GreenPark Christian Academy Opens

Doors to Southside Christian School

By Jim Day

After being a ministry of South Side Hills Assembly of God for over 25 years, Southside Christian School, a K-8th grade private school in South County, found itself in need of a new church to call home. GreenPark Community Church opened its arms and welcomed the families.

In the fall of last year, Southside Hills Assembly of God made the decision to sell its building which housed both the church and the school and announced in December that finding a new location that would include room for the school was not in its plans.

In an effort to save the school, principal Art Morgan began to consider the school’s options which led him to call the pastors of GreenPark Community Church and GreenPark Christian Academy, a new private Christian high school. Upon hearing the fate of Southside Christian School, Pastors Brian and Jonique Will knew something had to be done. “We weren’t sure how we would be able to help, but knew that God would not want the school to close,” said Pastor Jonique Will.

After just a few meetings with the present Principal and School Board President, Paula Ramos, GreenPark Community Church extended the invitation for Southside to merge with their school and welcomed them with open arms.

GreenPark Christian Academy, located in South County, opened its doors for the first time last fall. Housing its 109 new students for the 2008-2009 year will not be a problem for the 36,000 square foot facility, but it will be an adjustment for the Academy which in its first year only had 6 high school students. “We knew God had given us the vision and a heart for Christian education and knew that we had to open no matter how many students attended the first year,” said Pastor Brian Will. The current students have enjoyed the year of very personalized attention. Although the new year will include over 100 new students, GreenPark Christian Academy is still committed to its vision of personally mentoring every student. With its motto of “Teaching Effectively, Mentoring Consistently and Transforming Lives,” GreenPark Christian Academy is committed to maintaining that vision. When Pastors Brian and Jonique first observed the faculty and staff at Southside, they were immediately impressed by their relationship with each of their students. “The relationships that we observed were the kind of relationships that make differences in student’s lives and that has always been part of the vision for our school,” said Pastor Brian, which led them to not only extend the open arm offer to the students but the faculty as well.

Parents of the students of Southside are very excited and grateful to hear the news. “The school means a lot to the faculty as well as the students and their families, we have a great community here which blends perfectly with what GreenPark has been trying to accomplish as well,” said Principal Art Morgan. “Our families readily accepted the idea of merging with GreenPark and although the move will be a great deal of work they are excited about the future.” According to a Southside parent, “Something great is happening at GreenPark and I want to be a part of it!”

Since its inception, something great indeed has been happening at GreenPark Community Church. Started as a God-given vision one and a half years ago, GreenPark was planted by Pastors Brian and Jonique Will. “We knew that Christian education was to be a part of that vision from the very beginning, we just had no idea how quickly He would turn that vision into fruition,” said Pastor Jonique. “Our congregation is very excited about the expansion of our education ministry and look forward to welcoming the new families.”

GreenPark Community Church is a non-denominational church with service at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays followed by Bible Study for all ages. For the 2008-2009 school year, GreenPark Christian Academy will now be K-12 and will include such benefits as a Resource Teacher, hands-on activities, field trips, special programs and strong parental involvement. In an effort to accommodate the needs of the families, GreenPark will also offer before and after school care as well as a summer long SummerFest Adventures Camp this summer. Registration opened February 1st and registration packets can be obtained through GreenPark Christian Academy (314) 416-7171, by emailing info@gpcacademy.com or visiting their website at www.gpcacademy.com.