2010 CID Spring Pastors' Conference
April 18-20, 2010
Springfield, Illinois
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Good Shepherd Breaks Ground for New Pekin School
PEKIN – A former Leath Furniture Store and the adjacent land occupied by a former Steak ‘n Shake restaurant will soon become the new home for Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Pekin.
Ground breaking for the $3.2 million project took place on June 17th in front of the 38,000 square foot Leath building which will be remodeled into classrooms and office space. The former Steak ‘n Shake building will be demolished for additional parking and a playground area.
The new facility is the culmination of a feasibility study and capital campaign that raised $1.2 million in pledges for the new school which will house preschoolers through eighth-graders. A spring 2010 opening for students is tentatively scheduled. Financing for the project is provided by the Central Illinois District Church Extension Fund.
Good Shepherd School has been housed for the last 22 years in the former Lincoln Grade School in Pekin. The advanced age of the old leased building, expensive maintenance and lack of needed space to grow, all contributed to seeking a more suitable location. The new school will be on state Route 9, providing excellent public exposure. Good Shepherd Principal Ralph Mickley said, "There is going to be a tremendous outreach to the community." The current school enrollment has about 50 preschoolers and 102 kindergartners through eighth graders.
The Tazewell Lutheran School Association consists of Trinity, Pekin, St. John’s, Pekin, and St. John’s, Green Valley.
Picture 1 - Pastors of the three congregations that own Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Pekin, Rev. Tom Wenndt, St. John’s, Green Valley; Dr. Rodger Abatie, Trinity, Pekin; and Rev. Glen Niemann, St. John’s, Pekin; and Troy Thomas, Chairman of the Tazewell County Lutheran School Association, look on as the mayor of Pekin, Rusty Dunn, addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking of the school’s new facility.
Picture 2 - Participating in the June 17 groundbreaking for the new facility for Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Pekin, (L - R) Rev. Darwood Kesselmayer, retired; Rev. Glenn Niemann, St. John’s, Pekin; Rusty Dunn, mayor of Pekin; Rev. Mark Miller, St. John’s Pekin; Ralph Mickey, principal of Good Shepherd Lutheran School; Dr. Rodger, Abatie, Trinity, Pekin; Rev. Thomas Wenndt, St. John’s, Green Valley; Troy Thomas, Chairman of the Tazewell Lutheran School Association Board; Brian Fuelberth, Secretary of the TLSA Board; Rod Bollinger, Treasurer of the TLSA Board; and Charlie Berndt, Vice Chairman of the TLSA Board.
