By Ed and Kathy Green
We are often asked to share why we started Homeschoolers of Maine (HOME), and why we have remained so passionate and active in promoting the core principles of HOME for more than 35 years! Simply put, the ministry principles that were set forth at the founding of HOME did not spring from a personal feeling or a passing desire. They were shaped and formed from timeless and unchangeable principles that are essential for every generation to know and understand.
With the hope of helping the next generation to gain from the knowledge and experience of those who have gone before, we are sharing the story of the creation of HOME.
So how did it all begin? Honestly, it was a calling. Callings come with a strong feeling of conviction and also with a sense of purpose. The early homeschoolers of the modern day homeschool movement were certainly called in a special way to educate their children at home. They were graced with steadfast courage and a strength that would begin to break down barriers and notions of how children learn. With a pioneering spirit, they bravely paved a new way forward for families seeking better ways to educate their children.
Our own callings came gradually and quietly. For Kathy, it came before marriage and family while browsing the shelves in a college bookstore. With another paper to write, she was looking for a book to inspire. She remembers stopping abruptly at a shelf with some titles by educator and homeschool proponent John Holt (How Children Learn, How Children Fail,
and Teach Your Own). Kathy read them all. It was material for several college papers, but more than that, it was a seed planted that would grow in time.
Marriage and children came, and finally the time for formal schooling to begin. Since there was no kindergarten in our small town of Hope, travel would be involved. With toddlers and an infant, that seemed impractical and even disruptive to the harmony and bonds of our family life at home.
The notion of homeschooling quickly resurfaced. With prayer and discussion (and a few more books by Dr. Raymond Moore), we took the leap of faith. There were no homeschooling groups, friends, or neighbors to guide us. No support from family, only opposition at the mention. Yet, that only seemed to embolden our calling.
Gradually, over the next few years, we encouraged others in our area to consider homeschooling, and we made a few connections with families around the state. But with the beginnings of a groundswell came volatility. School officials lacking understanding became hostile and families choosing to homeschool did so at risk.
To give the movement unity and strength during this challenging time, God called again, this time for strong leaders in every state to help guide and support the increasing number of families coming to homeschooling. Across the entire nation, non-profit statewide homeschool organizations began to emerge to protect families, equip them, and help them connect with others of like mind. We were among those called to this task.
It wasn’t easy for us, and we didn’t completely understand the nature of our calling at first. However, one thing was clear. During this time when homeschooling was not well understood and could even be dangerous, making connections and building a strong community was vitally important. That gave us just the motivation we needed to organize and mobilize.
Bringing some of the more visible leaders in our state together was our first step. This proved to be a false start. The secular organization that grew out of this first gathering lacked a vision and mission that would stand the test of time. Belief systems and personal goals clashed and became factors for contention and division. The organization ultimately went forward without us due to its lack of spiritual grounding, and we were left wondering about our mission.
It didn’t take very long for God to bring clarity, though. Chris Klicka, an attorney at Home School Legal Defense Association, gave us encouragement and a jumpstart in a new
direction. He patiently helped us to formulate a mission and purpose that would last. Chris then came to Maine for HOME’s very first convention in Bangor and supported us throughout our beginning years with his friendship and faithful direction.
During those years, we traveled widely across the state from Fort Kent to Kittery to visit groups of all sizes to introduce them to HOME and tell them about our mission. We visited gatherings of a few families in living rooms, and groups of all sizes in churches and meeting halls. We often took a trailer filled with books and curriculum to share and encourage. Those we spoke to were invited to join us in our mission.
Meanwhile, the secular group divided into a for-profit business (which later
divided into a second business) that enrolled homeschool students and a
non-profit statewide group that would fold some years later. Thankfully, the
ministry of HOME went on to serve for decades.
Why has HOME lasted for more than 35 years and what has made the difference in terms of HOME’s longevity? We believe it is HOME’s faith-filled foundation, unwavering commitment of service to benefit others, and the strong entrepreneurial spirit of our dedicated team of leaders and volunteers that has provided for HOME’s successful longevity. Now, even after 35 years, our desire to serve has only grown stronger. We remain
committed to serving ALL who come to us with a Christ-like love, and a continuity of practical care with the hope of building an even stronger community that is based on long term, healthy relationships and trust. We believe this is a legacy worth preserving.
This focus on relationship building has also brought us many servant-hearted individuals and couples desiring to come alongside HOME and minister with us. Some have stayed for a season, some have developed valuable skills and moved on, and some have been with HOME from its earliest years. Our team building spirit continues to invite and grow new
leaders who bring many gifts and talents and help us to serve more effectively!
We still hear some ask whether an organizational merger of secular and faith-based values and ideals would work or would be bound to crash and burn. As homeschoolers, we all love our children, we want the best for them, and most of us value our homeschool freedom. Can these core values then sustain us as a whole? In times of crisis, and if all stay true to
the same core values, they might. But just as we saw in the beginning, that sort of marriage, in reality, turns out to be rocky at best because secularism is fickle. Secular values most always have self at the heart, and self-interested principles tend to change according to one’s personal desires.
Self, therefore, can’t be trusted to maintain values that are service oriented and other centered. On the other hand, Judeo-Christian values do have others at heart. They are Christ-centric and eternal. There is an ego-drama verses Theo-drama dynamic at play here. As Christians, we are always striving to do what God wants us to do instead of what we ourselves want. Certainly, all of us fall short sometimes because the task of staying other
centered is a difficult one. Our only hope of finding the power to succeed in this area within our organization is in staying attached to God, personally and in principle.
Our duty as an organization in today’s “me first” culture is to stay the course, listen for God’s leading, and remain true to what will safeguard freedom for future homeschoolers. We must guard the gift of true homeschool freedom with our very lives. The wolf is at the door in so many ways. In the midst of a secular environment, we can more easily veer off
course and find we are no longer living in freedom but are, in fact, living in bondage. In a moment of weakness, we may succumb to the false claims and real chains of school choice, government funding with its inevitable ensuing regulation, and the legal challenges that threaten parental rights.
It is the mission of HOME to be a light in the darkness and a beacon on a hill for those who are seeking true freedom in homeschooling. At this point in time, many of you are being called anew to carry a lighted torch through a gathering storm. We are being told that Christianity is a problem, that we must be neutral. But neutrality is a disservice to God’s honor, as well as to His precious children. It is deceptive. Neutrality hides the light of truth.
As in the beginning, it won’t be easy. In fact, it may be even more difficult in the days ahead. Are you willing to pick up a torch and continue to light the way? Can you stand firm for the children of today and those still to come? Do you want to be fishers and “teachers” of men? Can you stand for what is true, good, and beautiful and choose not to be neutral? Can you “run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint”?
If so, we invite you to renew your commitment to stand with HOME and its mission during these uncertain times. Embrace the call to make disciples and to be a protector of the family. Pledge with us to love and respect all those who are serving our homeschool community in ways that are different from HOME. We hope that this type of calling also resonates with you. If so, then we ask you to join us in recognizing the value and uniqueness of HOME’s mission and to, “Pick up a torch and lead the way with HOME”!