Pilgrim Lutheran Church & School

Thanks to the support of our donors, our Foundations capital campaign has been successful so far! We appreciate your support as our school grows and we reach more children with a great education and the love of Christ!

2024: A New Addition Brings Broad Missional Impact

In 2024, Pilgrim will break ground on a new eight-classroom addition that will provide space to expand Pilgrim’s school and daycare ministries while freeing up other facilities for inreach and outreach programs. This addition is highlighted by a library/media center with large windows for natural light throughout the day, as well as a classroom specially equipped to support science and art.

Besides the eight classrooms, the expansion will also include four furnished collaboration spaces to provide a flexible and creative space for small groups. For a more quiet and private setting, small groups can also utilize the new resource/conference room. Both floors also have locker alcoves and the second floor has fully handicap accessible restrooms.

How Will Pilgrim’s Ministry Be Impacted by This Campaign?

The Foundations campaign will have a broad ministry impact at Pilgrim. In order to facilitate the growth of the school and daycare ministry, along with providing needed space for church programs and ministries, we are building an eight-classroom addition. This will allow us to free up space for additional community ministry opportunities while meeting the needs of our school community.

PREACH the Word
(read more…)

This is our foundation. Adding space today and building for tomorrow will allow us to support more community-based ministries on our campus, creating more opportunities with both school families and community members to PREACH the Word.

TEACH the Children
(read more…)

We are quite simply out of room to add additional classes. Did you know we turned away 33 children this past year? Building this expansion would mean none of those children would be turned away because we lack the space to provide outstanding programs. By supporting our amazing, dedicated teaching staff with modern, flexible learning spaces, we will be able to TEACH more children.

REACH the Next Generation
(read more…)

Pilgrim has a rich history of providing teachers and ministers to REACH the next generation. Many Pilgrim alumni have followed God’s call into ministry as pastors, teachers, and professional church workers. Our present teaching staff includes former Pilgrim students and lifelong members. Leading children to discover God’s call for them into the ministry often begins in elementary school, and by forming more future church workers we will continue to REACH the next generation.

Reach EACH Person
(read more…)

As the school and daycare ministries grow, supported by a vibrant church community, we will have even MORE opportunities to share Christ’s love with the broader Green Bay community.

For the 2023-2024 school year, we had to turn away 33 children.

We currently have the teachers and staff to support these children, but don’t have the space. Our mission is to accept every child who wants to come to Pilgrim for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond!

Every minute makes a difference — whether in worship, Bible study, the classroom, or service to our community. When we invest in more minutes sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus, we are responding to our calling as his forgiven, faithful children.

Messages from
Foundations Campaign Leadership

Pastor Michael Hanson

Principal Joshua Sommermeyer

Jerry Ganz, Capital Campaign Director

Pilgrim Families

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we looking to add to Pilgrim’s school building?

The primary reason is to expand the enrollment at our school. There are more families that want to send their children to our school than we currently have room to accommodate. We have turned away students because several of our classes are at capacity.

Why are we building eight classrooms when the original proposal was for four?

We learned that four additional classrooms are the minimum we need to accommodate the expected student population next school year. If we only build four classrooms, we will likely face the same issues all over again a year or two from now. In addition, the eight-classroom plan is the most efficient use of the space where the addition is proposed to go. Finally, it is considerably cheaper to build the eight-classroom addition now than to build a four classroom addition now and another addition later on. Our best data concludes that we would save $810,000 by building the larger addition now versus part now and part later.

What is the estimated cost of the project, and how do we expect to pay for it?

The estimated cost of the project is 3.4 million dollars. We have laid thegroundwork for a successful capital campaign and have many contingencyplans. We will have a construction loan while the funds come in for theFoundations campaign (over three years), and if necessary, will be able tosecure a long-term loan.

Will this addition eliminate the shortage of meeting rooms for other ministry functions?

Yes. Almost all school students and school programs will move into the schoolbuilding, which will open up meeting rooms as well as provide additional officespace for our staff.

Why are we not upgrading the daycare building?

In its research, the Building Committee determined that the building is already appropriately permitted to be used for educational purposes and is code compliant for that purpose. As a result, we are not required to do anything for code compliance reasons unless we make changes to the layout of the building. However, upon completion of the new building, we plan to bring the daycare into the main church/school building, which will free up the present daycare building to be used for other ministry purposes.

What are Pilgrim Lutheran School’s enrollment projections for the next five years?

The current enrollment for 2023-2024 is 292. The past five years’ enrollment and next five years’ projections are:

2018-2019 – 229

2019-2020 – 237

2020-2021 – 224

2021-2022 – 254

2022-2023 – 276

2023-2024 – 292

2024-2025 – 325

2025-2026 – 346

2026-2027 – 376

2027-2028 – 404

2028-2029 – 424

What does this addition do to help us serve the Kingdom?

It allows us to bring more families into a Christ-centered school, where each child can grow up learning about their Savior and then extend the Kingdom into their own families by sharing what they have learned.

What does this addition do to improve the quality of education in our school?

It allows education for growth in a 21st century direction with collaboration spaces for students, areas for one-on-one work (conference rooms), rooms equipped for science and art, and additional storage, which frees up more space for students/activities in the classroom.