both the congregation and school, will be able to see many “new” things and people as you visit its property on West Third Street. Our Lord has indeed done “marvelous things” in recent years by giving the members of Grace many opportunities to share the Gospel, especially in the area of Christian education.
Teacher Ann Sprengeler working with lower grade students
Beginning in the fall of 2015, Grace reopened its parochial school with one student and a plan to add one grade per year until the school would once again be a K-8 parochial school. The Lord has blessed those plans beyond anyone’s expectations! Ten years later, the school is now a full K-8 school with an active preschool as well. Total enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year has reached 65 with most of those students in the lower grades. Praise the Lord for doing “marvelous things” within the hearts of so many parents in our congregation and the surrounding community, filling them with the desire to bring their children up “in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)
The teaching staff of Grace Lutheran School
Miss Candice Ohlmann, who was called in the summer of 2015 to reopen the school, continues to serve as preschool teacher and teacher in the lower grades. Joining her in the past three years has been Mr. Andrew Roehl, who now serves as the upper grade teacher and principal; Mr. Stephen Krause, who serves in both the middle and upper grades; and, most recently, Mr. Noah Ohlmann, a recent graduate of our Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, who will serve in the lower grades. Grace was also blessed by the able service of retired teacher, Miss Ann Sprengeler, during the first half of this 2024-2025 school year.
Students of Grace Lutheran School at lunch time
Meeting the increased need for classroom space due to the larger enrollment has also led the Lord to do “marvelous things!” During the summer of 2022, the members of Grace constructed a new fellowship hall. The new building, with dimensions of 28′ x 72′, is attached to the west side of the school building. It provides the congregation and school with a fully functional kitchen, cafeteria, expanded bathroom facilities, and enough space to set up an additional classroom. The hall is light and airy and has functioned well in every capacity, including hosting the 2023 CLC Women’s West Retreat and the 2024 CLC West-Central Delegate Conference.
During the summer of 2024 an additional classroom was built, once again by the members, to provide for a needed fourth classroom area. This 28′ by 32′ structure was added to the west side of the fellowship hall with direct access to the fellowship hall but also with exterior exits on both the north and south sides. It too is light and airy and has functioned well in its first year of use.
As Grace congregation looks ahead, we pray for both the presence and wisdom of God, so that the opportunities He is giving us will be met. Plans are being developed to remodel the basement of the church, including the addition of a third exit from that space, which will allow the basement to be used for a variety of purposes including an additional classroom.
The members of Grace are approaching the future with confidence—not in themselves, but in the Lord, Whose “right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1)
is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Valentine, Nebraska, as well as Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in White River, South Dakota, and Peace Lutheran Church in Mission, South Dakota.