Preserving Liberty, Together

by Angela Lasch
July 13, 2026

What a blessing this past weekend was!

If you were with us at Calvary Chapel Downey on July 10 and 11, thank you. Whether you drove an hour or crossed the state to be here, your presence said something about your commitment to your family and to this calling.

This year’s theme, Preserving Liberty, came from 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV): “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” It could not have felt more fitting. Just days before we gathered for the Convention, we celebrated the 250th birthday of a nation built on the belief that liberty is not given by government but granted by God. Our founders understood that freedom is worth protecting and that it requires vigilance, sacrifice, and a people willing to stand for it.

We homeschoolers know something about that.

As someone who has been in the homeschool community for decades, I can tell you that the freedom we enjoy to privately home educate our children according to our faith and convictions is not something we should ever take for granted. It has been fought for, prayed over, and defended by families who came before us. Now it is our turn to stand for it and pass it on.

That work starts at home. Each day when you do school, snuggle up on the couch to read a book together, cook dinner as a family, go on a field trip, or enjoy the freedom of going to the park in the middle of the day, you are preserving liberty. You are building something that outlasts you. I love the reminder that when you teach your children, you are teaching your children’s children. That is powerful. Do not underestimate it.

Our Parenting & Homeschool Convention was designed to encourage and equip you wherever you are on the journey. Whether you were brand new and still figuring out what curriculum means or sending off a graduate and wondering what comes next, our prayer was that you walked away from the weekend with both practical tools and renewed conviction. We hope the workshops sharpened you, the Exhibit Hall blessed you, and the Homeschool Help Booth answered the questions you came with.

We were especially grateful to be able to offer resources and sessions en español this year, made possible through a generous grant from the Homeschool Community Foundation. Welcoming our Spanish-speaking families more fully into the CHEA community has been a long-time prayer, and we are so thankful to see it taking root.

If you missed the Convention this year, we missed you. But please hear this: Convention is just two days a year. CHEA is here for you the other 363 days as well. And you can find all the Convention workshops audio recordings on our website, available for purchase individually or as the entire bundle!

CHEA has been walking alongside California homeschool families since 1982, and we are not going anywhere. We have resources for getting started, a Support Network for homeschool groups, a free Home Educational Consultant ready to answer your questions, year-round encouragement, and a team that genuinely wants to know you. Whatever season of homeschooling you are in, we are here for you.

So, thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you for praying. Thank you for choosing this calling and pressing in. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

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Angela Lasch is the Executive Director of CHEA. She and her husband homeschooled their three sons. She now enjoys being "Nana" to two granddaughters. Grateful for her own homeschool journey and the sacrificial giving of countless families who made it possible, Angela now dedicates herself to encouraging, supporting, and protecting homeschool families throughout California.