Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Lifewise Academy offers Bible education for public school students during school hours.
Tuesday, the Kosciusko County Commissioners heard about the organization at the invitation of Southern District Commissioner Bob Conley.
In introducing Lifewise Academy, Conley said, “This is a unique situation in our community. I think overall, throughout the entire country, I think everybody comes to grips with the fact that the moral ethical quandary that oftentimes we find ourselves in. It starts at a very early age. I know God’s word says, ‘Train the children up the way they should go, and when they are old they won’t depart from it.’ I think we’ve got so far away from that.”
He said he’s noticed a couple news briefs, and even the 6 o’clock news with Lester Holt had a special on Lifewise, which he said has taken off.
Lifewise Academy is so successful, Conley said, there’s a drop in absenteeism among the kids who are “problematic,” as well as a drop in in-school and out-of-school suspensions.
“So, again, these kids have a moral compass inside them that needs to be activated, and I think this Lifewise Academy, locally, is the vehicle that we have availability to. I’ve asked them to come and make a presentation to us this morning,” Conley stated.
Bruce Shown, Lifewise Academy ambassador, explained that he went to Conley’s barbershop over a week ago and asked if he could put one of Lifewise’s posters up in the barbershop. Conley asked him what Lifewise was, and Shown explained and that they were starting up in one local school this fall.
“We hope in three years to be in all the schools in the school district, and it’s already in a thousand school districts,” Shown said.
After giving posters to all the commissioners, Shown said the schools are actually liking the program because “of all the non-religious things that happen in terms of behavior. But that’s not because it’s not religious, it’s because, in fact, of the Christian education they’re getting off-site.”
Since 1952, Shown said the United States Supreme Court ruled if Christian education in a public school is done off-site, paid for by private funds or churches and not by the school system, and parents give permission for their kids to leave the school during the school day, then it was permissible.
In 2012, Lifewise started in Van Wert, Ohio.
“It took off, like Bob said. It’s in a 1,000 school districts already, and in counties all around us already. It’s in 27 states, and we’re starting it now in this school district, and we’re hoping to be in all the schools by the end of graduation 2028,” Shown said.
He said there’s an all-time high for anxiety, depression and suicide among youth.
“We’ve had school kids kill themselves, and we’ve had school kids try,” Shown continued. “I volunteer at Gateway and I’ve talked to kids there who have tried to kill themselves. And so, we believe, and we trust, that as we go forward, we’re going to see the same thing happen here as is happening in other school districts.”
In Noble County, he said, over 70% of the elementary students are going to Lifewise Academy. Nationwide, 80% of public school kids’ families don’t go to church.
“In this county, we’re better than that. We’re more blessed. This is a church community. But still, we estimate that there are 4,600 kids in our schools that don’t go to church. But, yet, many parents will say, ‘I want what this does for my kids.’ And they’ll sign up for their kids to do this. So we just pray God’s blessing, and I thank you, Bob, and all of you for allowing us to present,” Shown concluded.
Conley said he was a firm believer “that we give a lot of things lip service, and this is where we take a step beyond that. We become proactive and pray that in the future this will make a tremendous difference in our youth and in our families.”
Shown introduced Nikki Bowers, the director; Mike Gormaly, the very first Lifewise teacher at Jefferson Elementary this fall; and board members Steve and Sandra Stauffer.
“They’re doing a tremendous amount of work to make this happen,” he stated.
To learn more about the program, visit lifewise.org/warsawin
