Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) and High Point Christian School (HPCS) are joining together into one school to offer a new wrinkle in Christian education to Madison area families. ALCS is located at 4901 E. Buckeye Road on Madison’s east side, and is a ministry of City Church. HPCS is located at 7702 Old Sauk Road on Madison’s west side, and is a ministry of High Point Church.
Members of the two congregations were informed of the consolidation, as it’s being called, last month. ALCS currently has an enrollment of 209 students, which is significantly smaller than previous years where it has topped 500. Meanwhile HPCS is experiencing a large waiting list of potential students. The elders of City Church asked the elders of High Point Church to consider a merger and the merger was approved.
“I’m both excited and terrified,” said HPCS Principal Diann Cook about the merger. “It’s impossible in man’s scheme of things but we believe God can work it out.” Cook will become administrator of both campuses at the start of the new school year next August. A transitional team of leaders from both schools began work on details of the merger this month.
Two Contrasting Congregations
Today City Church and High Point Church are two of Madison’s larger evangelical churches. Both churches have similar stories of growth and stability over the latter third of the previous century. Both have also experienced some internal disruption in recent years that had major impacts on attendance and membership, that they are now starting to put behind them.
City Church went through a merger of its own just over a year ago, when Mad City Church joined with Lake City Church to become a new congregation. The new congregation seems to have settled into its new identity without a lot of problems. However, a merger of the two schools may present an even more difficult challenge.
HPCS began in 1975 as a ministry of Middleton Baptist Church, as the congregation was then known. ALCS began in 1978 as a ministry of what was then called Madison Gospel Tabernacle. To the degree that each school still reflects the respective conservative Baptist and Pentecostal/Charismatic roots of the two congregations may present a challenge to compatibility.
Serving the Community
Nonetheless both schools have taken in students from a wide variety of local Christian traditions. The HPCS website reports that it has 270 students representing over 30 different congregations. The ALCS website reports it’s educating students from 160 families from 50 different churches. HPCS includes preschool students, ALCS does not. HPCS teaches through grade 8, while ALCS goes through high school.
Both campuses will retain their current name, followed by the common identifier, “A Madison Christian School.” Open enrollment for the coming school year begins February 13th.
Parents who are interested in learning about the schools and their two campuses can call HPCS at 836-7170 or go online at http://highpointchristianschool.org/; or call ALCS at 221-1520 or go online at http://www.alcs.us/. HPCS also has an Open House scheduled at HPCS on January 26, 2012.
(This story was updated on January 19, 2012)