| " fellowship, support, & encouragement" |
| CHEC |
| Christian Home Educators of Camden |
1. What is required for membership?
Read the handbook. Fill out and sign the member form (indicating you agree with the
Statement of Faith and will abide by the guidelines in the handbook). Mail in the form along
with your dues to the address indicated on the form. That’s it! We understand that each
family has different needs and non-CHEC obligations that are subject to change so we do
not require members to fulfill any other obligations. We believe, however, you will receive the
best support through active participation.
2. How are membership fees used? The dues are used to defray the following expenses:
we print the directory, pay for the website, buy paper goods and drinks for whole-group
events, buy some of the yearbook supplies, pay for other expenses for the whole-group
events (i.e. the square dance caller), pay for the CHEC certificates to be printed and other
expenses for Recognition Night.
3. What does the Administrative Team do? As a group, the Administrative Team plans
the annual events - this includes coordinating dates, reserving venues, determining costs,
planning set-up/take-down, taking RSVP’s. The News Coordinator publishes the website with
the dates and times of CHEC and community events that have been emailed to her. The loop
is moderated by a couple of the Administrative Team members - this means they send
invitations to new members, try to help members who are having email problems, remind
members of the loop guidelines, and check the “spam” folder occasionally. The treasurer
accepts member dues and pays for CHEC expenses. One Administrative Team member
accepts the membership forms & collates the information into a directory as well as
forwarding email addresses to the loop moderators. Another Administrative Team member is
the contact person for the community - as “secretary” her contact information is given out so
we can receive information regarding community events. Another Administrative Team
member stores and brings the gym equipment we use at Field Day every year & the paper
goods. They all field a LOT of questions about homeschooling. A/T responsibilities may
rotate among the team members.
4. How are Administrative Team members selected? When a need is seen for a new
Administrative Team member, the need is advertised through the news coordinator and
volunteers are requested. If we have more than one volunteer, the A/T will prayerfully
choose who they think will best serve the need. In order to do this, the character, gifts, and
qualifications of the volunteers are taken into prayerful consideration. Therefore, to be
eligible for the Administrative Team a member needs to have homeschooled as a member of
CHEC for at least two years.
5. Does CHEC offer how-to seminars for new homeschoolers, homeschooling high
school, or (fill in the blank)? We do not usually offer how-to seminars because they are
done so well by the statewide organizations, and made available by them several times a
year in Columbia. Members are free to plan one if they like!
We DO have the “Institute for Excellence in Writing” video seminar available for member use.
More information about the seminar can be found at www.excellenceinwriting.com. If you are
interested in viewing the videos or planning a group event (it is a several-day seminar, with
some group activities), please contact the Administrative Team.
6. What about mentoring?
Mentoring flows naturally out of the relationships formed in the small group settings.
Although it may never be called mentoring, the give and take of questions and advice that
occurs during our small group meetings helps new and experienced homeschoolers alike.
The yahoo loop is another venue through which you can seek information and advice. We
do not have an official matching process as we believe our members should be free to form
relationships at their own discretion. We publish children’s ages and curriculum choices to
help our members connect with others who may have experience they seek.
While we support and encourage mom - to - mom flow of support, please remember that it is
your school, and the choices that will be best for your family must be made by your family.
Asking a more experienced homeschooler about her experience is a great way to help sift
through information you have already collected. It is, however, her experience. It may not
directly apply to your family. Each family and every child is different. Research and prayer
are your best options for direction.
7. What is the history of CHEC? We won’t go into an exhaustive play-by-play of CHEC’s
entire history, but here are the key points:
CHEC began in 1994 when a group of moms decided to meet in someone’s living room to
pray and support one another in their homeschool journeys. After a year of being mainly a
field trip group with no one wanting to take on leadership, CHEC disbanded in 1995. Moms
then sought out other homeschool support in Columbia or had no support at all. It was in
1996 when the decision was made to try a local support group again. It only took that one
year of NO LOCAL SUPPORT for moms to realize it was vital to their homeschooling
journey. Moms were then more willing to start leading clubs, field trips, etc. As more families
in the area decided to homeschool and learned of this network of supportive moms, the
Christian Home Educators of Camden became more organized as a group.
During the ensuing years the group tried several different ways of organizing meetings and
events. These were definitely years of “growing pains”, and though the journey included
bumps and challenges, CHEC continued to grow. The leaders worked to find a balance: “just
enough” organization to facilitate mom-to-mom support and group activities, while preserving
the freedom our members needed to become the homeschoolers God had called each of
them to be.
We have found the formula that works for us here: a foundation provided by our statements
of faith and purpose and the Administrative Team-led CHEC-wide events; small group
support for and by moms; a changing, flexible tapestry of enrichment for our children with
member-planned & -led co-ops, field trips, and social events. At our core, we are still “just” a
group of fellow moms, supporting one another in our homeschool journeys through prayer
and friendship. Why? So we can fulfill “this high calling from God to strengthen our families,
educate our children, spread the Gospel, and live for His Glory.”
