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“CLING TO THE CROSS”, as based upon Psalm 118 verse 14, was the theme of our teachers conference in Des Moines: “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” This was quoted from the victory song at the Red Sea found in Exodus 15 verse 2a. This was the spiritual focus of the Iowa District East/West Teacher’s Conference last Thursday as Lutheran school teachers from across the state came together to grow in God’s Word and in quality Christ-centered education.

Psalm 118 was Martin Luther’s “own beloved psalm. Although the entire Psalter and all of Holy Scripture are dear to me as my only comfort and source of life, I fell in love with this psalm especially. Therefore I call it my own.” (Luther’s Works) The Lord is my strength. I do not know about you, but I have learned over and over again that my strength does not come from me. My strength is only that which comes from Christ. I am dependent upon His grace and mercy and it is through Him that I am able to face the challenges of this life. This victory song was sung by Moses and the people of Israel after He had delivered them from “the hand of the Egyptians…Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians…” when they were caught between the Egyptian army and the waters of the Red Sea. In Robert Morgan’s book, The Red Sea Rules, he shares that these types of difficult situations are when God reveals His strength to us. When we do not seem to have anywhere to turn and then God answers our prayers and gives us deliverance.

I thank God that His ultimate deliverance is from sin, death and Satan. He has given us this deliverance through Christ’s death on a cross and resurrection from the grave. Knowing and believing God’s plan for our salvation is truly what we can cling to during our Red Sea moments. Indeed, we are invited by God to cling to Jesus…to cling to the cross. May God reveal His strength to you this week.

Rev. Henry Pahlkotter

The theme of Valley Lutheran School’s capital campaign to cover the cost of our current renovations and further plans to finish 4 additional classrooms, complete the administrative offices, and more during the Summer of 2025. We already know we will be in need of additional classroom space next fall. God is doing exciting things at Valley. This theme is based upon Psalm 145 verse 4 written by King David. He praises God for His mighty acts and understands the importance of sharing this from generation to generation.

Debbie, my wife, and I were blessed to have the opportunity to send all three of our children through high school to Lutheran Christ-Centered Schools. We understood our calling as parents to pass on the faith. With both of us having an educational background, we also understood the power of keeping this in front of our children at home and at school. We quickly realized that the schools we sent all three of our children to had more daylight time with our children than we did as parents. We might have an hour with our children in the morning and then possibly 3 or 4 hours with them after school before they went to bed. School had our children for nearly 7 hours every day. In a 7 day week, our children were with teachers for nearly 35 hours. This was a valuable time for our children to grow academically. It was also valuable time for them to grow in faith.

Debbie and I understood that we were the primary teachers in the lives of our children; however, we were not the only teachers. If we were going to send our children to school, we believed it was our responsibility to send them to a place where our family and faith values were going to be reinforced.

GROWING GENERATIONS is Valley’s response in faith to God’s calling to work in partnership with parents who want their children not only to have excellence in education, but also truth in their spiritual growth. Please plan on attending Valley Lutheran School’s GROWING GENERATIONS KICK OFF on Thursday, November 7th, beginning at 6:30 pm. Come and learn how you can partner with us to make sure every parent who desires a Christ-centered Biblical education for their child can and will have that opportunity at Valley Lutheran School.

GROWING GENERATIONS for Christ,

Rev. Henry G. Pahlkotter, III
VLS Executive Director

Dear Valley Lutheran School Families and Friends:

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4) This is the basis of our GROWING GENERATIONS logo that represents Valley’s calling from God to growing generations when the school opened with high school in 2003, our calling to grow generations today Kindergarten through Grade 12, and our vision to continue growing generations for many years to come. Psalm 145 is King David’s song of praise. In this Hebrew poetic acrostic, King David is paying homage to his King, the One and Only true God. He acknowledges and praises God for His “mighty acts” and shares that what God has done is to be told by parents to their children, passed down from one generation to another.

This is what Valley assists parents in doing. Through the delivery of quality education, we strive to be More Than A School in that we teach more than English, Math, and Science. We teach the faith alongside and in partnership with parents to our children.

GROWING GENERATIONS is Valley’s response to a growing enrollment, a dedication to Christ-centered education, and the need for more of our building to be finished to accommodate the current needs of our students. GROWING GENERATIONS is Valley’s desire to not turn students away due to the lack of space or the lack of appropriate facilities. GROWING GENERATIONS is our $4.2 million effort to renovate, enhance security and efficiency, and add learning spaces for God’s children in Kindergarten through Grade 12. GROWING GENERATIONS is only possible with the support of God’s people, including parents and grandparents, desiring to provide our children with God’s truth and grace as we prepare and train students and families to serve and live for Christ.

