Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Exodus 24:9-11

This is a story I’ve missed as I’ve read the Bible through on my own, took Old Testament courses in college, or listened to sermons on Exodus. I found this oversight striking as the account comes well before the more famous story of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32. How could I have skipped over God inviting the leaders and elders of Israel into his presence, giving them a glimpse of His magnificence and goodness? Once discovered, I re-read this passage many times, reaching out to theologian friends for greater clarity only to receive the response of “I missed that one, too.”

Isn’t Scripture and the way God unfolds his majesty and love to us amazing? There is always more to discover in God’s Word and in God’s world.

As you have just finished your Good Friday remembrances and Easter celebrations, let me offer a few encouragements. Enjoy God’s presence, be surprised by His beauty, build community in His presence, and tell the stories of His grace. I experienced many of these gifts at March’s Converge conference in San Diego. CACE joined other Christian school organizations to share stories of where God is at work around the world and to prepare for the future of Christian education. The greatest challenge as we leave and go back to the daily grind (after a conference or after Holy Week) is that we forget those amazing moments with our God and Savior.

Don’t forget: Tell the story! The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed!

Erik Ellefsen
Senior CACE Fellow

CACE Team Updates

Thank you, Jody Rozenboom

CACE is bidding a very fond farewell to Jody Rozenboom. Jody has accepted a new position at Bylsma-Mulder Family Dentistry in Sioux Center where she will be primarily working with insurance and payroll processes. Jody has been faithfully serving since 2014 as the CACE’s administrative assistant, but that title did not do justice to the myriad of tasks and operations that Jody oversaw. During her time in this role, CACE has seen incredible growth, from a cohort of 8 schools to now serving over 100 schools each year. She has provided tremendous information management and diversified clerical support for the director, the Fellows, the TfT school designers, and the many Christian schools they serve across the country. On behalf of CACE, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jody for all the ways she served CACE and the Christian school community. We wish you God’s richest blessings as you continue serving Him in new ways! If you would like to send Jody a note of thanks, please feel free to email her at jody.rozenboom@dordt.edu.

Welcome, Paul Neal

CACE welcomes senior fellow Paul Neal as the new director of operations. Paul brings years of experience in marketing research and enrollment management expertise to the team. Paul has presented and been published on the use of normative data in analysis, respondent motives, trends in education and online communities, and respondent quality. Paul joined the team after serving as Senior Vice President for Advancement and Communications at Cairn University. Prior to founding research firm Charter Oak Research (now part of CACE), Paul was Principal at Olson Research Group for 15 years as well as serving as the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Federalism at Temple University, where he was responsible for qualitative research on political culture and U.S. Public Policy. Paul has served as an adjunct faculty member at several Philadelphia area universities. Paul is a graduate of Eastern (B.A.) and Villanova (M.A.) Universities and attended Temple University for further graduate study.

Welcome, Amanda Albright

CACE welcomes Amanda Albright in her new role as Director of Learning for Teaching for Transformation where she will focus on the ongoing support of the TfT School Designer team, the identification and development of new TfT resources for our Network of schools, and ongoing collaboration with existing and new TfT partnerships. Prior to this role, Amanda served as a TfT School Designer for several years. She has taught in public and private schools in the Pacific Northwest as well as a Christian school in the Dominican Republic. Her passion for education has been fueled and shaped by time spent overseas, teaching children and training leaders from a variety of backgrounds. In her work with TfT, Amanda bears witness to students and teachers growing into a deeper understanding of who God is as they learn and live His Story. Amanda is deeply engaged in leadership and community within her local church, but she also loves to travel and meet people from around the world.

Welcome, Ed Starkenburg

Ed Starkenburg recently joined the CACE team as office administrator, assisting CACE personnel and communicating with schools in the CACE network. For 17 years Ed served as an education professor at Dordt University. Prior to that position, he chaired and taught in the Education Department at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. His experience also includes teaching third and fourth graders for 12 years in Northwest Iowa. Ed earned a B.A. from Dordt University, an M.Ed. in elementary education from the University of Sioux Falls (1987), and an Ed.D. from the University of Northern Iowa (1999), specializing in curriculum and instruction.

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

Center for the Advancement of Christian Education 700 7th Street NE
Sioux Center, IA | 51250 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.