Greetings PAACH homeschooling families. I hope your family is doing well as you seek to honor Christ in your home every day. I have been dwelling a lot on my theology of the family, especially God’s design for and sovereignty over the family. Much of this has come from reviewing struggles in my family and church over the past decade or more. I have noticed that it seems like too many Christians just do not have a good understanding of God’s design for the family or how involved God is in every aspect of the family. I want to make a few observational statements that I hope will challenge you to trust God more, not only in your family, but in the other families in your church.

Let Me Start with This

God has specifically chosen every detail of your family. He has given you the exact children He wants you to raise at the exact right time. Whether through natural birth or adoption, every child that God gives you has been “formed and knit together” with you in mind to parent and disciple him or her. (Ps 139:13-16) This same passage also says that God has written and planned out every one of their days. Another passage confirms that every person’s “steps are ordered of God.” (Ps 37:23) Paul tells us that God knows every one of us from before the beginning of the world. (Eph 1:4)

Here is my challenge

1. Do you lead your family in a way that shows you believe this?
2. Do your interactions with other families reflect this belief?

Your Family

Scripture is clear that you are responsible to disciple your own children to know the Lord. (Deut 6:4-9) Scripture is also clear that you cannot save your children, but only point them towards God. Rather, it is God who saves them through the work of the Holy Spirit who opens the eyes of those he has chosen and leads them to Jesus’ work on the cross. As a parent, you have the opportunity and privilege to walk alongside them on their journey. You get to cheer them on when they succeed and pick them up when they fail. The relationship you build with them as they grow up does influence how much they will trust you to continue to guide and walk alongside them as an adult. It does not guarantee that they will walk a straight path or even a path that leads to salvation. What you can do is pray for them, teach the Bible, point them towards God, and love them with grace and mercy no matter what.

Other Families

I have had the opportunity to come alongside someone else’s child to walk them back into the arms of his parents after he had walked away and made a mess of his relationships. I have also experienced other well-intentioned believers being too quick to believe the lies of a child walking in rebellion and to give very bad, unbiblical advice to that child. These poor advisers, instead of obeying scripture, end up both sinning themselves as well as steering that child deeper into sin. So, how should you respond when a child of a Christian family comes to you complaining about their mom’s or dad’s parenting? If your first thought is to agree with them or point them anywhere other than back to their parents, think again. You really ought to dig a little deeper to find out the child’s motives. Often a child is looking to be justified in their disobedience and far too often they find it. If you think there could be something to the child’s complaint, then scripture is clear that we are to bring accountability directly to a person in private first. The intent of going to that parent yourself may be to help them see a blind spot or even find repentance for a bad choice. It should never be to play “gotcha” or assume guilt and crucify that person. This requires courage, humility, often a bit of tact, and likely preparation in prayer. Our goal in the lives of other Christian families should be to bring scripture to their situation that will edify, encourage, or even bring correction. (2 Tim 3:16) It is biblical for experienced parents to help teach and train new or less experienced parents. (Titus 2) Remember, God has given that child specifically to those parents…on purpose. He does not make mistakes putting a child with parents who are “too strict.” It could be that child needs precisely the kind of parenting they are getting.

I hope these thoughts will challenge you to think through what you believe and grow in your family as you walk out your relationship with Jesus Christ. Please remember to be quick to listen and slow to speak. (James 1:19) Be slow to make assumptions or quick judgements based on hearsay. You want God to use you to encourage and build up the family. He may even use you to restore a family. Be careful not to get caught up and sow into the destruction of a family.

The PAACH board desires to help and support you throughout your homeschooling journey. We also desire to help you disciple your children by providing encouragement, wisdom, and resources that will enable you to be Godly parents who lead your children towards Christ. We pray that your family learns together, grows together with others in community, and glorifies Christ in everything you do.

James Cox
PAACH President

 

Illinois has long enjoyed a free state when it comes to homeschooling. The homeschool laws have not changed since 1950’s in People v. Levisen when homeschooling was ruled as private schools with parents having the constitutional right to educate their children. Many of you have heard about homeschooling in Illinois in the news recently with the Pro Publica news article and representative Terra Costa Howard’s response.

What does all this mean and how should we respond as homeschoolers?

