Homeschooling has grown in popularity over the past decade. According to HomeschoolFacts.com: “Homeschooling is the single fastest growing educational trend in the United States and that trend is expanding worldwide. Dr. Brian Ray, one of the leading homeschool researchers [in the nation,] estimates that homeschooling has increased 15 percent per year over the past several years.”

In 2003 the United States National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) (nces.ed.gov/nhes) estimated the number of homeschooled students in the United States at 1.1 million. Today that number could be between 2.4 to 3 million.

Although there are many reasons parents choose to instruct their children at home, one motive often cited is to provide young people with a strong spiritual and moral foundation. According to nhhomeschooling.org, “Many parents feel that schools (including private, religion-based schools) do not address the spiritual issues and morals they want incorporated into their children’s education. Some parents object to the teaching of ideas and theories contrary to theirs—evolution and sex education, for example.”

This critical desire provides an important targeted opportunity for the United Church of God to help both parents and children better understand these and other subjects from a biblical perspective. As a result, we will soon participate in a test distribution of Good News subscription brochures at home school conventions in the United States. Between Mar. 19 and May 1, 2012, we will distribute over 6,000 copies of the brochure to participants at 35 conventions across the country.

Our four-color, tri-fold brochure, which offers a free, one-year subscription to The Good News, features the magazine cover, “Bringing Up a Moral Child.” Brochures will be placed inside a packet with educational materials from various companies and organizations. Depending on the success of this effort in terms of response, we hope to expand distribution in subsequent months to visitors at additional homeschool conventions. Also in the future, we hope to participate in Internet related forms of contact with U.S. and international homeschooling parents.

As always, your prayers for God’s blessings on this media effort will be greatly appreciated.