Dear friends,
Back in the 80's a few homeschool
families saw the need for a local support group. In those days of snail mail,
tape players and phones with cords, it was difficult to find and connect with
other homeschool families especially since homeschooling was still very
taboo. Even at church homeschoolers were
looked at as the "weird" ones. So, a few pioneering families got
together and formed the Lane Inter-Christian Guild of Home Teachers, or LIGHT.
Their purpose was to "help interested families educate and raise godly
children through home education." They did this through monthly meetings,
where they lifted up and encouraged each other, and through extracurricular
activities, like field trips. They also created a directory of their members so
that help and support could be only a phone call away.
As the years have passed, things have
changed. Families have come and gone and the number of homeschoolers has
sky-rocketed. Technology has exploded as well. We now have email, MP3 players
and cell phones. No matter where we are we can connect with hundreds of other
homeschoolers in an instant and usually without making a phone call. Online
groups, chat forums and Facebook have taken the place of monthly meetings.
DVD's, Netflix and YouTube have almost eliminated the need for field trips. And
rarely are homeschoolers now seen as the "weird" ones at church.
Over the last few years LIGHT's path has
been rather unclear. We've seen our membership numbers dwindle as we've
struggled to find our place in this new modern age. And we are seeing that the
time for monthly meetings has passed. Families don't have time for another
commitment, especially since support and encouragement are so readily obtained
elsewhere.
Two years ago, LIGHT started a co-op,
Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op (ECHC), and it is flourishing. It is filling
a need in the homeschool community and every term more new families join. ECHC
has truly been a blessing for many. With that being said, we believe it is time
for LIGHT to step down and let the co-op take up the torch and continue to
shine.
And, so, dear friends, it is time to say
goodbye. We will not be officially shutting the doors until August, so if you
need to reach us before then, you are still welcome to email us at
lighthomeschooling@gmail.com. Also, we
will NOT be doing the used curriculum sale in June as we had originally planned
at the beginning of the year. We are very sorry for any inconvenience. There is
talk of others doing a sale, so if that comes together we will pass along the
information. In addition, as we finish tying up loose ends, we will be passing
our contact list over to ECHC. This means you will still receive emails about
the co-op and other local homeschool opportunities from them. If you wish to be
removed from that list, please let us know.
It has been a pleasure serving you over
the last few decades and we thank you so much for all your support!
In Christ,
The LIGHT Board
Dani, Jasmine & Glennda
Other ways to connect:
Eugene Christian Co-op ECHCinformation@gmail.com
OCEAN Network www.oceanetwork.org
HSLDA www.hslda.org
Lane Inter-Christian Guild of Home Teachers (L.I.G.H.T.) is a Christian network of Homeschooling families who believe that the God of the Bible is the only true God and that our salvation rests on the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is God, who died on the cross for all mankind, was raised in the flesh and ascended to sit at the right hand of God.
Our Purpose:
To help all interested Christian families educate and raise godly children through home education.
LIGHT seeks to provide Homeschooling Help, Support and Fellowship To Encourage and Equip our Member Families.
Our Meetings:
LIGHT is taking a much needed break from monthly meetings this year. We hope to see you at the Used Book Sale in June.
How To Reach Us:
Contact us via email at lighthomeschooling@gmail.com (or click the button on the right!) or snail mail: LIGHT, P.O. Box 42138, Eugene, OR 97404
