FCHM is coming to YOUR area!If you are interested in finding out about the ministry of FCHM or would like to have the St. Johns speak at your event, now is the time to book a summer workshop!
Here is a list of the workshops available:
Real Life Homeschooling
Notebooking
Lapbooking
Multi-Level Teaching
Homeschooling Teens
Time Management for Dummies
Workshops are only $10 each and can be taught in an evening!
Brought to you by
Multnomah University
The Old Schoolhouse
Magazine
FCHM
To find out if the
St. Johns will be in your area, please contact Melissa Lowery.
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Announcing the newest FCHM
Co-ops:
Welcome!United States:
First Class Bay County
First Class Elk Grove
Panama City, FL
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Interested in reading previous ezines?
Click below to view our archive.
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FCHM is excited to announce a new partnership with our friends at the
Homeschool Buyers Co-op! What is Homeschool Buyers Co-op?
"An amazing resource that combines the buying power of
thousands upon thousands of individual homeschool families to obtain discounts
equivalent to those obtained by school districts. Membership is free and
completely confidential. The Co-op's signature service is a
"Group Buy" through which Co-op members get deep discounts on
curriculum items that would otherwise be extremely expensive. Through the
Co-op you can save anywhere from 20% to 80% on your curriculum purchases.
The Co-op has standing discounts of 50% for Discovery Education's
video-streaming service, 88% for Kaplan's Online SAT prep, up to
70% for Thinkwell, and the list goes on. We'd also like
to note that it's run by a homeschool family."Membership to
HSB is FREE...Sign Up Today and start saving!
 Academic SuperstoreUp to 70% off and FREE S/H Software; Hardware; Courseware; Preschool to Grad School Now,
by special arrangement with Academic Superstore, Homeschool Buyers
Co-op members can purchase hardware, software and more from hundreds of
manufacturers with the same discounts available to schools -- up to 70%
off retail pricing. Get deep discounts on products from Adobe,
Microsoft, Macromedia, Symantec, and more! Proof of Co-op membership is
required at time of purchase. Free S/H items marked accordingly at
website.
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None of These Things Move Me
Acts 20:24-But none of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
If you watch the news or have access to the internet, you've heard it. It's all over. Times are hard. Nevermind that the news outlets thrive on bad news... we still soak it in like a sponge and quite often, the result is fear and worry. Once we begin to worry, we are right where the enemy wants us. It's easy to worry about things we cannot control (getting laid off or the rising price of food) and forget that we serve the One who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills". It's easy to forget where our hope lies. Christians, our hope is not in a president or a booming economy; it is in the Lord!
"Some may trust in horses,
some may trust in chariots,
but we will trust in the name of our God!"
Psalm 20:7
As homeschooling families we have chosen to accept the responsibility - the joys and the struggles- that come along with home education. We cannot afford to take our eyes off the goal of raising our children to love and serve the Lord. We must learn to trust Him fully ~ whether it's to provide money for house payments or curriculum, it all comes from Him.
 If our goal is to be like the Apostle Paul's... and "finish the course with JOY" then we must know where the source of true joy is found. It is found in Christ alone, and it grows as we commit to following Jesus through every circumstance.
Something we have done as a family is to pray for others in our co-op. It's amazing how God uses the circumstances of others to teach us. It's also wonderful to know that when we go through hard times, we have an extended family at First Class praying for us! A co-op is a lot like a local church body. In good times, it's a blessing and in hard times, it's essential.
Being part of a community of homeschooling families who can share each other's burdens and pray together is a blessing you cannot afford to miss out on. Satan wants you to be isolated, especially in tough times. If you are not connected with First Class, you can be!
It is the mission and ministry of FCHM to surround homeschoolers with the support and encouragement of their local church through a church-sponsored homeschool cooperative. When times are tough, holding on to another Christian homeschooler and declaring together that our trust is in the Lord creates a steadfastness that is unmatched through the ages.
The Apostle Paul was unmoved by his circumstances and so are we. As brothers and sisters in the Lord we declare together with one voice that come what may, we will trust in the name of our God.
