The purpose of Learning at Home Fellowship is to provide support, encouragement and accountability to members of the community who homeschool their children. In so doing, we desire to accomplish the following:
- Encourage members in their effort to raise their children up after the manner of Christ and according to Scriptural principles (Luke 2:52, Ephesians 6:4)
- Provide a group within which parents share accountability in holding to the highest standards of excellence in educating their children, striving to glorify God in our homes and exalt the name of Christ in our community (1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Corinthians 4:6-7)
- Develop an atmosphere enabling parents to share concerns and ideas within the context of Biblical fellowship, encouraging one another with Scripture and uplifting one another in prayer (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)
- Promote a sense of fellowship with like-minded families within our community (1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 John 1:3, 7)
- Provide opportunities for the children of homeschooling families to serve others in the name of Jesus (Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 6:7-8)
- Provide information regarding specific areas of concern to homeschool families, including legal, social and academic resources
- Offer field trips and other educational experiences for our children
We believe:
- The Bible is the inspired word of God, complete and without error. Nothing has been added to it and it is the only source of divine truth, including theological concepts as well as geographical and historical detail (2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 22:18-19)
- God has existed from all eternity and is the Creator of all things. He exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was God come in human flesh, being fully God and fully man, except without sin (John 1:1-18)
- All men are separated from God’s righteousness and holiness by sinful nature and actions and are therefore subject to His wrath and just condemnation. However, the penalty for man’s sin was fully paid through the death of Jesus on the cross and His visible bodily resurrection is a testament to the accomplishment of His divine plan (Romans 3:10,23- Romans 6:23)
- Salvation is offered by grace as a free gift to the sinner. This gift must be responded to in individual faith, not trusting in any personal works, but the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ alone! (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- God forbids pagan practices such as witchcraft, fortune telling, casting spells, interpreting omens and contacting the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
- Sexual relations between a husband and wife are a blessing from God. All other sexual relations are forbidden. (Leviticus 18:6-30)
Each member must agree to:
- Promote unity within the group and the body of Christ through words and conduct (Ephesians 4:1-3)
- Encourage an orderly learning environment, holding to a high standard of home education (1 Corinthians 10:31; 14:40)
- Conduct all activities with honesty, integrity, compassion and love (Philippians 2:15-16)
- Be responsible for their children’s actions and behavior at all times, disciplining their children in a discreet and respectful manner while participating in any LAHF activities (Ephesians 6:4, Hebrews 12:5-6, James 1:19-20)
- Strive to maintain a Christ-like testimony, being aware of how our actions and attitudes reflect Christ to a watching world and affect the outlook of fellow believers (1 Timothy 4:12, John 13:14-17)
-LAHF will allow a maximum of 35 member families, leaving space for 5 new members of First Baptist Snellville (FBS) throughout the year.
- LAHF will meet once each month for the months of August-May consecutively. The time and exact night for meetings next year is yet to be determined, depending on the church calendar. We are still striving to meet on Mondays.
- Members who are unable to attend a meeting must contact a member of the core committee in advance with the reason for their absence. RSVPs are not required for monthly meetings as attendance is expected.
- A member who misses a monthly meeting is responsible for calling another group member to obtain any information missed.
- As monthly meetings are specifically designed for the support, encouragement and rejuvenation of mothers, husbands and children are respectfully asked not to attend. No childcare will be provided but nursing babies are permitted.
- LAHF information is transmitted via email. A member without email access will be paired with another member who is willing to keep her advised when emails are sent.
- All RSVPs require a yes or no response, even if you are not attending the event. This ensures that everyone received the information sent. As a matter of courtesy, please rsvp by the deadline.
- When payment is required for an event, payment must be received by the deadline in order to attend the event. If payment is not received in a timely manner and other arrangements have not been made, your name will be removed from the list.
- If you must cancel after you rsvp for an event, the following guidelines will be used. If your cancellation does not affect the minimum number required for an event, no payment will be required. If you must cancel and it does affect the minimum number, you will be responsible for finding a replacement family to attend or for paying in order to keep the minimum. This ensures that we do not have to cancel an event because we fall below the minimum required number due to last-minute cancellations.
- Members must be homeschooling at least one child age 3 or older.
- Complete an application to be reviewed by the core committee.
- Pay membership dues of $40 annually. Payment can be split into two equal payments, with the first payment due in August and the second payment due in January. LAHF dues are primarily used for administration expenses (copies, folders, office supplies, etc.), purchasing paper goods used at each meeting, providing small gestures of thanks for speakers or special guests, purchasing supplies for parties and other events, etc.
- Volunteer for a service opportunity by serving on at least one LAHF committee with active participation.
- Attend at least 60% of the monthly group meetings from the previous school year.
-Complete an application to be reviewed by the core committee.
-Follow-up with the applicant will occur by a core committee member within 2-3 weeks.
-Pay membership dues of $40 annually. Payment can be split into two equal payments, with the first payment due in August and the second payment due in January. For a prospect joining in January or later, dues will be $20. LAHF dues are primarily used for administration expenses (copies, folders, office supplies, etc.), purchasing paper goods used at each meeting, providing small gestures of thanks for speakers or special guests, purchasing supplies for parties and other events, etc.
-Upon joining, the new member will be required to volunteer for a service opportunity and will be assigned to a committee.
-Attend monthly meetings with a minimum 60% attendance rate. Members new or old must maintain this attendance rate to be eligible for membership the following year.
-A prospect may attend two LAHF events with prior approval before membership will be required in order to attend future events.
-Obtain person’s name, phone number, email address, number and ages of children and how she learned about LAHF.
-Give the information to a core committee member, who will then contact the person at the member’s convenience.
-As a protection for all members, NO personal information should be given to someone inquiring about the group (including phone numbers and email addresses).
-Monthly prayer requests will be sent out via email. The email loop may be used to share other prayer requests in between monthly meetings.
-Anyone needing to send an email to the group should compose the email and send it to the leader, who will then forward it to the group upon approval. If the leader is unavailable, the email may be sent to another core committee member. This will ensure that all members receive the information as the leader is responsible for keeping the email information up-to-date.
-A member may email the group if she has items for sale or items to give away.
-Please be sensitive when sending information via email and refrain from forwarding “junk mail”. Keep emails to the group focused on LAHF or homeschool information or information for specific spiritual or personal growth.
-Placement in the mentoring program is strictly on a volunteer basis, either as a mentor or a family desiring to be mentored.
-Mentors must have homeschooled for at least three consecutive years.
-Mentors and mentored families will be matched according to as many factors as possible (similar age and sex of children, any public school experience, similar curriculum use, etc).
-No new family to the group may mentor another family until they have completed one full year of membership in LAHF.
-The mentoring family should have contact with their assigned family a minimum of once monthly.
-Suggestions for mentoring:
introduce the new family to other members at different events
share information about our community if new to the area
carpool to events
share curriculum ideas
send cards or emails
invite to lunch or for a casual outing
share prayer requests
These are only guidelines. Just be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to what needs your assigned family may have.
