Most of the major universities established during the founding of this country (particularly Ivy League schools) were started and funded by Christians or the Christian Church.

Most orphanages in America were started and funded by Christians or the Christian Church.

Childhood education in America was in the hands of parents or the Christian Church until the government took over in the middle of the last century. Child care has historically been the responsibility of parents not the government.

Christians and the Christian Church have tended to 'pull out' of society more and more, recently, to the community's loss (failing to be salt and light).

It is the church's mission and responsibility to share the Gospel with, evangelize, and disciple our community. (see Mark 16:15)

"Christians must leave all America's children a moral, intellectual and spiritual heritage." (Dr. Robert Simonds, National Association of Christian Educators/Citizens for Excellence in Education, Costa Mesa, CA)

"Public" schools actually "shelter children from the real world", the real world being where God controls history and human events, where man was created by God and for God, and where Jesus died for our sin.

Statistics presented by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) indicate that 80% of all children in America do not attend church regularly.

Statistics presented by CEF indicate that 85% of all professing Christians became so between the ages of 4 and 14, childhood being the prime time to evangelize.

Many children will never become regular attenders of a local church, and we should not expect them to come to our churches necessarily. Many parents will, though, send their children to school when they would not send them to church, Sunday school, AWANA, or Vacation Bible School.

The church should be moving into, moving within, and reaching out to, all areas of the community. We should be going to them, not expecting them to come to us. ("Occupy until I come" - Lk 19:13)

Virtually all unchurched children attend "public" day school.

Day school can be a great opportunity and medium for child evangelism.

Opportunities pass us by, each and every day that children gather for school, to reach unchurched children, and the church should be seizing the opportunity.

Hundreds of children in our community attend government schools all their life and are never introduced to the truth, the Gospel, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the Ten Commandments, the creation account of history, or our Creator, God.

Most parents would prefer better schools for their children (nearly 60% according to an article in Education Week, Oct 95), and many are willing to even pay for it.

God's people are commanded to "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you....and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7).

Among the many responsibilities of the local church are to 1) build communities of character, the primary focus being developing character in individuals (see Col 1:28-29), 2) equip its members to "train up their children in the way they should go", 3) equip its members to fulfill their vocation, and 4) guide each individual to put his full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and to love Him with all his heart, soul, mind and strength (see Romans 10:9). (from Chuck Colson, The Body, Word Publishing, Dallas, pages 281-298). Day school can be a vehicle to help accomplish these objectives.

Church sponsored schools can help bring about the much needed separation of school and state by encouraging and facilitating removal of children from tax-funded/government schools.

"The spirit of anti-Christ rules nearly every public institution", Bill Bright, The Coming Revival, (NewLife Publications, Campus Crusade for Christ, 1995), p. 158.

Government schools promote and teach the religion of secular humanism (leaving God out of life), according to Dr. David Noebel, Summit Ministries, Manitou Springs, CO

So, would our churches consider the bold undertaking of providing a ministry of early education (starting with Kindergarten or First Grade and continuing up to Seventh or Eighth Grade or as much as we have faith for) for our community, recapturing our role and influence in society and the community and utilizing the opportunity to share the Gospel to all children in our community?