With Confidence in Him,
Jay and Heidi St. John have been married for 19 years and are the homeschooling parents of six children who range in age from seventeen to three. Heidi speaks to mothers with humor and grace on many subjects dealing with homeschooling. If you are interested in having the St. Johns speak at your event, please contact them through FCHM.
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 Power of a Praying Mom
By Teresa Hyde
FCHM's Prayer Facilitator
Power... I want some of that! If you are like me, I am always open to more power to take on all that life throws at me each day. The power that I speak of comes from being willing to let go of control over my life each day, and surrender my thoughts, actions and words before my Father in heaven. In Jeremiah 33:3 the Lord reminds us, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable thing you do not know." Many times the Lord has used this and many other verses in His word to woo me into prayer with Him. He desires to encourage us each moment of the day with His presence and power. That is what I love about prayer... it brings me into the presence with the ONE who has every answer to my needs, and who holds the world in His hands. Prayer lifts my eyes out of my circumstances and puts my thoughts on an eternal perspective.
Prayer is a way of life. For me, it is like breathing. I breathe in a need and pray out a cry to my Father in heaven; knowing He hears and will answer according to His will. Prayer does not have to be formal. For many of us, we pray in places people would never imagine. It is time to talk with our King.
 At other times, I am called to meet with other women and pray for the needs of our children, homeschool co-ops and families. What a blessing it has been to be used by God in prayer, and hear how the Lord answers the prayers of His people. Prayer draws me closer with other homeschool moms; as we lift one another to the Lord. Prayer closes the gap of distance between homeschool families. I have been so encouraged as I have prayed for women across the United States and Canada. The Lord has used many of them to uplift me as I have prayed for their needs. I come away with renewed strength, hope, and power for the days ahead.
As a mom, prayer has been the cornerstone of raising kids who desire an alive, active and vital walk with God. I feel the most important thing I can teach my children is to pray. Through the years, prayer has strengthened my children's faith; as they have had their prayers answered in many ways. Prayer teaches them to come to the foot of the cross and pray... not my will, but thy will be done. Prayer has impacted my life in so many ways... but I am most blessed when I hear my kids say, "that happened because my mom prayed!"
As I close, I want to pray over you Ephesians 3:16-21, " I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Teresa Hyde and her husband Kaare (pronounced Corey) have been married for 13 years. They moved to Vancouver, WA 11 years ago from southern California. The Hydes have been homeschooling their two boys are Jared (12) and Noah (10) for the last two years. The Hyde family is a part of First Class Clark County West, in Vancouver, WA. Teresa facilitates the prayer ministry for FCHM co-ops nationwide. |
Homeschooling doesn't have to mean home alone!
Join the growing community FCHM members online
and at
your local First Class!
*NEW* Firs t Class on Facebook:
we're over 200 members now! Link to FCHM on Facebook
FCHM members who are also part of facebook can join this
group and post on the wall, get to know each other, write about their
group, post pictures.
First Class "Causes" on
Facebook:
First Class "Causes" Link
You can support FCHM in our mission of planting homeschool co-ops
around the world through the local church. You can comment, and even
donate to FCHM here!
First Class Homeschool Ministries'
Message Boards:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org/forum/index.php
Now this is a really cool thing - if we can get it to
get some more traffic. Hmm. Still thinking about how to do that.
There are 246 members on the message boards now, but they are
not very busy. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how to increase
visits and really use these boards to encourage homeschoolers!
First Class Homeschool
Chat on Google:
http://groups.google.com/group/fchm-homeschoolchat?hl=en
This is the national "chat". Most co-ops also have local
chats as well. Subscribe to it, and you can share email back and forth
with the group. Members decide how they want their emails to come so
that they don't get a bunch of unwanted emails.
First Class Homepage:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org
First Class Member Downloads:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org/pages/members/member-downloads.html
Have you accessed your member
downloads at the FCHM website? All you need is your email and
password. FCHM is easy to contact if a password is lost or forgotten.
First Class is committed to growing a national network of church-sponsored homeschool cooperatives,
and we're excited to see tremendous growth in 2009!FF |
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