Encouragement Day Highlights: ‘Refined’

We’re so thankful for every person who attended our 2024 Women’s Encouragement Day! What a beautiful privilege to serve all you spectacular homeschool moms.

See our Facebook photo album here!

Theme of the day: ‘Refined – A Homeschool Mom’s Call to Trust’

• Hebrews 11:7 – “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.”
• From the Women’s Encouragement Team: “In the spirit of Noah’s faithful obedience, we embark on this homeschooling adventure, trusting that God is our ultimate guide and protector. As homeschool moms, you are constructing an educational ‘ark’ for your children, a haven where faith, knowledge, and character are woven together in the fabric of daily life.”

Worship

• Led by Hannah and Esther Markman, homeschool students

Featured Speaker: Zan Tyler

Zan Tyler’s homeschool journey began in 1984 when homeschooling was illegal in her state. The State Superintendent of Education threatened Zan with jail for insisting on homeschooling her son. For the next eight years, she and other homeschool families battled for homeschool freedom and the establishment of landmark homeschool legislation in South Carolina. To this day, her legislative success has spearheaded legislation to ensure homeschool freedom in other states. In 1990, she founded the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) and served as its president for ten years.

Her fight for homeschool freedom led her to serve as the National Grassroots Director for ParentalRights.org, to advocate for homeschooling in the media (appearing on NBC’s Today Show) and at the nation’s capital, and to write profusely about the benefits of homeschooling. Zan’s deepest desire is to encourage parents to raise children who love the Lord, understand their callings in life, and become active citizens who understand the freedom principles undergirding our great American heritage. She is an inspirational speaker and author and a consultant for BJU Press Homeschool and for Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). For sixteen years, Zan worked with Christian publishers to develop homeschool curriculum and resources. In 2015, she was presented with the Chris Klicka Award for her dedication and commitment to home education worldwide. She considers the twenty-one years she and her husband, Joe, spent homeschooling their own three children from kindergarten through high school to be one of the greatest privileges of her life. Zan is the host of the Zan Tyler Podcast, which launched in August 2022 and is sponsored by BJU Press Homeschool. Join Zan and a special guest for real encouragement, engaging stories, and practical wisdom for surviving and thriving on the homeschool journey. A new episode airs each Wednesday.

Lunch

• Lunch was catered from a local business with gluten-free options, including pan-seared chicken, brown rice pilaf and a roasted vegetable medley.

As always, we’re so grateful for your commitment to your family. As you go forward in this great task, may you feel the smile of the Father in every day. We’ve prayed for each one of you who attended.

Hope to see you at our April 5-6 conference and curriculum fair!

We have updated this blog post, originally published in February 2016, to reflect the 2023 Encouragement Day.

MPE subsidizes the cost of this event because we want as many people as possible to attend. Please consider donating if you haven’t already … it’s always much appreciated!