Q. How did you choose Vienna Christian School (VCS)?A. Isn’t it amazing when God puts people in your life for a specific reason? We have both felt called to teach overseas for quite some time. We feel that it is no coincidence that we both have this calling on our lives. This said, we have been looking at a variety of international Christian schools ever since we started teaching five years ago. Vienna Christian School is the first school that we have really felt comfortable with. We will be able to minister to missionary families as well as other international families that need to hear about Christ. Also, we are impressed by the number of staff members they have who are committed to making the transition of living in
Vienna a smooth one for us.
Q. Is education really ministry?A. YES! Education opens doors that you wouldn't believe. Parents are passionate about their kids and will do whatever they can to give their child a better shot at life. By being an affordable, quality, "American" style school and, the best school they can send their children to, we draw in people who would never darken the door of a church because we're the best school they can send their kids to. That's why we have Muslims who send their kids to VCS. That's why we have Atheists sending their kids to VCS. Education brings people into contact with us so that through our lives and our words they might come to know our Lord and Savior.
Q. What kind of ministries are the missionary parents doing?A. You name it they're doing it. Pastors, evangelists, church planters, pastoral training, Bible/Christian resource translation, refugee outreach, music ministry, Christian radio, etc. They're ministering all over Austria and all over Europe, even into the Middle East and North Africa. Many of these people would not be on the field if VCS was not there to serve their children’s education needs. Even among those who would not be off the field, many would have their ministry negatively affected if VCS was not there, either because of the need to home
school or the extra work of dealing with the Austrian system.
Q. Why must you raise support if students are paying tuition?A. One of the primary purposes for VCS's existence is to be a support to the missionary community in and around Vienna. If the school paid a salary to the staff they would have to pay 140% of that amount in taxes to the government (10,000 becomes 24,000). That combined cost
would push tuition costs way beyond what the missionaries could afford. Even amongst the non-missionary community VCS reaches out to those that don't have a ton of money. Many, many students come from families that can't afford the other English speaking schools. They come to the school because it is affordable and it is in English. While at VCS they hear the Gospel, and see our lives, and hopefully come to know our Lord.
Q. How long is your commitment to Vienna Christian School?A. Our initial commitment is for two years.
Q. When do you leave?A. We will be leaving Colorado on July 31st to arrive in Vienna on August 1st. We will also be attending Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) from June 21st-July 4th in New York.
Q. When will you be back?A. We will be back during the summers to visit families and friends, as well as work on renewing our state teaching licenses. During the summers we also hope to be counselors at Quaker Ridge Camp.
Q. When should I start my monthly contributions?A. This is really up to you. Since our ministry actually starts on August 1st your contributions can start at that time; however, we do need some to start contributing earlier as we need over $6,000 each for set up costs. Currently, we have raised 29% of our needed set up costs. Regardless of when you start your contribution, it is important that you go ahead and send in your commitment card so we know what donations have been pledged to us. This is important as we need to know a firm contribution total by June 1st.
Q. Can I contribute with an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)?A. Yes, let us know if you are interested in getting an EFT form. We can give you one or email one to you.
Q. Where do I send my gift?A. Please make sure that all donations for Amanda have the account #2977 on the memo line, and all donations for Carrie have the account #2976 on the memo line. Contributions should be sent to:
RCE International
PO Box 4528
Wheaton, IL 60189
Q. Do I need to distinguish my gift between one time set up costs and monthly contributions?A. No, you don’t need to make any distinction. All money sent to RCE goes to the account number that you put on the memo line of your check. RCE will send us a copy of the commitment card you sent with your contribution. We will be able to determine whether it was a one time gift or a monthly contribution based on the copy of the commitment card that we will receive.
Q. Do I really have to send in two commitment cards?
A. If you are donating for both Amanda and Carrie it is necessary to send in two cards. Since we aren’t related, we have two separate accounts. In order to keep everything straight it is necessary to have two commitment cards.
Q. What happens if I lose my commitment card?A. If you need another commitment card let us know and we can get one for you. There are multiple options. We can physically give you a card, mail or email one to you, or you can find commitment cards on the table just outside the library at church.