I want to remind you of the long hard fight our predecessors fought in the name of defending the right to homeschool. We are so thankful and blessed to benefit from their work. Let us not see their work in vain. There has been a buzz among the homeschool community that we need to be gearing up for a fight. With the many new homeschoolers in recent years due to covid and government overreach, many do not realize how far we have come. As you go to your homeschooling activities, I would ask you to share with others where we have been and how much we have been enjoying the right to homeschool freely. Let us be on guard and ready to defend what we believe.

Meet your state representatives

As the Illinois representatives are in recess currently, now is the perfect time to introduce your family to your local representative. Let them get to know you and your family and what homeschooling looks like in your home. Homeschooling does not need more regulation. The few cases that have been cited in the news lately has been a failure at the CPS level not homeschooling. Let the representatives know how regulating homeschooling will put an undue burden on your family. Talk to your homeschool friends, especially those new homeschoolers who may not understand what is at stake.

Illinois is not the only state that has come under fire recently, because of homeschooling

Many states are feeling the pressure. In fact, the Coalition for Responsible Homeschooling, a left leaning lobbyist group, is currently trying to work on a bill to make homeschooling “safe.” Unfortunately, many aspects of this bill will be damaging, hurtful, and bring bureaucratic oversight into our homes. Do your research. Look into the Coalition for Responsible Homeschooling group to see how dangerous their agenda would be. It is sad to see some of the organizers of this lobby group had a poor or harmful education experience. This does not justify a call to regulate homeschooling on the experience of the few. Many families do care about their children and want the best for them. In fact, research has shown the majority of homeschoolers are homeschooling out of love and compassion for their children. Research the details about the bill “Make Homeschool Safe Act.”

After you have done your research, ACT!

Some expect a bill to be introduced in the state very soon. Meet with your representatives. Bring your kids along and turn it into a homeschool lesson. If a representative personally knows homeschooling families and how any legislation would impact them, it would be very difficult to be in favor of such legislation. Look to the PAACH newsletter. We are in the process of arranging a tour in Springfield in November. This would be a great time to personally meet your rep. Make sure you are signed up for HSLDA email alerts at www.hslda.org. They are actively monitoring the situation. We have listed below some links and articles to help get you started in your research.

Resources

• Coalition for Responsible Home Education - website
• Make Homeschool Safe Act - download
• ProPublica News Article - read
• Illinois Lawmaker Calls for Strengthening Protection for Homeschooled Children - read
• Contact Your IL State Representatives - website

 

Arkasia Cox
PAACH Legislative Liaison

 

Building Up Fathers and Sons Since 1995

For nearly 30 years, it has been our mission to help fathers and sons deepen their relationships and create lifelong memories.

We hope you'll join us this year October 17-20, 2024 for a weekend to remember.

What began as an overnight outing for three dads and three sons grew to a four day event with over 500 fathers and sons in attendance. By combining outdoor adventures with inspiring ministry, the Miller family hopes to strengthen family bonds and ignite a passion for serving Jesus Christ.

See FatherSonCamp.org for more details.

 

Greetings PAACH homeschooling families. I hope your homeschooling journey has been exciting and full of adventure so far this school year. I’m sure you have had your challenges as you endeavor to grow with your kids and show them how to live every day to glorify God. I want to share a little bit about my experiences navigating the difficulties of walking your child into adulthood. I also want to touch on the importance of finding joy during those difficulties.

One of the goals you should have for your child is to grow into a responsible adult. Teaching them how to think critically and weigh out consequences will go a long way in helping them to learn from their mistakes (which they WILL make). As parents, we tend to set unrealistic expectations on our children. When this happens, we are almost sure to overreact and be too hard on them when they mess up. This can exasperate your child and cause them to become discouraged (Col 3:21) You want to build your child up in the Lord, teach them self-discipline, and give them the tools they need to continue to learn and grow as an adult. If we are to be God’s representative, then we must learn to follow His pattern of discipline. In scripture, God often warns us of consequences while still leaving the choices up to us. I have tried to do this with my children starting around the age of 12. I will often talk with them about a problem they are facing and help them weigh out possible choices and the consequences. Then I remind them that they are the one who has to live with their choice and let them choose. This process has helped my wife and I keep a strong relationship with our children and gives an opportunity to build trust. When your child makes a decision that results in the bad consequences you warned them about, they learn to trust your wisdom.

