Mike Smith:
My guest today is Heidi St. John. Heidi and her husband Jay are the parents of six children and founders of First Class Homeschool Ministries in Washington State. First Class is a parachurch organization that plants homeschool ministries in local churches. Heidi, thank you for joining me on the program today.

Heidi St. John:
Thank you very much; it’s great to be here.

Mike:
Why did you and Jay begin First Class, Heidi, and what’s the purpose of the ministry?

Heidi:
Well, First Class began with one co-op in 2000, and in 2005 after we received many calls and emails from people around the country who wanted to know how to start their own homeschool cooperative, God began to enlarge our vision. We really felt like the Lord was asking us to take the First Class model and turn it into a parachurch ministry so that homeschooling families could benefit from the model that has worked so well for us. With First Class, a church can start a parent-directed homeschool co-op in their community without having to start it from scratch. We provide all the tools that they will need to get it up and running. From a database in promotional materials, to things like websites, forums, and membership handbooks. We've taken the guesswork out of planning and starting a homeschool co-op, and we think its easier than its ever been for churches to reach out to homeschoolers.

Mike:
Well, Heidi, what a great vision and service, and we thank you for sharing that with us. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.