For many Christian parents, raising children in today’s world can feel more challenging than ever.
Children spend much of their day at school and then come home to a world filled with Smartphone’s, social media, video games, online influences, peer pressure, and constant messages about how they should think and live.
Parents work hard to teach their children right from wrong. Churches work hard to build a strong foundation of faith. But many families still wish their children had more opportunities to learn Biblical values and character.
For families in Hendersonville and surrounding Middle Tennessee communities, SOS! For The Students is providing an exciting opportunity through Released Time Bible Education, also known as RTBE.
The voluntary program allows participating public school students, with parental permission, to leave campus during approved times in the school day to receive off-campus Biblical character instruction.
For parents who believe Biblical knowledge should be an important part of raising their children, SOS! For The Students offers another valuable tool to help teach faith, kindness, forgiveness, respect, patience, personal responsibility, and self-control.
And perhaps most importantly, the decision to participate belongs to the parents.
What Is SOS! For The Students?
Almost everyone recognizes SOS as a call for help.
The organization believes many young people today are sending out their own kind of SOS as they deal with negative peer pressure, social media isolation, anxiety, hopelessness, family struggles, and the difficult challenge of discovering who they are and where they fit into the world.
SOS! For The Students was created to help provide Biblical character education to public school students in a meaningful, safe, and professional environment.
The curriculum is centered around one simple but powerful question:
What Would Jesus Do?
Many parents and grandparents will immediately recognize the letters WWJD.
Those four letters represent a question that can be powerful at any age.
Before saying something hurtful, what would Jesus do?
Before reacting in anger, what would Jesus do?
When someone is being bullied or left out, what would Jesus do?
When faced with temptation or a difficult decision, what would Jesus do?
Teaching a child to stop and think before acting can be a valuable life lesson. For Christian families, asking what Jesus would do adds a Biblical foundation to that decision.
SOS! Teaches Biblical Character That Can Last a Lifetime
The SOS! For The Students curriculum uses stories and parables from both the Old and New Testaments to teach students about Biblical character and how people should treat one another.
The program focuses on fundamental Biblical character rather than the specific theology or doctrine of individual church denominations.
Students Learn Important Biblical Values
Students learn lessons centered around patience, kindness, faithfulness, respect, forgiveness, personal responsibility, and self-control.
These are lessons that do not end when a student closes a Bible.
A child who learns forgiveness today may become an adult who knows how to repair a damaged relationship tomorrow.
A student who learns self-control may think twice before making a decision that could negatively affect his or her future.
A child who understands kindness may notice another student sitting alone at lunch and decide to sit beside them.
A student who learns respect may begin treating teachers, parents, classmates, and even people they disagree with differently.
For Christian families, Biblical knowledge is about much more than memorizing names, places, and Bible verses.
It is about learning how to live.
How Can Students Attend Bible Classes During the School Day?
This is usually one of the first questions parents ask.
Is Released Time Bible Education Legal?
Released Time Religious Education has a long history in the United States. The SOS! For The Students program operates off public school property, requires parental permission, and does not use public school funds to provide religious instruction.
SOS! For The Students works with participating schools to help ensure students do not miss direct academic instruction.
Depending on arrangements with individual schools, participating students may attend during an elective period or during lunch and recess.
Students are transported off campus to the SOS program location and then returned to school.
For many families, this provides an opportunity they may not have known existed: the ability to choose additional Biblical character education for their children while they continue attending public school.
What Happens During an SOS! Bible Class?
SOS! For The Students has developed a program designed to make Biblical learning understandable, exciting, and meaningful for young people.
Every Student Receives a Bible and SOS! T-Shirt
One of the special parts of the SOS! program is that participating students receive items that help them feel connected to the program while encouraging them to stay involved throughout the school year.
Each participating student will receive a Bible to use throughout the school year, giving them the opportunity to open God’s Word, follow along with lessons, look up Scripture, and become more comfortable reading and understanding the Bible for themselves.
Students will also receive an SOS! T-shirt, along with opportunities to receive or earn other collectibles, prizes, and special rewards throughout the year.
These items help make the SOS! experience fun and exciting while encouraging students to participate, learn, and reach goals along the way.
Learning, Growing, and Digging Deeper
During SOS! classes, students hear Biblical lessons and then have an opportunity to “Dig Deeper” into what they have learned.
With their Bibles in hand, students can look up Scripture, ask questions, participate in discussions, and learn how Biblical character applies to situations they may face every day.
It is one thing to tell a child to be kind.
It is another thing to help a child open the Bible and understand why kindness matters and what kindness looks like when someone at school is being treated badly.
It is one thing to tell a student to practice self-control.
It is another thing to give that student Biblical lessons and Scripture they can remember the next time they face anger, peer pressure, temptation, or a difficult decision.
The SOS! T-shirts, collectibles, prizes, and rewards add another fun element to the program, but the greatest thing students can take with them is the Biblical knowledge they gain along the way.
The goal is for students to carry these lessons beyond the SOS! classroom and into their schools, homes, friendships, and communities.
