Greetings from Martin Luther High School!

MLHS is a Lutheran high school that has always given and shared love to those that walk through our doors. MLHS equips students to succeed in academics and faith, preparing them to thrive in a constantly changing world. It has always been a close-knit group of students, faculty, and parents, one we consider a family. Like most, our family has been through many ups and downs, but we need your help more than ever before.

Our community is unique. In addition to the students whose families have lived in the area for generations, we have a growing international population. Many of the students at the school are first- and second-generation immigrants who fled the ongoing civil wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They represent an increasing presence of refugees in southeast and west Michigan, having come from situations that would be almost unimaginable to most of us in the United States. The children who have come to the United States have known this other life yet flourish at MLHS. Providing a Lutheran education for these students and other students with significant financial needs has become part of our mission.

Our school has always had a low student-teacher ratio so that every student gets the help they need to be successful. We encourage every student to participate actively in this community and beyond, to grow and mature into successful adults. We embrace being a closely-knit family of learners, showing each other love as our Lord does. We have aligned our academic curriculum to the Michigan Merit Curriculum and state content standards and guidelines. Combining current instructional best practices with innovative educational methods like Project-Based Learning and Genius Hour or “MakerSpace” has helped our students thrive. The love and support in the MLHS community result in our higher than average academic scores, volunteer work, and overall school culture.

Our school has been blessed in ways we couldn’t have imagined even five years ago. We own a building that is perfect for our needs. We offer diverse learning environments, and we have changed lives in ways that would not have been possible anywhere else. We desire to stay where we are and to improve our building over the upcoming years. However, the cost of operating a facility this size is staggering. We planned to enroll 80-90 tuition-paying students for the 2020-21 school year, thereby meeting our yearly expenses. COVID, as it has with so many things, drastically altered that plan. Our enrollment was half of what we expected, with many students needing significant financial aid. Without access to funding that some larger schools have, we have been able to survive by God’s grace and through the generosity of individual donors. However, we have not been able to recover from the effects that COVID had on our community. We need your help!

We have several options to choose from. We could raise the necessary funds through donors and tuition sponsors for our current students to continue to operate while we actively grow our enrollment. There is also the possibility of selling this facility, using over $500,000 in building equity to continue this same mission in a new place.

Although the numbers may seem intimidating, they are not impossible! The truth is, with your help, we can ensure that we can finish the school year in our building. We need to raise $200,000. Our Board of Directors has informed us we need to reach this goal by Friday, March 4th, 2022.

Being able to stay in our building at least through the year would greatly benefit many. It gives us a chance to re-evaluate how we run the building to come even closer together and cut expenses. We can reach out to our partner churches and schools and build stronger relationships to strengthen our incoming classes over the year. It allows our teachers to continue doing the job they love in the place they have made their home. It gives the current students the comfort of knowing they can finish the year without being uprooted again.

With the help of God, and your generous donations and encouragement, we believe we can meet and even exceed the goal set for us! We want to touch the hearts and give a sense of hope, love, friendship, and community to students who need it most. Any contribution and donation are greatly loved and appreciated, and even if you can't donate, please, please, PLEASE share on social media and spread the word.

As the only Lutheran high school of its kind in the Greater Lansing area, this unique mission and ministry must continue! Fellow Christians, friends, family....we need your help and the time is now!

May God bless you and be with you, and thank you for taking the time to read this.