It was September 1984. Marilyn and I walked with our oldest son, Nolan, into Fresno Adventist Academy for his first day of school. I remember the day, not only because of the important rite of passage and obligatory “first day of school” photo, but because the event added a line to our family budget: Tuition.

Yes, it was an added expense, but we wanted the best for our son. And we believed that an Adventist Christian education would provide both the learning environment and the spiritual atmosphere that we valued. After all, wasn’t it worth adjusting our expenditures to include a school influence that would reinforce our family values, not challenge them?

From that day in 1984 until this—for a full 25 years—we have had at least one child in Adventist schools. With four of them, you can understand how our involvement has spanned a quarter of a century. From our own experience I can testify, an Adventist Christian education is not an expense. It is an investment.  

Yes, I believe our children received a superior education. But was that just our children at our school? Now, for the first time, we have objective evidence from across North America documenting the academic quality of an Adventist education—above predicted achievement, in all subjects, in all grade levels, in schools of all sizes. And the margins only increase the longer a student is enrolled (see CognitiveGenesis.org).

More important for Marilyn and me, our children have matured spiritually, making decisions and friends that will impact them for eternity.  Yes, in all the ways that matter, we have already received a priceless “return on investment.”  

This year it will be different. For the first time in 25 years we will not have a student on an Adventist campus. Is it time to celebrate the newly “found” income? Or is it time to increase our giving to the “Worthy Student” fund? It’s hard to turn away from a good investment!

Yours . . . and His,
Ed Wright, D.Min.
President, Georgia-Cumberland Conference