Another conversation that my wife and I have with our kids regularly is that we are for them just like God is for us. We assure them that we are not wanting to control them, but rather teach them to control themselves. When they are younger the consequences come from you as the parents, but as they grow older the consequences come from God. Many are built into His design, and some come from His discipline directly. (Hebrews 12:5-11) We also walk them through the process of repentance, restitution, and reconciliation. God’s design in the law (throughout Leviticus) shows that God wants us to make right the damage done by our bad choices. This seems to be a lost concept in today's Christianity, but it is necessary for those in a church to maintain good relationships. The fact is that saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t magically fix our mistakes. However, it can be a good first step when accompanied by an acknowledgement of the hurt caused and an effort to replace or rebuild what has been broken. The truth is, teaching these things is in itself painful because they must be taught by example. Some time of self-reflection on how you handle fixing your mistakes might be beneficial at this point. What kind of example are you living out when you make a mistake and hurt your spouse or child?

Finally, I want to share a practice that has helped my wife and I through some pretty tough times when our children’s decisions have hurt us deeply. At times, we have felt disrespected, betrayed, attacked, discouraged, and incredibly frustrated as a result of a child’s bad decision. We have often asked ourselves these questions:

1. Did I make this mistake when I was their age?
2. Have I treated God the way I feel my child is treating me?
3. How did my parents respond when I made this mistake? Was it helpful or hurtful to me?
4. How can I love my child in this situation?

When it comes to the end of the day, we strive to restore the relationship with that child because that’s what God does. No matter what we do, God works it for our good because what is best for us is to remain in relationship with Him. He always draws us back towards Himself. No matter what your kids do, they will always be your kids. You love them because God loves you and your kids. One last tip: Enjoy the times when you are in good relationship. Remembering the joyful times can be very helpful when persevering through the hard times. I pray that you will have much joy in your family.

The PAACH Board desires to help and support you throughout your homeschooling journey. We also desire to help you disciple your children by providing encouragement, wisdom, and resources that will enable you to be Godly parents who lead your children towards Christ. We pray that your family learns together, grows together with others in community, and glorifies Christ in everything you do.

James Cox
PAACH President

 

Who? Former, Current, & Future Homeschool Families

What? ICHE Family Camp

When? Thursday, September 7 - Sunday, September 10, 2023

Where? Camp Timber-lee, East Troy, WI

Why? Because, yes, we CAN take off school right after Labor

Day for fellowship, rest, encouragement, fresh air, campfires, carpetball, gagaball and volleyball.

Register online

Fall Soccer

Register online or in-person at the Christian Center Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cost until June 30: 1st player - $70 | 2nd player - $65 | 3rd or more player - $60

Cost after June 30: 1st player - $80 | 2nd player - $75 | 3rd or more player - $70

Homeschool Bowling

Looking for a P.E. credit for your homeschoolers? The Christian Center is again reserving Friday afternoons for Homeschooler Bowling sessions. All skill levels supported. Family-friendly facility. Reasonable fees for bowling and shoes.

4100 N Brandywine in Peoria. For more information call (309) 685-4218

Dads & Lads

Fridays 5 to 8 p.m. FREE Bowling and/or Billiards (dads must participate with sons to be eligible to play for free)

 

PCA Co-Op

Learning history at PCA is fun for the whole family! Watch a mummy being made, experience a medieval feast, follow the north star with Harriet Tubman, come to Ellis Island as an immigrant, and more! PCA has openings for the upcoming school year. Our Beginners thru Jr. High group has a history focus through a Biblical lens. All ages from birth through 8th grade are welcome. We meet on Friday afternoons from 11:45 am - 3:00 pm, September thru early May.

We also have a high school program that meets on Fridays from 10:30 am - 2:00 pm. This year highschoolers will earn a half credit each in speech, British literature, fine arts (focusing on medieval art and architecture), and Personal Finance. High School Students also have the opportunity to participate in our Fall play. For more information please contact Joan Reinhard @ joanereinhard@gmail.com or 309-363-5886.

