Dear Friends,
As 2015 comes to a close, Christian Home Educators of Colorado completes and celebrates 25 years of ministry to the Colorado homeschool community.
Our heartbeat here at CHEC is beautifully expressed by Psalm 78:5-7, which says:
“He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.“
During the last quarter of a century, CHEC and the community it serves have grown from a fledgling few into a respected movement of families who are dedicated to the ideals of biblical liberty, responsibility, and home discipleship. How did this happen? Only by the providence, goodness, and faithfulness of God.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
As a second generation homeschooler, I am incredibly thankful for homeschooling and the context that it provided my parents so they could carry out their privilege and responsibility as parents to disciple their children in the ways of the Lord. To my mom and dad and all the homeschool parents they represent who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into their children day in and day out, I say “Thank you! It was worth it!”
I am also thankful for CHEC and likeminded ministries who have stood by families like mine with the resources, encouragement, and vision that helped my parents and others persevere and stay on course. These organizations have provided much support to the homeschool movement over the years.
In 2015, for example, on top of the annual conference, events, and seminars, CHEC has provided these completely free of charge:
- Homeschool help phone support (5 days a week!)
- A homeschool magazine with a mailing list of around 7,000 households
- A brand new informational website
- Regular enewsletters and legislative alerts
- Financial aid for single moms and special needs children
- Event scholarships
- Financial support for homeschool legislative liaison work at the state capitol
- and a Homeschool Day at the Capitol rally
Finally, I am thankful for YOU and the work of God that you and your children represent.
It is true that this year has been one of the darkest years our nation has seen as it continues its downward spiral through its rejection of God and His law: the United States Supreme Court ruling in June that made same sex marriage the law of the land; the lack of national outrage over the revelation of Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of human baby body parts; the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that required the removal of the monument bearing the Ten Commandments from state capitol grounds on October 6th.
As our nation abandons God’s revelations of truth, we have become like Israel in Judges 17:6 where “…everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” As a result, we are seeing the United States and most of the western world walking away from Christianity.
And yet, YOU and your family are still tenaciously hanging on to the faith and a methodology of discipleship which is compelled by the truth that parents who love Jesus Christ desire nothing more than to see their children walking in the truth.
That is why Generations with Vision (a subsidiary of CHEC) sponsored the Gen 2 Survey between 2013 and 2015. Under the oversight of Dr. Brian Ray from the National Home Education Research Institute, we conducted a spiritual survey of 10,000 millennials who grew up in Christian homes in the 1990s and 2000s.
Check out the Gen2 Survey Results
One of the burning questions on the minds of many parents who homeschooled for spiritual reasons is this:
Will the first generation homeschool grads homeschool their own children? Will they honor their parents’ legacy and continue homeschooling? Will they keep the faith, pass it on to their own children, and build the Kingdom of God through the generations?
Here’s the good news! The results show that 82% of homeschool graduates (who were homeschooled 7-12 years) plan to use homeschooling for at least part of their children’s education. This data suggests that second generation growth in the home education movement is about to explode! In fact, we estimate that homeschooling will grow from its current national population of under 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 by 2030!
If you are a Christian living in America in the early part of the 21st century, I don’t think you will find more interesting and encouraging news than this. While not all homeschoolers are Christians and homeschooling is no silver bullet, there is no question that it has produced some great fruit in an otherwise fairly ignoble time in human history. God has raised up a concerted minority that does not conform to the uniform humanist worldview taught by the public institutions.
This is a bright future, and it is a future that CHEC is working hard to secure for the next generation of homeschoolers. It is a future in which we envision thousands of Colorado families honoring Jesus Christ by embracing home discipleship that is Christ centered, parent directed, and free from government control.
By God’s grace, the growth of this vision depends on one thing: You!
Your prayers and partnership are essential to carrying out the vision. Since we are a donation-based organization, our abilities are dependent on the generosity of those who share and support the vision.
Whether you’ve been retired from homeschooling for years or are just beginning, if homeschool freedom and family discipleship are ideals that you are excited about, I invite you to get behind the ministry of Christian Home Educators of Colorado through your prayers and financial support.
Here’s how you can Pray for CHEC
We are digging in deep to keep homeschooling strong in Colorado and are looking forward to serving you and homeschoolers around the state for the next 25 years and beyond, so “… that the next generation might know…”!
Carrying on the vision!
Steve Craig
CHEC Executive Director

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