Generation Joshua club forming in Minnesota

Below is a letter I sent to our homeschool group. It talks about our reasons for starting a Generation Joshua club. I will try to get my CHEC conference recap on here by Friday...

Dear families,

How involved are your high school students in the civic and political arenas?

Do the teenagers in your household know their role as citizens of the United States?

Are you and your kids actively praying for this country in obedience to the exhortation of II Chronicles 7:14?

“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Right now, my brother Ian and I are working to spread the message to other students in the central Minnesota area that they need to answer positive to the above questions. Here’s why: In America today, battles are being waged over many issues—from judicial activism to attacks on traditional marriage to the moral disintegration of our society. In the midst of the battles, we can lose sight of where our nation has come from, and these pressing concerns could crush our hope for America’s future.

John Winthrop, then governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote in 1630 concerning New England and America: “We shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.” He warned that “if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.”

As homeschoolers and Christians, we want America to be a city on a hill. We want this country to return to her Judeo-Christian foundations. We want our fellow young people to become citizens who are educated and practiced in their role within society. And we want to inspire others with the kind of faith that sees beyond our present circumstances to what America can become—if each of us consistently impacts our sphere of influence for Christ and His glory.

That is why Ian and I decided to start a Generation Joshua club in Minnesota. In addition to the 40 clubs already meeting in various states, others like ours are in the process of being formed throughout the country. These clubs operate under the supervision of the Generation Joshua project which was launched in 2003 by Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). The purpose of this project is to teach young people to be effective, well-rounded citizens and to equip them with the tools necessary to maintain liberty and the exercise of self government.

Each club consists of Christian young people between the ages of 11 and 18 who are interested in learning more about the governing process of the U.S., gaining experience in electing candidates, and becoming a force in the civic and political arenas.

These clubs are organized with the purpose of

1. Creating a forum for training club members in Biblical citizenship

2. Establishing a grassroots network of active students who can participate in the campaigns of conservative candidates

3. Opening up opportunities for Generation Joshua members to get to know and work with other members (see below for what it means to be a GenJ member)

As a club we are required to conduct monthly meetings; the dates and location of these meetings has not been decided. At the meetings we will follow the official agenda which includes the following highlights:

1. Pray for the nation, her leaders and her inhabitants

2. Discuss current events in relation to Scripture

3. Listen to a Guest Speaker or member give a presentation

4. Hear the monthly reports from the treasurer, secretary and involvement committees

The club will also be working together on projects outside the meetings. Activities may include participating in voter registration drives, campaigning for conservative candidates, writing letters to elected officials, lobbying at the Capitol and helping on community service projects.

Now here’s the scoop:

To join our club, you must be a member of the national Generation Joshua program. This means that you have registered with the Generation Joshua office and paid your dues which are $10 per student/year if your family is an HSLDA member family and $20 per student/year if your family is not.

Also understand what I did not yet cover: when you pay your dues, you are paying for access to the Generation Joshua website which has actual civics, government, and history courses you can take as part of your schoolwork (i.e. instead of doing Bob Jones textbooks). What you do is read the lessons online or print them out, take a quiz once you’ve read the material, and then show it to your parents who will grade your work and give you high school “credits” for the class. Note: GenJ does not issue credits or check to see that you’ve done your work on the lessons. It is up to you and your parents to decide what you should do and judge how well you did.

It is important to us as club leaders that our members take part in at least some of the online classes. What they teach is vital to the mission of our organization and we want our members to get as much out of their GenJ experience as possible.

With Generation Joshua students can make a difference!

It’s a proven fact. In 2004, out of the 13 political races GenJ students were involved with, 11 were victories. Plus, the winners of some of those elections actually verbally attributed their success to Generation Joshua!

Of course the motivation for joining GenJ is not to get certain candidates in office. Rather it is what I said before, to become inspired with the kind of faith that sees beyond our present circumstances to what America can become if each of us impacts our sphere of influence for Christ’s glory.

Now, in order for us to start a club, we need at least five members. Ian and I make two. So the first three people who contact me and pledge to join our club will be listed as founding members on the club application form we are sending into headquarters! Also, there are currently not any clubs meeting in Minnesota; there may be one or two forming, I do not know. But if we get the paperwork taken care of this week, we may just be the first GenJ club in Minnesota!

Students, if you are interested at all in what I have been talking about here, I encourage you to consider joining our Generation Joshua club. Please drop me a line as soon as possible so that I can instruct you on how to sign up for GenJ. Also, I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Persevero,

Seth D. Willard

Chairman

Minnesota Generation Joshua Club (www.generationjoshua.org)