PCA Choirs Information 2023-24

Peoria Cooperative Academy Choirs are open for enrollment for our 2023-24 school year! Our choirs are part of the Peoria Cooperative Academy Co-op, a Christian co-op that currently meets on Fridays at Calvary Baptist Bible Church in Peoria. The choirs prepare pieces to perform in two formal concerts during the academic year – a Christmas concert and a Spring concert. Rehearsals also include instruction in music education and choral singing. The directors have adopted a methodology that is consistent across the choirs to encourage musical development from the youngest ages progressing through high school.

We have three choirs:

Joyful Messengers

K thru 4th grade - directed by Larissa Steffen, this choir meets at 10 -11 a.m. Cost per year: $125

Larissa Steffen

Larissa is a lifelong resident of Morton and graduate of Morton High School. Throughout her growing up years, she had the opportunity to participate in numerous church choirs and ensembles, Madrigals, All-State choir, and orchestra, as a violinist. She attended Illinois Wesleyan University studying music education with a focus on voice, but switched majors to nursing at ICC after getting married to Justin in 2009. They now have six children. She continues to participate in various ensembles, such as Peoria Area Civic Chorale and Morton's production of Messiah. She was greatly influenced by her Junior High chorus teacher, the late Heidi White, and hopes to bring the same delight and enthusiasm for music to the Joyful Messengers!

Cantate

5th thru 8th grade - directed by Annalise Duffer, this choir meets at 10-11 a.m. Cost per year: $150

Chorale

9th thru 12th grade - directed by Annalise Duffer, this choir meets at 2 – 3 p.m. Cost per year: $200

Annalise Duffer

Annalise is a home school and PCA choir graduate herself, after which she attended Bradley University to study music. She worked at Limestone High School in Bartonville for four years as their accompanist, which afforded opportunities to lead sectionals, substitute teach for the choir director, and direct a female vocal jazz group. She has also directed musicals for the TEAM home school drama group, directed Grace Presbyterian Church's Teen Choir, and music directed Cornstock Theatre's production of Camelot. Annalise has been teaching private piano lessons for ten years and will begin her fifth year as director for PCA choirs. Annalise is passionate about choir, music education, homeschooling, and loves working with kids of all ages. She and her husband have two daughters, and are looking forward to home educating as well. We welcome Annalise back as director this year!

Chorale members participate in Bradley University’s John Davis Festival each year, and select members are invited to participate in Bradley University’s High School Honor Choir. Chorale members are also eligible to participate in ILMEA in their freshman through senior years (this is optional).

Madrigals / Jazz Ensemble

This is a smaller, audition group open only to Chorale members, sophomore through seniors. In the fall semester, the group learns and performs Madrigal music for a special Madrigal event in late fall, and traditional carols for the St. Lucia Nights in Bishop Hill in December. In the spring, participants learn jazz pieces to perform at a special concert in April as well as in our Spring Concert and other venues. Currently, there is no additional charge for this group.

If you are interested in learning more and/or enrolling your student, please contact Becky Lawles at pcachoirs@gmail.com.

PCA Science Classes 2023-24

General Science

Grades 7th & 8th - Meets Fridays 8:50 to 9:50 a.m. - Cost: $145

Biology

Grades 9th & up - Meets Fridays 8:50 to 10:20 a.m. - Cost: $200

This class currently has a waiting list

Please contact Tracy Castro - mom27blessings@gmail.com for more information

Hosanna Homeschool Choirs fall semester registration will open in July! We encourage every one to visit our website, or reach out to us on Facebook, for fall semester details. Our spring semester was a wonderful blessing! We are looking forward to another blessed semester to end 2023! 

At CIBAD, our goal is to challenge and equip ambassadors for Christ to communicate truth with integrity and grace. CIBAD has two students competing in two speech categories in the National NCFCA Tournament at University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN with results pending at the time of this publication. Judah Springer is presenting an After Dinner Speech. Judah Springer and Elijah Doering are presenting a Duo Interpretation Speech.

Upcoming Opportunities

(all at New Castle Church in Mackinaw)

Summer

DEBATE CAMP: July 31-August 3, 2023 from 9am - 4pm, Ages 12-18, Cost $75. Students will learn the fundamentals of debate, including how to research evidence, make reasoned arguments, and write an affirmative case. Most important, debaters will learn how to persuade and inspire.

