The American Reformed Church will host classes for Equipt, a K-5 income-based tuition Christian school starting in Luverne.
School organizers are mostly ARC members who have so far garnered interest among families of 30 potential students who would start Equipt classes in September.
A Feb. 24 meeting will offer updates on staffing and fundraising for Equipt, which has a goal of providing affordable Christian education in the community.
“We have wonderful school options in our area,” said Brooke Van Essen, a former Luverne public school teacher who is spearheading the effort.
“This school is not meant to replace any of the options we have, but to allow for another option for families to consider.”
The goal, she said, is to have school that “will be affordable to any family that wants to have a Biblical worldview for their child.”
The Feb. 24 meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the American Reformed Church where attendees can view classrooms, curriculum and enrollment packets for the 2025-26 school year.
Equipt will utilize lower-level ARC classrooms that the church currently uses for Wednesday church classes, Sunday school and youth group meetings.
Van Essen said the church uses the spaces Sundays and Wednesdays, but during school days, Equipt students and staff can occupy classrooms and large group areas without interfering with church functions.
School staff and families will use the church’s south entrance, which won’t disrupt funerals or other weekday church functions.
Equipt will have access to a small lower-level kitchenette, but students will bring their own lunches.
The school will lease space from ARC, but Van Essen said she approached several churches in the community about hosting the school, which will have non-denominational messages.
“ARC was an option from the beginning but we really wanted it to be God’s location — not the first one that came available,” she said.
“We did a lot of searching into churches … and really dug through all the options. All of the others fell through, so ARC is the one God has picked for us.”
Van Essen said ARC stood out for some of its larger spaces for assemblies, physical education and indoor recess.
Also, she said Equipt has already benefited from numerous positive relationships within the ARC congregation. “This will be encouraging as relationships are key with a new startup,” Van Essen said.
Current Equipt board members are mostly ARC members, including ARC pastor Mike Altena and his wife, Vicki. Also on the board are Randy Sasker (a Luverne School Board member), Heather Doerr, Angie Fick, Dan Hanenburg, Brenda Winter, Teresa VanBelle, and Marilyn Bloemendaal.
Van Essen said planning for the new school has been both demanding and rewarding.
“It has truly been a blessing to watch God walk beside me and my team through this process,” she said.
“I am so excited to see how he continues to work through the fundraising and enrollment process as I know he is going to show up while we do our work as well.”
The school website is www.equiptchristianschool.org. Questions can be sent to equipt2024@gmail.com.
