Development Blog

Tidbits from the Development Office

Explore what Legacy Director Troy Thelen ’03 is sharing with the Valley Christian community about Development.

Contact Troy at [email protected]

Click the Button to learn more about Troy Thelen

Alumni Engagement Survey 2017

View the Survey Results in "Full Screen" for best results. Thank you to the 132 alumni who participated in this year's survey!  

Story of My Life

I graduated from Valley Christian High School in 2003.

I went to ASU on a generous scholarship that I earned largely because of the academics offered at Valley Christian. While there, I started dating a 2005 graduate from VCHS. And by 2008, we were married.

In April of 2013, we had our firstborn, a son named Levi, Valley Christian Class of 2031. In December of that year, I started…

Why We Partnered with Financial Planning Ministry

We recently made an announcement that we are partnering with a company called Financial Planning Ministry, offering no-cost estate planning (both education and documents) to the Valley Christian community. Although we put a page together that answers most questions our community has had thus far, I wanted to take a few moments to provide additional transparency and an inside look at our intentions with the FPM partnership. There are 3 primary reasons we partnered with FPM:

1. Our belief in godly stewardship
2. The importance of having an estate plan
3. To encourage generosity towards VCHS

As a school, we believe strongly in the biblical concept of stewardship: that is, that everything we have belongs to the Lord. Psalm 24 says

VCHS Partners with Financial Planning Ministry

I could not be more excited to announce our partnership with Financial Planning Ministry. Here is some of the verbiage we shared with our community:

Valley Christian High School is thrilled to announce that we have partnered with nonprofit estate planning group Financial Planning Ministry.

Financial Planning Ministry offers estate planning education and document preparation at no cost to you.

“Our partnership offers

Redefining Excellence in Education

Valley Christian recently began using the tagline, “Redefining Excellence in Education,” to describe the school’s vision for the future. This tagline encapsulates wide ranging strategies and goals, including a revamped technology plan through iValley; enhanced college readiness and life skills; challenging and engaging curriculum, and more.

Our mission promotes a well-rounded student (“academically, physically, socially, spiritually”), and we desire that every student knows Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Last year, we heard

Meaning To Give

Recently I noticed that I had 33 tabs open in my phone’s internet browser. 33. A glaring reminder that there are 33 things that I’ve been meaning to read or do that I simply haven’t read or done.

Two of those pages belong to nonprofits, each of which I’ve been meaning to support.

Then the other day, I came across a couple of interesting pictures:

Stewardship and Philanthropy

Since starting at Valley Christian High School, I’ve been slowly working through the differences and similarities of stewardship and philanthropy. Neither comes all that naturally, of course, at least not for me. My natural tendency is to want, to get, to keep. Rarely do I naturally tend toward giving, stewarding, or sacrifice.

The biggest differences between stewardship and philanthropy are their assumptions of ownership and responsibility.

Philanthropy is the practice of giving one’s own possessions, time, or gifts for the betterment of humanity.
Stewardship – by contrast – is the act of administering someone else’s possessions, time, or gifts, dutifully.
The differences sounds slight, but are enormous. While philanthropists are generous by choice, stewards are generous by duty.

Learnings from Revolution in Generosity

I’m reading a book called Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards to be Rich Toward God. And I have to tell you… It is causing me to evaluate almost everything we are doing in Development at VCHS.

The book’s basic premise – directed at those in positions like mine – is this:

A revolution will come when organizations focus on facilitating God’s work of transforming individuals from self-centered to God-centered, from being materialistic to being generous. This is the supernatural work of God’s grace, and money-raising efforts should conform to the godly approach of raising up stewards to be rich toward God.

The book has been pointing me to stories throughout

333 (and counting) to the Legacy Auction

333.

That’s how many folks are currently registered for Friday’s Auction & Top 50 Celebration.

Will you join me for a moment in praising God for using Valley Christian to help advance His kingdom on earth?

If it’s been a while since you’ve heard about what our students are learning in their Bible classes… ask your student or ask someone who’s here on campus.

If you didn’t hear about the Holy Spirit moving during last week’s Holy Week chapel, with experiential stations including washing of the feet, communion, prayer, worship, etc… ask one of

Praising God Through Events

I’m not exactly sure how we were named a Top 50 Christian high school in the nation.

Don’t get me wrong, I know why. I see it every day in our students and in our staff. This is an incredible place.

I just mean I don’t know how they found us. No one on the Administration spoke with anyone from TheBestSchools, at least as far as we know. We didn’t fill out an application. There was no interview process, no back and forth.

The only explanation I can think of is… God.

As you’ve seen – or at least we hope you’ve seen – the 2015