Humble Beginnings
by Betsy Henning
Tom and I, together with Bob and Yvonne Thayer began talking about our dream of starting a Christian school in 1976. We had moved to this area a year earlier and a former aquaintance, Peter Stein, brought us together. We began having Bible studies with the Thayers in May 1976, when their first-born was 6 weeks old and our two little boys were one year and two and a half years old. Was it too soon to think about educating these little tykes? Not at all.
Along with a third couple, Gary and Nadine Shaffer, we pulled together a pre-school class in the basement of the old Lutheran Church in Venango. I think there were four pre-schoolers in 1979: Aaron Henning, Mathew Shaffer, Daniel Young, and Joel Thayer. Bob Thayer took a half day off work at SALT Painting two days a week to teach our little guys. The next year we had both a kindergarten and pre-school, and we hired a teacher, Mrs. Kathy Rankin. Every week Yvonne and I cleaned the school. We each had three boys at that time. The youngest, Caleb and Adam, sat side by side in infant seats, amused by the activity of us putting things in order while their brothers "helped" us---making for twice the work.
In 1981, we moved into the old Christian and Missionary Alliance Church building in Cambridge Springs. Schooling Pro Rege (For the King) offered preschool through second grade. Very soon demand was such that we had to add third through fifth grades; and Mr. Thayer was back to taking time off work as a painter to be a teacher. Through the years, I volunteered as a gym teacher, recess monitor, and secretary. My husband was the school treasurer for ten years, a job that did wonders for his prayer life. Yvonne did a wonderful job with the music program on a volunteer basis for years. Nadine Shafer served as school
nurse, keeping all the required records and even doing the unpleasant task of checking heads for lice periodically! We all served on the school board and parent committee as needed.
Our family life revolved around church (Christian and MIssionary Alliance of Cambridge Springs), and Schooling Pro Rege (now French Creek Valley Christian School). It took a lot of time and most of our money. It involved sweat and occassional tears. Was it worth it? You bet. Would we do it again? We would--in a heartbeat. The rewards, which were many, are summed up in this: we have four boys who are walking with and serving God in their adult lives. Each of them has faced challenges common to all of us living in a fallen world. Yet each of them has had the wherewithall to think through their hard situations and choose the path that leads to life. Jesus said, "...In the world, you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33
I truly believe that the years our boys spent in the Christian school grounded them in their faith. It gave them roots to grow strong. Now they are men of God, serving people just as they were taught. We consider ourselves blessed that our boys were educated for responsible service at French Creek Valley Christian School. May God be with you and bless you as you train up your children to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, and strength.
