FCHM's Vision and History

First Class was born in April of 2000 when Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Washington opened its doors to a homeschool co-op and to the growing homeschool community in Skagit County.

First Class grew rapidly, but in 2004 its founders (Jay and Heidi St. John, at right) were called to a new church in Vancouver, Washington. It was there that Heidi began another First Class Homeschool Co-op, in cooperation with Northside Baptist Church and a wonderful group of parents who shared the vision of an evangelistic homeschool co-op in the Vancouver area.

Shortly thereafter, First Class began to receive calls from parents all over the country who had stumbled across the website and seen that First Class had two co-ops in different areas of the state.  The St. Johns, who had been in full-time ministry for 17 years, began to sense the Lord's gently leading away from "church" work and into a new field of ministry:  homeschooling families.

After much prayer, First Class Homeschool Ministries was officially formed in the summer of 2005. Since that time, it has grown to include co-ops in churches all across the United States and into Canada.

Our vision is to plant homeschool co-ops in churches all over the world, where families can find encouragement and support as they navigate the homeschool years.  We believe that churches should be lighthouses for homeschooling families; offering a homeschool co-op is a wonderful way to show their support and to meet a real need within the homeschool community.

Homeschooling families need your support.  Every community of homeschooling families faces the challenges of raising a family in this age.  Pastors have the distinct opportunity of both voicing their support and offering the use of their churches' facilities just 20 mornings out of the year.

Homeschooling is growing at an incredible rate all around the world.  Churches have a wonderful opportunity for evangelism each time they open their doors to these parents and their children.  You can have an impact for Christ in these precious families.

DID YOU KNOW?

Home educated students generally score at the 65th to 80th percentile on achievement tests, 15 to 30 percentile points higher than those in public schools.
- Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.