Our Heart for Ministry

Why an Education Ministry?

Our mission is to encourage and equip families as they educate their children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD.  We know that Christian parents desire to give their children a godly, Christ-centered education according to the charge of Deut. 6:7 to teach their children God’s commandments and statutes:

 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” 

Because the Lord is our ultimate authority and each one of us will answer solely to Him, we support whichever method of schooling the LORD leads a family to choose.  Every family is unique with individual needs and challenges; we want each family in our church body to feel loved, supported, and encouraged in their high calling to raise their children in a godly manner.  That being said, a significant portion of this particular ministry, while seeking to maintain a bond of unity throughout our church body, is designed to serve the families in our church that have chosen to homeschool their children (or are currently considering it) for the following reasons:

1)   Homeschooling is unfamiliar terrain for many people.  As most of us were educated in a traditional school setting, we do not have a model to follow, leaving us feeling ill-equipped and/or incapable of educating our children at home.  We want to help train and encourage parents who desire to home educate their children so that they will feel capable of the task set before them.

2)   Homeschooling can be lonely for mothers (and fathers), leading to burnout, discouragement, and isolation.  We want to come alongside these parents as a loving, supportive community of like-minded educators.

3)   Homeschooling can be lonely for children.  We also want to come alongside these children by offering them a loving, supportive community of instructors and peers.

4)   Homeschooling can be an overwhelming task when a lone mother/teacher is trying to meet the needs of her child(ren) for a number of reason (i.e. learning difficulties, lack of knowledge/interest in a subject area, many children spread over multiple grades, a child in need of camaraderie, etc.).  We want to bear each other’s burdens by offering educational opportunities that may be difficult to replicate for a single teacher.

This ministry serves the wider catholic church body, including families of other orthodox Christian denominations, by bringing together teachers, parents, and students to meet weekly for academic study and fellowship.  Through these regular meetings, we seek to educate, encourage, and equip both parent and child on their homeschool journey using the Bible as our primary foundation for all matters pertaining to life and godliness.  We also seek to offer valuable mentorship opportunities by connecting more experienced homeschoolers with newer homeschoolers in the informal setting of "doing life together" on a regular basis.

How Does This Ministry Relate to All of Our Beloved Church Family Beyond Homeschool Families?

For families with pre-school-aged children, our hope is that they visit the co-op and fellowship with seasoned homeschool families to gain a better understanding of homeschooling and confidence in educating their children.

For families who homeschool, we hope they join the co-op, and communicate their specific needs so SCHOLA can serve them.

For families who attend traditional school, our hope is that they utilize this resource of HCF home educators to troubleshoot their family's academic challenges and borrow some supplemental tools and tips. We also hope to participate together in Adventurers, SCHOLA holiday field trips, and other activities outside of school hours.

For families who are convicted to homeschool but feel unequipped and overwhelmed, we hope that they come to SCHOLA to learn, to be mentored, to be encouraged, and to find a support network within their church.

For childless (and empty nest) families, we hope that they come to delight in and minister to the children of HCF. We need mentors for young moms, childcare for preschool siblings, and teacher's assistants for our amazing classes.