With 5 Minutes a Day

• Pray for your state leaders. They often face personal persecution and slander as a result of their servant's role.
• Pray for the speakers, vendors, volunteers, and attendees.
• Attend. You will be a blessing to others and be blessed too!
• Encourage others to attend. So often all someone else needs is a little encouraging word. Use yours liberally.
• Volunteer in some capacity. There are always jobs that need to be done - both large and small.
• Donate. Find out if you can bring homemade snacks for the speakers and/or vendors, offer to help in some sort of office capacity, and of course, financial donations are always an encouragement to all.

With 30 Minutes a Day
So often conference leaders have many willing worker ants but few who will take charge and serve in a Queen position. Take charge of an area. Offer to volunteer in a larger role and receive added blessings as a result.

How to Destroy a Homeschool Conference

• Slander its leaders with character assassination to all who will listen.
• Talk negatively about its faults, poor speakers, facilities, food, etc.
• Support and/or start a different organization.
• Don't attend.
• Don't volunteer.

"Since the beginning of the modern homeschool movement in the early '80s, statewide homeschool conventions have been one of the foundational building blocks for strong homeschool families. These conferences have served and will continue to serve the homeschool community by educating, inspiring, and equipping both new and veteran homeschooling families. I believe that every homeschooling family should regularly attend these conventions to receive the needed 'shot in the arm' to help them keep on keeping on."
- Chris Klicka, HSLDA Senior Counsel

"Everyone needs constant encouragement to inspire and fuel themselves for the job they are doing homeschooling. I believe mothers who are homeschooling their children need to attend Christian conferences in order to better prepare a new generation that knows and will stand for truth against society and the devil. To train them to stand against the evils of this hour, they need all the fortitude and training they can get to get refueled, reenergized, and strengthened for the great task they are doing."
- Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies

"Homeschool conferences are the best source for encouragement, vision, and direction. If possible, both husband and wife should attend these weekends together in order to gain a shared vision. Setting aside such special times will strengthen your commitment to homeschooling as you are equipped for the ministry of discipleship."
- David and Shirley Quine  www.CornestoneCurriculum.com

"Why homeschoolers need to attend state conferences? They need the encouragement of the speakers and attendees.
They need to show support for the state organization. Since much of the income for the state organization comes from conventions attendance is vital.
This is where you find out your state's homeschool issues.
To show their support for Christian homeschoolers in their state.
One of the troubling trends we see across the country is less veterans coming to homeschool conventions. This is alarming because it shows there may be some apathy setting in. Apathy can lead to bondage. If we take what we have for granted - the religious freedom to homeschool - we could end up losing what we have now. This worries me more than anything else.
If the homeschoolers get to where they are not concerned about the battles other homeschoolers are going through and the current issues that homeschoolers are facing, then we will be in trouble. When we need the homeschoolers to rally to defeat bad legislation or rally behind legislation that would bring more freedom to homeschooling, the support that we need may not be there."
- Mike Smith, HSLDA President

"Today it is more important than ever to instill godly principles into our children without them enduring constant day-to-day corrupting influences of worldly people and curriculum in secular educational establishments. The best and most biblical form of education is a godly father/mother-directed home education. But how does a parent learn about this form of education when most of his/her Christian friends send their kids off to secular preschools and public schools? The best way for a family to learn about homeschooling is for an already homeschooling family to invite them to attend a Christian homeschool conference. here, they will meet hundreds and in some cases thousands of other families homeschooling. They will have a chance to review a myriad of curriculum packages and textbooks. They will have the opportunity to listen to experienced homeschooling families sharing their experiences. And, most of all, Christian homeschool conferences give parents the confidence they need to embark on a journey that will forever bless them and their children with a strong relationship with our Lord and savior. Dr. Brian Ray's research concluded that 94% of children homeschooled keep the faith of their parents, whereas research concludes that 85% of children from secular schools reject Christ after graduation. So for the next homeschool conference, invite a couple of your Christian friends. If you do, you will have helped change the course of their children's faith in Jesus Christ."
- Denise Kanter  www.thinkingofhomeschooling.org