A T-shirt can remind them they belong. A prize can celebrate an accomplishment. But the Biblical knowledge they gain can help guide them for a lifetime.
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SOS! For The Students Is Free for Participating Families
Here is another important part of this opportunity.
There Is No Tuition for Participating Students
According to SOS! For The Students, the program is provided free of charge to participating students and families.
Local programs are supported through private donations, churches, individuals, businesses, volunteers, fundraising efforts, and other supporters who believe in the mission.
That means families do not have to be able to afford private Christian school tuition to give their children an opportunity for additional Biblical character education during the school day.
For many parents, that could open a door they did not know existed.
Parents Still Have the Most Important Role
Schools have an important job.
Teachers work hard every day to educate our children in reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, and many other subjects.
But a school cannot replace a parent.
A school cannot replace a family.
And a school cannot replace the role faith plays in the lives of families who choose to make it a priority.
That is one reason programs such as SOS! For The Students can be so meaningful.
This is about giving parents who want Biblical education for their children an opportunity to choose it.
Parents remain responsible for deciding what values they want to teach their children and what role faith will play in their family.
SOS! simply gives participating families another opportunity to strengthen those lessons.
Academic Success Is Important, But Character Matters Too
We spend a great deal of time preparing children to make a living.
Maybe we should spend just as much time preparing them to make good decisions.
Grades matter. Education matters. College matters. Careers matter.
But character matters too.
A child can be the smartest person in the room, but intelligence without honesty, kindness, compassion, responsibility, and self-control can only take someone so far.
One day, today’s students will become parents, teachers, police officers, doctors, business owners, community leaders, and elected officials.
The character we help build in them today will help shape the communities we live in tomorrow.
Building Stronger Children, Families, and Communities
Imagine a generation of young people who regularly stop before making an important decision and ask themselves a few simple questions.
Should I Say This?
Should I Treat Someone This Way?
Should I Forgive This Person?
Should I Help Someone Who Is Struggling?
And finally:
What Would Jesus Do?
For Christian parents, Biblical knowledge provides a foundation that can help children answer those questions.
SOS! For The Students gives families an opportunity to add that foundation to their child’s educational experience through a voluntary program centered on Biblical character.
The organization also provides opportunities for churches, individuals, parents, and community members to support Released Time Bible Education and help make the program available to more students.
There are opportunities to volunteer, support the mission, pray, stay informed, and help spread the word.
Most importantly, parents who believe this type of program would benefit their children have an opportunity to take action today.
Parents, This Is Your Opportunity to Get Involved!
If you have ever said, “I wish my child had more opportunities to learn about the Bible,” this could be the opportunity you have been looking for.
Whether you are ready to register your child, want to show your support for bringing SOS! to more schools, or simply want to stay informed about the program, there is a way for you to get involved.
Sign Your Child Up for SOS! For The Students
Ready to give your child an opportunity to participate in Released Time Bible Education?
Complete the parent and student registration form and take the first step today.
SIGN YOUR CHILD UP FOR SOS! FOR THE STUDENTS
Help Bring SOS! to More Students and Schools
Maybe SOS! is not yet available at your child’s school.
Your voice still matters.
Parents, grandparents, churches, and community members can show their support for SOS! For The Students and help demonstrate that local families want more opportunities for voluntary Biblical character education.
SIGN UP TO SUPPORT SOS! FOR THE STUDENTS
One parent can start a conversation.
A group of parents can build momentum.
A community of families working together can help open doors for more students.
Stay Connected With the SOS! Newsletter
Want to know about new schools, upcoming events, program updates, and opportunities to get involved?
Sign up for the SOS! For The Students newsletter and stay connected as the program continues to grow.
SIGN UP FOR THE SOS! FOR THE STUDENTS NEWSLETTER
Take the Next Step Today
Our children are growing up quickly.
Every day they are learning something from someone.
The question for parents is whether we are giving them every opportunity possible to build the character and foundation they will need for the future.
For families who believe Biblical knowledge is important, SOS! For The Students provides an exciting opportunity to put those beliefs into action.
Register your child. Show your support. Join the newsletter. Tell another parent. Share this opportunity with your church.
Together, families can help give more students an opportunity to learn lessons about faith, kindness, forgiveness, respect, responsibility, patience, and self-control.
The next lesson a child learns could help shape the next decision that child makes.
And sometimes one good decision can change the direction of an entire life.
It all begins with one simple but powerful question:
What Would Jesus Do?
Ready to Take Action?
SIGN YOUR CHILD UP FOR SOS! FOR THE STUDENTS
SIGN UP TO SUPPORT SOS! FOR THE STUDENTS
SIGN UP FOR THE SOS! NEWSLETTER
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Today, SOS! For The Students is focusing its outreach efforts on Sumner and Robertson Counties, with a special focus on Hendersonville and White House. As the program continues to grow, the hope is to reach even more students and families who want the opportunity to make Biblical knowledge and character a meaningful part of their children’s lives.
