When I was in second grade at Dacusville Elementary School, my teacher "Little" Mrs. Looper told us we could bring our bibles to school because we were going to have bible study before school started. I remember as a seven year old how excited I was to go to school carrying my little white bible, the one that I could zip to open and close.
Those days of reading our bibles and praying corporately in school are over.
Little by little the government has allowed God to be pushed out of our schools, bibles and prayer are not welcomed there any more. The church, the very thing that Christ died for, was the foundation of our schools. "In Colonial America, home schooling and the schools run by the churches were very common. The first settlers in America felt that it was important that children learned to read so they could read their bibles. Learning right from wrong and developing good moral character were considered as important as learning the 3R's."- School Prayer in America, www.schoolprayerinamerica.com.In the 1600's laws were being passed for children to learn to read so they could read and learn scriptures, and today laws are being passed to stop the reading and learning of bible scriptures in school.
"In 1690, the First "New England Primer" is published. The alphabet is taught using bible verses for each letter, and has questions on bible moral teachings. The Primer contains children's prayers, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Shorter Catechism, and questions on the bible by Mr. Cotton. The "New England Primer" was used widely in American schools of all types, public, private, home or parochial for the next 200 years."- An Outline History of Religion in American Schools, www.free2pray.info.
Most of our colleges were founded as christian schools, "of the first 108 colleges and universities founded in America, 106 were founded as christian schools.
1636-Harvard College is founded by John Harvard, a Presbyterian minister primarily as a religious school to train clergy in the christian faith.
1699-Yale was founded by ten ministers in order to further the reformed Protestant religion. Students were required to read scriptures morning and evening at times of prayer.
1746-Princeton was founded by the Presbyterians with the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson as its first president. Every student shall attend worship in the college hall morning and evening at the hours appointed.
1764-Brown University established by the Baptist to further the religious revival known as the "Great Awakening" in America." -An Outline History of Religion in American Schools, www.free2pray.info.
Throughout history until 1948, teaching and reading the bible, and praying in schools were a priority. "In 1948 the Supreme Court rules that time set aside for prayer in public schools is unconstitutional (McCollum vs. Board of Education.) From then on the Supreme Court has ruled against prayer and bible reading in school.
1962-Supreme Court rules that children may not recite a state written prayer in school. (Engel v. Vitale.)
1963-Supreme Court bans individual school prayer (Murry vs. Curlett) and bible reading in public schools (Abington Township School District vs. Schempp.)
1965-Supreme Court rules that a child may pray silently to himself if no one knows he is praying and his lips do not move.
1980-Supreme Court rules that the Ten Commandments can not be posted in
classrooms.(Stone vs. Graham)" -An Outline History of Religion in American Schools, www.free2pray.info.
You can read more about the "History of Religion in American Schools" by clicking http://www.free2pray.info/schools.html
Not all is lost, there is a program that is called "Released Time" that is offered in our schools. "This is a program that allows the students to leave their school, go to an offsite facility, and learn about the word of God."- Krissie Davis "The U.S. Supreme Court upholds this program as legal in all 50 states. There are 3 requirements for it to be legal and they are: 1) Parental permission must be given. 2) Instruction must take place off school grounds. 3) No state resources must be used." - Released Time Bible Education-History, www.releasedtime.org/history."As the culture becomes darker and darker, Released Time Bible Education becomes more and more important. We are now reaching out to a generation of children who have no compass for right or wrong and are Biblically illiterate... a generation that is unchurched yet hungers for answers. Now more than ever our public schools are ripe for harvest as a mission field and Released Time fills that need." - Finn Laursen, Executive Director of Large Teacher's Association.
There are many that don't even realize that the schools offer this program. Krissie Davis, the current teacher, that teaches our "Released Time" for Dacusville Middle School said, "When approached about the job, I had never heard of this program or truthfully anything like it. It is amazing to me that students still have the opportunity to learn about God and His word during the course of a school day. There are currently over ten middle and high schools in the Pickens and Anderson school districts that offer the "Released Time" program as an elective to their students. The students have to request the class as an elective, which means it does not interfere with regular curriculum classes."
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| Krissie Davis |
Sometime prior to graduation, Krissie and her husband began discussing relocation. They knew in their hearts that if they stayed where they were it would be extremely difficult for Krissie to use her teaching degree. Krissie said, "In our town at that time, there were many certified teachers out of work." Krissie and her husband began to pray about the matter. She said, "We do not make any big decisions without seeking the will of God, thus began a journey that to this day still amazes me!" The first place that they looked at to live was in Pickens County near the Dacusville Community. They loved the location and decided to move here. As Krissie was driving back to Georgia to make preparations for the move, she happened to drive past Lifechurch. Immediately she said, "I felt God speak to me and say this is where you are to visit once your move is complete." Her and her husband were obedient to God's command and visited Lifechurch. They never visited any other churches because they knew that this was God's will.
Lifechurch is located on Thomas Mill Road here in Dacusville. Chad and Melissa Albertson are the pastors of Lifechurch. They have graciously offered their facility to house the students of Dacusville Middle School for "Released Time". Pastor Chad was the first to teach "Released Time" at Lifechurch for three years, however he was in need to turn it over to someone else. After Krissie's move, Melissa Albertson informed her of a 5th grade position at a local school. Pastor Chad approached Krissie and said in the event that if she wasn't chosen for the 5th grade position would she be interested in taking over "Released Time". Immediately she said yes, and put the matter in God's hands. In taking over "Released Time", God reminded Krissie of something that he had spoken to her years before this day. God said, "You will get your teaching degree, however you will not use it in the way you think you will." She said, "Even though I have an elementary degree, I am teaching middle school students." This reminds her of Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Krissie said she had her plans, but because she submitted her will to God, He ordered her steps as spoken of in Proverbs 16:9.
Since no state resources can be used to fund "Released Time", the members of Lifechurch help fund the program through their tithes. The money goes to purchase supplies for the classroom, fuel for the bus, and weekly snacks for the students. Wanda Tharpe, Dacusville Middle School principal said that she believes in the program and hopes that the students will participate, she said that the parents trust the program. She also said that she hopes that the school will support Lifechurch, and that Lifechurch will continue to support the school.
Krissie said that she loves going to work every day, she truly feels blessed in her spirit. She said it's an honor to teach this program to the students at Dacusville Middle School. Krissie said that her students love coming to class, for some it is a way for them to get out of regular school, but what they don't realize is that God's word is being planted in them. For many of her students it is about their desire to learn more about God and how to live for him. She feels like God has her in this position for a season, but would love to see this program continue for many years. "Please pray for this ministry that God will continue this program in our schools for many years to come. God Bless You, and may His face shine upon you!" -Krissie Davis
"Currently it is estimated that there are over 1,000 "Released Time" programs in operation today involving over 250,000 students in first grade through high school." -Released Time Bible Education-History, www.releasedtime.org/history.
It's Legal!
Get Involved......Support "Released Time"
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.- Proverbs 22:6
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