Crean Lutheran High School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Brian Underwood

 

IRVINE, Calif. --- Lutheran South High School, the first Christian high school in the City of Irvine, recently announced that the Crean Family Foundation has donated $10 million to support the opening of its state-of-the-art high school. The gift was made in memory of John C. Crean, the recently-deceased Orange County philanthropist and founder of the Fortune 500 recreational vehicle manufacturer, Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc.

 

Lutheran South High School begins classes August 28th in a beautiful and brand new 2-story classroom building at 4947 Alton Parkway, in Irvine (a 2-year interim location on the campus of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church).

 

The Crean donation will help Lutheran South open with strength as one of over 125 high schools in the national Lutheran education system. The Lutheran educational system has been providing excellent education to America's youth for over 160 years. In a recent landmark survey by the U.S. Department of Education, Lutheran education was ranked highest among all educational entities (public, charter, Catholic, and other private). There are over 3,000 schools and 300,000 students in the Lutheran system.

 

Lutheran South is the sister campus to Orange Lutheran in the City of Orange, which is known for its 2006 State Football Championship as well as its academic excellence, sending 98% of its graduates to four year colleges. Lutheran South's principal and assistant principal are both from Orange Lutheran. Lutheran South is also part of the same national education system as Concordia University in Irvine. Concordia's president and Orange Lutheran's executive director are board members of Lutheran South.

 

Ever since a Lutheran pastor counseled John and Donna Crean, early in their marriage, to tithe according to the Bible, the Creans responded giving at least 10% of their annual income to the Lord. In their later years, the Creans grew in their giving far beyond tithing -- donating 50% of their income to Christian ministries and other charities. The Creans frequently said that they were "blessed to be a blessing" to others.. The $10 million donation to Lutheran South memorializes the Crean's commitment to tithing, Christian education, and charitable giving back to the community. "We are pleased to lift up the Crean's dedication to the Biblical principle of tithing and the Crean’s self-understanding of being “blessed to be a blessing,” ," said Pastor Bill Bartlett, Lutheran South's executive director.

 

The $10 million Crean Foundation gift is the largest in its history and serves not only as the family’s legacy gift to John Crean, but it also serves as the lead gift for the high school. "We believe this is the largest gift that any Lutheran K-12 school has ever received and is a tremendous lead gift for our capital campaign, which is now underway," said Rick Needham, school president and board chair.

 

John Crean had an abiding passion for supporting Lutheran education. Over the years, he gave numerous gifts to California Lutheran University, located in Thousand Oaks. In 1998, Crean gave $2.3 million to help establish Aliso Viejo Christian School in Aliso Viejo, but declined the naming rights. In recent years, Crean gave the seed money for the start of a Lutheran high school in the Irvine area, which has enabled Lutheran South to get its start.

 

Several years ago, California Lutheran University awarded John Crean with the “Tom Landry Medal,” honoring him for his commitment, service, and generosity to Christian education and to his creative and respected entrepreneurial and employment practices. "Board members are pleased that the Crean name teaches and preaches well," said Mr. Needham.

 

Lutheran South will open in September of 2007 in an interim location, a brand new 30,000 square foot classroom building located at 4947 Alton Parkway in Irvine on the campus of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Woodbridge. “Our Lord blessed us with a beautiful building. Parents and students are thrilled!" said Principal Jeffrey Beavers. The high school plans to move to its permanent location in the summer of 2009.

 

Reflecting, and inviting our students and others to join John Crean’s commitments to 1-Christ, 2-God’s Word, 3-the practice of tithing-which included a gift of $10 million to our school, 4-Christian education, and 5-being a change(d)-agent through Jesus, Lutheran South High School will undergo a minor name revision to Crean Lutheran South High School. Also, in our permanent campus, presently under design and soon to be under construction, there will be a hallway lined with display cases containing a small fraction of the 100s of awards, honors, and plaques which John received in acknowledgement of Donna and his generous gifts as they lived out the "Crean Way" of Christian discipleship.  Appropriately, this hallway will be called "The Crean Way"!

 

Please see the below listed five “milestones” which guide the path of discipleship for the students and families of our school. In gratitude to our Lord, because "He so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16), the "Crean Way" describes our response to our Lord as  ...

 

1. We Tithe -- Malachi 3:10, Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."  Matthew 6:21, Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

 

2. We Commit to Christian Education – Psalm 78:3-7, What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us, we will not hide from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.  Ephesians 6:4, "Bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord."

 

3. We Are Blessed to be a Blessing – Genesis 12:2, I will bless you…and you will be a blessing.

 

4. We Are Entrepreneurial Laborers for the Lord -- Colossians 3:17 & 23, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him… Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for others.

 

5. We Make a Difference for Christ… and Are Change(d)-Agents in the Community -- Romans 12:1-2, I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.