SCIENCE OF STORYTELLING WORKSHOP: August 4, 2023 from 9am - 4pm, ages 8-18, Cost $15. Join us for a fun filled day of experimenting with the basic elements of stories. Come learn the brain science behind great communication in age-appropriate break-out sessions.

FALL CLASSES begin with a parent meeting on August 29, 2023. Classes run Tuesdays September 5 - November 14, 2023.

 

Contact Us

Lonnie Ulrich 309-645-0472

RUlrich90@gmail.com

Cindy Springer 309-306-2146

TazewoodFarm@gmail.com

 

Emilee Anne Castro

Emilee is the daughter of Eduardo and Tracy Castro. She is the middle of 7 children and has been homeschooled since kindergarten. She began participating in Peoria Cooperative Academy in 8th grade. Through PCA she had the opportunity to participate in four plays and Chorale. Emilee has a heart for worship ministry and has been involved in student worship ministry at her church since she was in 8th grade. This summer she will be doing a worship ministry internship at Summit Point Church. She plans to attend ICC in the fall and transfer to Liberty University to pursue a degree in worship ministry.

 

Andrew Endress

Andrew Endress, son of Bruce and Elizabeth Endress has completed his High School home education at Pleasant View School in rural Galva. He plans to attend Black Hawk College in Moline, IL this fall and will continue living at home. His major will be music education, and he is especially interested in choral music. His career goal, Lord willing, is to teach music at the high school or college level.

 

Chris Gonzalez

My name is Chris Gonzalez, I am the oldest of five children. A big part of my time in school has been Tri-County Enrichment Co-op, which I have attended for the last six years. I have made many friends through this co-op and a lot of my memories are attached to going to Tri-County. The teachers there are pretty amazing and pushed me to be who I am today. There was Mrs. Nofsinger who stood by me and my classmates as we struggled through chemistry, and then there was Mrs. Newton who taught me not to take things in life too seriously with her constant rabbit trails and weird obsessions with narwhals. In this upcoming year, I will be attending Illinois Central College pursuing something to do with communications because I love to work with people. Lately, my favorite verses have been Matthew 10:19-20 which says, “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

 

Tim Kelly

Tim Kelly has done it! He graduated this year and is looking forward to what God has in store. At present he is working at a local radiator repair shop and loves it, bringing his particular Tim flare to everything he does. He enjoys any project with his hands and spends his free time just keeping busy… with anything! Congrats Tim, follow the Lord in everything you do!

 

Cliff Leman

Being in PCA has challenged and grown me through homework deadlines, group projects, power points, research papers, and interactions with others. I’ve been a homeschooler and a PCA ‘er’ my entire life, and am thankful for the friendships I’ve built and maintained, and the memories I’ve made through PCA. Ultimately, I am most thankful for those who’ve been instrumental in my life and have both taught me and learned alongside me as I have grown in my spiritual walk. Currently, I will continue to work and try new things until I find where God wants me to be long term. My plan is to job shadow various occupations as I continue working. Phil. 1:6 - “being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

 

Lauren Elyse Shelburne

Lauren has been homeschooled since kindergarten and has enjoyed being part of the Peoria Cooperative Academy since 2nd grade. She loved being part of the PCA Choral program and was a member of the Madrigal and Jazz Ensembles as well as portraying roles in High School in all of the PCA plays and musical theater productions. She participated in ILMEA and qualified for the District 2 Festival Choir in 2021-22 and 2022-23, All-State Choir in 2021-22, and Honors All-State Choir as well as the District 2 Jazz Festival Choir in 2022-23. Lauren enjoys her involvement in her local church and served on summer staff at Camp Assurance for several summers as well as working at the Peoria Chick-Fil-A. She plans to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale this fall, and has been accepted into the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.

 

Karsten Dewayne Tisdale

Karsten Dewayne Tisdale, the son of Steven and Rhonda Tisdale, is a high school graduate this year. He will be continuing his education in the fall at Illinois State University for a degree in Computer Science. Throughout high school he has been programming computer games in Unity and Clickteam Fusion. He has participated in figure skating for many years, with a high point of learning the axel jump. Karsten is still exploring the possibilities of what should be his future goals.