MACEDONIAN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Developing Christian Leaders since 1987 Inside this issue: Roarin Lion Band 2 Class of 2016 3 Giving 4 Opportunities Fine Arts Program 6 MCA Athletics 7 Winter 2015 FINE ARTS BANQUET AND AUCTION Every year Macedonian Christian Academy hosts its Fine Arts Banquet & Auction (FABA). It is one of the most exciting fundraising events that our school will produce all year! Our guests enjoy an elegant evening with family and friends. However, the highlight of the evening is MCA s very own high school students performances. Our goal is to raise money for our Annual L.I.F.E. fund. The An- nual L.I.F.E. fund allows MCA to keep low tuition costs for its families and also provides additional scholarships for underprivileged students. Table sponsorships are available starting at $500. If you want to sponsor a table at this event, please contact Juan Curling at 956-5669656 or send us an email at mcapraise@gmail.com. For more information visit www.mcalions.com/events/faba. Macedonian Christian Academy
MCA Roarin Lion Band By Vernisha Murray The MCA Band Department is now in its fourth year of operation under the direction of Vernisha Portis-Murray. This year is looking even more promising than last year for the department. The Roarin' Lion Beginner Band consists of 21 students in the fifth and sixth grades on the MCA South Campus. The Symphonic Band is comprised of 88 students from seventh - twelfth grade on the MCA North Campus. The band once again had a very successful year in 2015. The members of the band stay extremely busy as they support the MCA Athletic Department by performing at basketball and volleyball games. In December the band participated in its first parade! The band marched the streets of Donna as they represented Macedonian Christian Academy in the Donna ISD Literacy Parade. They received a Second Place Trophy in the Community Participant category. The band also had outstanding performances in their annual Christmas concert and Spring concert. The band competed in the Texas 2 Macedonian Christian Academy Music Festivals Competition in May of 2015 at South Padre Island. They received high honors earning a Division One Trophy, Best in Class trophy and a third Place Overall Trophy at the contest. The Symphonic Band is also a featured performance group during the Macedonian Christian Academy Commencement and Awards Ceremony. The band participated in the Fine Arts event at MCA on November 20, 2015. The Band Department is always grateful for the outpour of support from MCA staff, parents and community. Their goals are to continue on the path of achieving excellence in musical performance and representing the standards and vision of MCA.
Class of 2016 By Emily Wade The senior class of 2016 is one of our biggest yet! With a staggering 12-student total, this class has started the year off well with a desire to make an impact for Christ. Together with the junior class, they have taken the initiative to start meeting together in small, student-led groups on Thursday mornings. These discipleship groups include all of the students from seventh through twelfth grade, and they provide an opportunity for the younger students to discuss life issues with more mature peers. We cannot wait to see what God does in and through these discipleship groups this year! Looking back through the years at this group of students, it is plain to see how God has worked in every heart in the class of 2016. Students who seemed to have little desire for or interest in God only a few years ago are now meeting together with younger students in order to pray for and encourage them. They are taking responsibility to lead a prayer hour for their class. As for their future plans, several seniors have the desire to serve God in a church or missions setting, while others want to serve Him in the professions He is calling them to pursue. Just as God has been faithful to protect and develop them through their years at MCA, we know He will continue to do the same even after the diplomas are awarded. May God bless the class of 2016. Macedonian Christian Academy 3
Giving Opp This year s goal is the biggest one yet for MCA. It is $150,000! Pray with us for God s provision! Annual L.I.F.E. Fund Leadership, Integrity, Faith, Education When you invest in MCA, you are investing in young lives...the next generation of leaders. The next group of entrepreneurs, politicians, church leaders, and community leaders are being trained today for service tomorrow. At MCA, we do our best to help all of our students who are in need of financial support. Currently, we are able to give scholarships to families who cannot afford our already low-tuition cost. Our hope for the future is to help ALL of our students in need. With the Annual L.I.F.E. Fund, we can make this happen! Not only will we be able to accept more students, but we will also be able to disciple more students to live Christlike lives. Would you consider investing in young lives by donating to the Annual L.I.F.E. Fund today? 30% Scholarship 30% Special Projects 10% Operations 30% Emergency Fund The Annual L.I.F.E. fund needs your contribution to help fill the financial gap. Every donation counts! 4 Macedonian Christian Academy
