Convention Program - Christian Homeschool Association of ...

44Dear Attendee,CHAP is affiliated with the Alliance for Christian Home Education Leadership, which is a non-profit group that supports leaders serving leaders in thehomeschooling community. Eight years ago it assumed its present name. The individuals associated with this group have met for over 20 years at an annualconference to share their expertise and insight on conducting homeschool conferences and to discuss the many issues homeschoolers face year round.The AllianceThe Alliance represents 49 affiliate organizations from most of the states, Canada and Mexico and has over 1,000 years of cumulative homeschoolingexperience. Frequently leaders from other nations participate in our yearly conference and in other affiliate events. In addition, the affiliates are well connectedthroughout the year. These are all non-profit, fully Christian groups that have a statement of faith reflecting historical and biblical truth, and bylaws that ensureperpetual Christian leadership for these groups. In fact, these are requirements for non-profit organizations to associate with the Alliance. However, anyone mayattend any of our state conventions as no membership is required to do this.Homeschooling has grown so much that it is now a viable market. These groups have quietly served the homeschooling communities in their locales for manyyears, bringing wonderful conferences to the homeschooling community. The proceeds of these non-profit organizations are used to serve the people in theirlocales after the conferences are over. The boards of these organizations have diverted very little if any money to marketing. Instead, they use the proceeds tohelp support groups, assist with efforts to keep homeschooling freedoms alive and well, and support the homeschooling community with viable informationabout homeschooling in their locales and beyond.Great AMERICAN Homeschool ConferencesHowever, as the winds of change have brought homeschooling to the marketplace, we have seen advent of for-personal-profit homeschooling conventions. Asyou might expect, these have had an adverse effect on many of the non-profit conferences associated with the non-profit state homeschool organizations. Godalone knows what is in store for any of these organizations, butwithout the support of the homeschooling community in theirstates, there is some risk that their ministry to homeschoolerswill diminish, as it has in some cases, or be lost altogether. Thefor-personal-profit conference organizers leave once the vendorhall is empty. The state specific non-profit boards are justbeginning their work to assist homeschoolers in their localeswhen their conferences end. As you choose a conference toexplore homeschooling and purchase curriculum, we hopeyou will consider the long-range questions of homeschoolingand support the non-profit, specifically Christian conferencesassociated with the Alliance. These are called The GreatAMERICAN Homeschooling Conferences (GAHC).These conferences seek to honor their stated Christian beliefsby having vendors and speakers that reflect those convictions.GAHC see the call to Christian Education as one of theirhighest values, and leave the question of alternative beliefsystems in the hands of parents, rather than in the vendor hallper se.Very early in the spring of 2010, the Alliance announced to thepublic its collective name for these 49 loosely associated, butsolidly Christian homeschooling conferences, as mentionedabove: Great AMERICAN Homeschool Conferences. Aswe already exist and have been serving the homeschoolingcommunity as a collective group for roughly 20-25 years, wehave decided to make our history known and work together toeducate the homeschooling community and others about one ofthe best known secrets in the realm of educating and disciplingchildren at home.CHAP is associated with Great AMERICAN HomeschoolConferences. We thank you so much for your patronage andtrust you have been blessed by participating in the CHAPHomeschool Convention and other services CHAP providesyear round.CHAP FACEBOOK Page:www.facebook.com/ChristianHomeschoolPAGreat AMERICAN Homeschool Conferenceswww.GAHConferences.comwww.beginninghomeschooling.comOther Important Links:www.chaponline.comwww.facebook.com/GreatAmericanHomeschoolThank you for your attention,The CHAP Board and The Alliance of Christian HomeEducation Leadership