Carla Lendrum, Beth Acker and Katie Holmes of Titan Christian Education
By Beth Acker, Titan Christian Education
“Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of His body” (1 Cor 12:27).
Wow! What a year for us at Titan Christian Education. God has done a marvelous work through the Ohio and national RTBE community: His grace and your support empowered us to start a program just this January, a little over a year after our initial investigation.
In 2014, around Thanksgiving, I first visited Norwayne’s program and talked with Linda Kline. Having taught RTBE for more than 30 years, she was a wealth of knowledge, offering curriculum, handouts and forms to help us get started. She also introduced me to many other released time programs. Carolyn Baer, from Breakaway, let us come and view their program, giving us more ideas and providing us with a copy of their constitution, by-laws, and statement of faith. Pastor Bud Olszewski, at Rittman, was another excellent resource and volunteered to come with us to meet our school’s principal and help answer questions. Southeast’s program invited us to their board meeting, provided financial support, and was a supportive presence at our community meeting. WeCARE for Students and School Ministries were amazing as we navigated through this process, making sure we had everything required and were always available for questions. These are just a few who have been instrumental in getting us started. So, it is with gratitude and blessings, we are able to say you are the Body of Christ.
We are thrilled to announce we currently have 22 third grade students (~40% of enrollment at Shreve Elementary) and 24 fourth grade students (~45%) joining us for lunch and giving up their recess to learn about God one day each week!
I urge you to be bold in your sharing with other communities. (I had had no idea RTBE even existed until three years ago, and discovered it was in the neighboring schools where I grew up). God is looking to use you, your talents, and resources to help others grow and expand His territory.