portunities Christmas Shopping? Help us raise money as you shop! When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to MCA! - Go to www.smile.amazon.com - Search for Missionary Evangelism Inc., Alamo, TX - Start shopping! GIVE ONLINE! Sign up online today for automatic monthly giving using your checking account, credit card, or debit card. Go to www.mcalions.com, and click on the Donate NOW button on the right side of the homepage, and follow the instructions. Thank you for donating the carpet to finish the gym! 20 DONORS NEEDED Are you one of them? 120 s CLUB Join today! By donating $120 yearly ($10 per month), you can help make a difference in a young child s life. Send us a check, or sign up online. Easy online giving! Sign up online today for automatic monthly giving using your checking account, credit card, or debit card. Visit www.mcalions.com, click the Donate Now button, and sign up! Macedonian Christian Academy 5
Fine Arts Showcase By Callie VanDeLinde I sit in nervous but excited anticipation; the moment of the performance has finally arrived. As the houselights fade, the hum of audience chatter subsides as anticipation fills the room. The performers take their places. It is showtime. The stage lights come up on a beautiful scene of backdrops, costumes, props, and actors. Each line that has been rehearsed for months joins together to draw the audience into an exciting story. Then, without warning, lights begin to flicker, and suddenly the left side of the stage goes dark. My heart pounds faster as I wrack my brain for a solution. I check the lighting control board, the mess of taped-down cables, the assortment of spliced plugs and attachments on the lights, and the overheated power cords. The problem could be coming from any of these! After bungling several attempts at a diagnosis and solution, I kill the lights and restart the control box. It works! The lights reappear, and a sigh of relief rolls across the audience. I wipe beads of nervous sweat from my brow and return to the light board just in time to dim the lights for the end of the scene. In May of last year, after discussing the need for permanent stage lighting equipment, MCA s Fine Arts Department decided to create an event to showcase our Fine Arts Program while presenting our need for funding. While our current lighting equipment has been sufficient to give general lighting for the past 10 years, it is unfortunately damaged, unreliable, and no longer sufficient. The time has come for a replacement. We decided to host a sacred concert through which we could showcase all the elements of our Fine Arts Program. We combined the Elementary and High School Choirs, the Symphonic Band, the High School Theatre department, and several individual vocalists and musicians as well. Sacrifice was the theme of the program. It was based on the story of Jim Elliot, a missionary who gave his life to share the Gospel with a tribe of Ecuadorian Indians called the Aucas. Elliot wrote, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. The students shared the message that no life given to God is ever wasted. Just like the acorn was intended to die in order to become an oak tree, so God uses our losses to bring us greater life. While our goal was to raise money for new lights, our greater goal was that our audience would see and understand the value of a life poured out for Jesus. We want our students to use the fine arts to bring glory to our God who experienced the greatest loss of all in order to bring us life. While we have not yet reached our financial goal, we are confident God will provide exactly what we need in order to improve our lighting design, our Fine Arts Department, and our development of Christian leaders. Our desire is that our lighting would be an enhancement, not a distraction, to our Fine Arts Department and the message that the students present. If God leads you to help us achieve these goals, you will have a vital part in the success of our next production. When the new lights come up, maybe just maybe I will not have to be sweating bullets. 6 Macedonian Christian Academy
MCA ATHLETICS Jr. High Volleyball Junior Varsity Basketball Elementary Soccer Varsity Basketball Girls Varsity Basketball Home of the Varsity Soccer LIONS Macedonian Christian Academy 7
P.O. Box 206, Alamo, TX 78516 PRESORTED NON PROFIT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID MCALLEN, TX PERMIT NO. 408 INSERT ADDRESS HERE Kautsch 705 W HIGHWAY 83 ALAMO, TX 78516-2528 956-787-2721 8 Macedonian Christian Academy