Nehemiah rebuilding walls of faith in East Holmes Schools
Nehemiah is a Release Time Bible Education program that takes place off school grounds with parental consent in the East Holmes schools of Wise, Flat Ridge, Winesburg, Chestnut Ridge and Mt. Hope.
Nehemiah was a biblical figure who chose to follow God and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after they were destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar around 446 BC. His faith was strong, and he helped the Israelites by teaching them to serve in faith.
The name Nehemiah seemed like the perfect fit for the Release Time Bible Education program that has grown throughout the East Holmes School District’s elementary schools.
“Our goal is to share God’s word with the children,” said Benita Miller, Nehemiah board member who began the program with co-founder Cindy Rainsberger. “We encourage them to meet God daily through Bible study and prayer and to mature in their faith. We believe that in teaching biblical values to the children we are investing in their lives and building character traits that will benefit them as they grow into adulthood.”
The program began in 2018, prior to COVID, with fewer than 60 children participating. Since then it has grown, with more than 440 children participating. Thus far Nehemiah has worked with Wise, Chestnut Ridge, Mt. Hope, Flat Ridge and Winesburg schools, where it has a nearly 100% participation rate among the children.
“It grew so fast,” Miller said. “It’s way bigger than us, so we are restructuring, and our board is taking on a more active role in investing in the children. We want to make sure we have a solid foundation before we expand any further.
“It all started with a prayer, and the core continues to center around prayer. We depended on God to make this happen, and the growth has been amazing. This is all about our community doing God’s work and being a part of something special.”
Meeting once per week with each of the participating school classes, Nehemiah uses Bible stories in each lesson plan, incorporating stories, games, songs, crafts, skits and discussion in each lesson.
In recognizing the separation of church and state, RTBE has any student who would like to participate have their parents sign a permission slip before they can attend a program that is on a national level.
While the RTBE program connects with school children during the school days, it is performed off the grounds of any public school with dedicated locations. Nehemiah pays for the busing of the students, and the schools have no investment whatsoever in the program.
Each participating school’s students are bused to the Nehemiah off-campus classroom setting. There are seven daily classes, with each class being 45 minutes including transport time. Nehemiah’s buses run to and from school to the respective facilities throughout each day, ushering students to Nehemiah and then back to school in each 45-minute time period.
“We pay to use the bus driver and the bus,” Miller said. “At Flat Ridge and Wise, we have the former Bookmobile — aptly named the Biblemobile now — where the kids can just walk to the bus off school grounds. At Wise and Mt. Hope, the children can walk off the school grounds to Messiah Church and the Homestead Garden Center. Winesburg students are bused to The Well Church while Chestnut Ridge students are bused to Living Waters Church (former New Grounds Café).
A typical day features nondenominational lessons, and Miller said they work hard to incorporate a series of activities that entices all five senses.
“It’s about igniting the passion in each child,” Miller said. “We want them to be learning about God, and the Bible is our textbook in a fun and educational way.”
That includes role playing, dressing up as biblical characters, games, giveaway prizes and ways to engage the senses.
Nehemiah is funded through the giving of area churches, businesses and individuals who value the faith-based curriculum. There is no state resources or funding utilized.
The staff features volunteer teachers with a heart to promote biblical values in their lessons. Each teacher is interviewed and must submit to a background check.
“We couldn’t do this alone,” Miller said. “Having dedicated and faithful volunteers willing to do the work is essential. Our tagline is ‘Rebuilding the walls to protect America’s youth,’ and we believe in that firmly. We believe the wall that has been broken down is biblical authority, so when we can bring that authority back to the children, it gives them a moral compass of right and wrong and a foundation to build upon.”
Katie Kratzer, board secretary, said one of the most fascinating parts about the program is they never know what tidbits a child will pick up, and lessons learned vary from child to child.
“It’s such a blessing to see them picking up things that we don’t even realize they are learning,” Kratzer said.
Brick by brick Nehemiah is rebuilding the wall by focusing on faith values and character-building lessons.
Donations to Nehemiah may be made by sending checks to Nehemiah RTBE, P.O. Box 711, Sugarcreek, OH 44681. For more information email rtbibleedu@gmail.com.