On Thursday, November 7th, the GROWING GENERATIONS Kick-Off at 6:30 pm will give you an exciting opportunity to view current construction and to envision what yet needs to be done next summer. The evening will include guided tours of the finished areas of the building and areas yet to be finished, a Kick-Off celebration in the Multi-Purpose Room, and a short program highlighting the importance and need for Valley to continue partnering with parents in GROWING GENERATIONS.

Our goal is to fill the MPR with parents, grandparents, alumni, friends of Valley, and brothers and sisters in Christ who believe in the importance, and want to fulfill God’s calling, of passing on faith and GROWING GENERATIONS for Christ.

Rev. Henry G. Pahlkotter, II

Did you know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month? Did you know that the second Sunday in October (13th) is designated as Pastor Appreciation Day? October was designated in 1992 as a day to recognize and show appreciation for the work of pastors, missionaries, and other religious workers. The Apostle Paul shares in his letter to Timothy “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17 ESV). Valley Lutheran School is blessed with three pastors who serve us faithfully as our Valley Lutheran School Chaplains. They are Pastor Kevin Richter (St. John Lutheran, Reinbeck), Pastor Gerald Kapanka (Immanuel Lutheran, Cedar Falls), and Pastor Steve Klawonn (Prince of Peace Lutheran, Evansdale). Pastor Richter coordinates our weekly Chapels, Pastor Kapanka assists with Chapel, and Pastor Klawonn assists with ministry to staff on behalf of the Board of Directors. All three assist with student and family ministry care needs.

We are also blessed with Pastor Duane Lindberg, who represents the American Association of Lutheran Churches (AALC) to the Board of Directors and Pastor Gerald Kapanka who represents the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Churches (LCMS) on the Valley Board of Directors. Plus, we have many other pastors and religious workers who actively support the ministry of our school and our students. We are indeed blessed!

Please join me in giving God thanks for those He has called to serve our churches and our school as faithful shepherds. Take time this month to drop a pastor or religious worker, who Christ has used to impact your life with God’s Word, a note of appreciation. Let them know that God is using them to shine His light. May God use our words of encouragement to “build up” His body including our pastors.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Did you see the people standing in a circle around the Valley flag poles this morning? This was the result of Valley’s High School Student Council leading our participation in the “See You at the Pole” event. This year’s attendance was larger than last year. Praise God! I was so impressed by the young men and women who led us in prayer. They even gave the participants an opportunity to pray out loud before we closed the prayer event with The Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught us.

As believers, God has given us the gift of prayer. It is an opportunity for us to spend some time with our God. We have a relational God who wants to be in a relationship with us. He wants to hear our joys and our concerns. When is the last time you prayed as a family? A great way to grow spiritually as a family is to read a few verses from God’s Word, discuss them, and then go together to the Lord in prayer. What an opportunity! I pray that God grants each of our Valley families the opportunity to pray.

One of my favorite Scripture verses is from Psalm 118 verse 24. “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I have always felt that each and every day is a gift from God. I thank Him for the opportunities He gives me daily to share His love with students, families, and staff. I thank Him for the blessing of living life with a loving family and the many blessings He gives me each day. In the Winter of 2022, I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Having had loved ones touched with cancer and then loosing their battles with it, hearing the “C” word was not easy. I was told that my type of cancer was aggressive and that spring I underwent surgery to remove my prostate and thus the cancer. Today, although I deal with some of the results of such a surgery, I remain cancer free. I praise God for His mercy and healing. It also helps me to more fully appreciate the blessing of each day that He gives me on this earth to do His will and to share His love with others. I pray that God’s love touches you in a way that helps you appreciate each and every day as His gift. A gift to love our families. A gift of time to make a difference within our vocations. A gift to grow in God’s Word and to more fully know what it means to be a survivor of SIN all because of God’s incredible grace and His Son, Jesus, who lived, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of my sins.

God bless your day and rejoice…it is the gift of God. Rev. Henry G. Pahlkotter, II

As I reflect upon the first three weeks of school, I cannot help but feel blessed to be a part of Valley Lutheran School’s ministry. The halls are alive with the smiling faces and joyful voices of our 176 students which is an amazing 20% growth in enrollment. Did you know that 47 of our students and their families are new to Valley? God is working amazing things at Valley and God is shining brightly in and through our students. Our ministry theme this school year is “Jesus is Our Light” as based upon John 8:12: “And Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This truth will be a focus we will fully explore and attempt to understand over the next 9 months. Please pray with me giving God thanks for His light and the truth of His inspired Word. Pray that God will shine brightly in and through students, families, and staff so that the world may see the light of Christ at Valley. Thank you to everyone who helps us be so much More Than A School as Jesus works in and through us as the body of Christ. Have a blessed weekend.

Rev. Henry Pahlkotter, Executive Director/High School Principal