by Christina Rivera

CHEA of California has a VERY different Convention purpose. CHEA’s Convention is just as different as a believer should be from the rest of the secular world. The CHEA Board of Directors is committed to three important ideals that all Christian home educators can benefit from and echo throughout our state. The three ideals are: the firm support of Christ-centered education within the home, the fellowship of the believers in support of the home educated family as the best education anywhere on the planet, networking together through education, legislative alerts, leadership, and discipleship.

Equipping Parents to Teach
CHEA of California is firm on the stand to support Christ-centered home education and is dedicated to equipping parents as the teacher best suited to ‘train up’ our children. What a blessing to have literature, leaders, speakers, and mentors ready at the phone, online, and in the Exhibit Hall completely dedicated to ensuring that we succeed. What’s the motivation? The love of Christ. That’s it. They love us so much that they spend hours, weeks and years being available. They pray for your family continuously. It’s true. If you feel blessed; you can know that it’s partly due to a band of warriors who go before the throne of mercy each day for you.

Annual Convention has an outward look as ‘just another convention.’ However, anyone who has ever attended one of these amazing events will tell you that you should look under the skin-deep exterior of the Convention center and halls. There’s a heart there that you can’t find in any for-profit secular convention. How many have seen a new mother just deciding the need to home educate and have no idea where to start? You see them huddled in a corner with a CHEA staff member crying and praying. You see people connecting with the speaker that they just listened to and spending time together just sorting through ideas. You see the older moms taking the younger by the hand, eating lunch and praying.

Lifted Up in Prayer
Annual Convention is uplifted in prayer through the strength of leadership beginning just after the last one ended. The CHEA Board of Directors is daily in prayer over you and your efforts to home educate. Through board meetings, support network articles, and updates, there is a staff of leaders dedicated to you and your success. Why? The love of Christ! Did you know that the Thursday before the Convention starts, leaders from all over the state come and pray, learn and grow for your benefit and as a ministry to you? Each homeschool leader who comes to the Leadership Convention is carefully praying how they can serve each home educator throughout the weekend and throughout the year in their own groups. It’s no accident you feel the power of the Holy Spirit.

Herein lies the power of the fellowship of believers to “train up a child in the way he will go.” Herein is the power of the love of Christ– “See how they love each other!'” Here is the power of leadership throughout California. Here is the power of networking through education, alerts and prayer. I believe CHEA of California is a big reason that home education in California has been supernaturally protected. Their dedication to prayer and the protection of our freedom to home school is powerful. Only Christ could empower such a small group of people to protect and preserve so many of us for so long.

See you around the Convention hall for a good laugh, cry and above all, some much needed prayer for all our families.

Christina serves as CHEA’s volunteer Membership Coordinator. She with husband Harry, are parents to eight children. They have been homeschooling since 2001.

33rd Annual Convention July 7-9
Leadership Conference July 7