Mark and Anne Lucasse- Wiersma

Background

For a variety of reasons, Nigeria often views its school teachers just a notch or so above unskilled laborers, and rarely as leaders. Communities yearn for effective instruction and godly models.
Nigeria’s school age population exceeds the combined total of MI, IN, IL, WI, & MN. In Nigeria’s south, “Christian” schools outnumber public. The north is mainly Muslim.

Mission

Mark trains teams of local school teachers as in-service leaders for their local colleagues. The Educational Care (EC) training program is used to address root needs.

• Biblical worldview
• Preventive & corrective discipline
• How students learn
• Purpose & value of one’s school
• Developing student gifts
• Leadership in schools

Meshing lessons and management with biblical worldview is benefiting administrators and teachers. In EC, action planning is used to practice concepts and skills.

Teachers’ thinking expands. Observers are telling about visible improvements at school. Godly truth is linking subjects to life. Teachers are crafting lessons that develop student gifts. Biblical integration is improving student achievement.

Anne is Superintendent for Hillcrest’s elementary, middle and high schools.

Internationally respected, Hillcrest School was founded in 1942 for the children of missionaries. Now, 75 years later, both Hillcrest’s staff and students are more international. Anne is helping Hillcrest chart a course for godly stewardship and witness for the next 75 years. Hillcrest provides rigorous Christian education for international and Nigerian families that work in missions and other professions. Its graduates are making a difference in government, business, churches, and military, in Nigeria and worldwide.

Mark and Anne are both grateful to be serving in education in Nigeria.