Read the handbook. Fill out and sign the member form (indicating you agree with the
Statement of Faith and will abide by the guidelines in the handbook). Mail in the form along
with your dues to the address indicated on the form. That’s it! We understand that each
family has different needs and non-CHEC obligations that are subject to change so we do
not require members to fulfill any other obligations. We believe, however, you will receive the
best support through active participation.
2. How are membership fees used? The dues are used to defray the following expenses:
we print the directory, pay for the website, buy paper goods and drinks for whole-group
events, buy some of the yearbook supplies, pay for other expenses for the whole-group
events (i.e. the square dance caller), pay for the CHEC certificates to be printed and other
expenses for Recognition Night.
3. What does the Administrative Team do? As a group, the Administrative Team plans
the annual events - this includes coordinating dates, reserving venues, determining costs,
planning set-up/take-down, taking RSVP’s. The News Coordinator publishes the website with
the dates and times of CHEC and community events that have been emailed to her. The loop
is moderated by a couple of the Administrative Team members - this means they send
invitations to new members, try to help members who are having email problems, remind
members of the loop guidelines, and check the “spam” folder occasionally. The treasurer
accepts member dues and pays for CHEC expenses. One Administrative Team member
accepts the membership forms & collates the information into a directory as well as
forwarding email addresses to the loop moderators. Another Administrative Team member is
the contact person for the community - as “secretary” her contact information is given out so
we can receive information regarding community events. Another Administrative Team
member stores and brings the gym equipment we use at Field Day every year & the paper
goods. They all field a LOT of questions about homeschooling. A/T responsibilities may
rotate among the team members.
4. How are Administrative Team members selected? When a need is seen for a new
Administrative Team member, the need is advertised through the news coordinator and
volunteers are requested. If we have more than one volunteer, the A/T will prayerfully
choose who they think will best serve the need. In order to do this, the character, gifts, and
qualifications of the volunteers are taken into prayerful consideration. Therefore, to be
eligible for the Administrative Team a member needs to have homeschooled as a member of
CHEC for at least two years.
5. Does CHEC offer how-to seminars for new homeschoolers, homeschooling high
school, or (fill in the blank)? We do not usually offer how-to seminars because they are
done so well by the statewide organizations, and made available by them several times a
year in Columbia. Members are free to plan one if they like!
We DO have the “Institute for Excellence in Writing” video seminar available for member use.
More information about the seminar can be found at www.excellenceinwriting.com. If you are
interested in viewing the videos or planning a group event (it is a several-day seminar, with
some group activities), please contact the Administrative Team.
6. What about mentoring?
Mentoring flows naturally out of the relationships formed in the small group settings.
Although it may never be called mentoring, the give and take of questions and advice that
occurs during our small group meetings helps new and experienced homeschoolers alike.
The yahoo loop is another venue through which you can seek information and advice. We
do not have an official matching process as we believe our members should be free to form
relationships at their own discretion. We publish children’s ages and curriculum choices to
help our members connect with others who may have experience they seek.
While we support and encourage mom - to - mom flow of support, please remember that it is
your school, and the choices that will be best for your family must be made by your family.
Asking a more experienced homeschooler about her experience is a great way to help sift
through information you have already collected. It is, however, her experience. It may not
directly apply to your family. Each family and every child is different. Research and prayer
are your best options for direction.
7. What is the history of CHEC? We won’t go into an exhaustive play-by-play of CHEC’s
entire history, but here are the key points:
CHEC began in 1994 when a group of moms decided to meet in someone’s living room to
pray and support one another in their homeschool journeys. After a year of being mainly a
field trip group with no one wanting to take on leadership, CHEC disbanded in 1995. Moms
then sought out other homeschool support in Columbia or had no support at all. It was in
1996 when the decision was made to try a local support group again. It only took that one
year of NO LOCAL SUPPORT for moms to realize it was vital to their homeschooling
journey. Moms were then more willing to start leading clubs, field trips, etc. As more families
in the area decided to homeschool and learned of this network of supportive moms, the
Christian Home Educators of Camden became more organized as a group.
During the ensuing years the group tried several different ways of organizing meetings and
events. These were definitely years of “growing pains”, and though the journey included
bumps and challenges, CHEC continued to grow. The leaders worked to find a balance: “just
enough” organization to facilitate mom-to-mom support and group activities, while preserving
the freedom our members needed to become the homeschoolers God had called each of
them to be.
We have found the formula that works for us here: a foundation provided by our statements
of faith and purpose and the Administrative Team-led CHEC-wide events; small group
support for and by moms; a changing, flexible tapestry of enrichment for our children with
member-planned & -led co-ops, field trips, and social events. At our core, we are still “just” a
group of fellow moms, supporting one another in our homeschool journeys through prayer
and friendship. Why? So we can fulfill “this high calling from God to strengthen our families,
educate our children, spread the Gospel, and live for His Glory.”