In the winter of 1977, Pastor Alan J. Walker had a revelation to start a Christian school.

“Alan was a visionary,” Mr. I shared when we had the chance to sit down with him to discuss school history, “who had such a love for people and especially for the lost that it just consumed him. One of Alan's many talents," Mr. I continued, "was making you believe that anything was possible.”

The church board ended up meeting in March of 1978 to decide the fate of whether or not the school would become a reality.

The votes came in 6–1 in favor of launching MCA, with just a single, dissenting "no" vote belonging to church clerk: Gary Isaacs. The irony, of course, is that the man who cast the sole "no" vote ended up becoming the very heartbeat of Maranatha Christian Academy.

And so, operating purely by faith, Maranatha Christian Academy opened its doors for the first time the day after Labor Day in 1978 with an enrollment of just 19 students in the basement of the Bloomington Church of God.

Gary Isaacs, or, "Mr. I" as he is affectionately known across the MCA community, stepped in as the school's first official, full-time principal in July of 1979.

And to say those early days operated solely by faith would be an understatement.

"The problems in those early days were many (physically small classrooms, low wages, staff having to share a single mimeograph machine for copies)," Mr. I said, "but the people were great."

Mr. I served his role as principal dutifully for a handful of years, but he was more than happy to pass it on to the next person in line when the opportunity arose.

“The 3rd year I went back in the classroom (Praise God),” Mr. I recalled, “and I have been there ever since.”

Despite all that the school had to endure in those early years, Maranatha Christian Academy exploded in growth as it grew from 19 students its first year to 280 by year three.

To accommodate the booming enrollment, Maranatha had to constantly relocate to leased spaces across the metro, earning the community the affectionate nickname the "Nomadic Charismatics."

And it was through those early years that Mr. I didn't just help the school survive–he helped solidify its identity.

On the surface level, Mr. I established our school’s original red, white, and Columbia blue school colors, and he was the one to officially dub us "The Mustangs."

Mr. I also pioneered MCA's athletic program, launching varsity soccer as our very first official sport, which ultimately paved the way for our beloved mascot, Stomper, to make his debut later on.

Beyond the surface elements that make MCA MCA, Mr. I was also integral to what's most important: Maranatha’s being built upon the solid foundation of God and His Word.

Maranatha Christian Academy has always been Christ-centered, and it always will be due largely in part to the faithful who helped make sure Christ was placed as the cornerstone from the very beginning.

Reflecting back on those early, pioneering years and what brought him to MCA in the first place, Mr. I says that God sovereignly called him to MCA. To Mr. I, working at Maranatha was about so much more than just fulfilling the duties of a job—it was a calling.

“Through it all,” Mr. I concluded, “God has been faithful. Our faith may have been misguided [in those early years], but for the most part, it was very sincere, and God never let us down.”

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And in the final analyses, if God can find people He can use, then He can get His will done.'

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The above story was put together through multiple interviews with Mr. I alongside the use of various notes he had put together/kept on the ministry from over the years.

To say that we are grateful for all that Mr. I has done for Maranatha Christian Academy would be a huge understatement.