Hello, friends.

 

The following is a quick history lesson:  Around 700 years before the birth of Christ, the northern half of the nation of Israel was absorbed by the Assyrian Empire.  Then a little less than 600 years before the birth of Christ, the southern half of the nation of Israel was absorbed by the Babylonian Empire.  The people of Israel, who had claimed that their God had given them their “Promised Land,” were thus entirely and effectively scattered and dispersed to foreign lands, with no nation at all to call their own.  The story of the Israelites’ captivity is told in the Biblical books of Kings and Chronicles, as well as in the Biblical book of Jeremiah.

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According to the Bible, Jeremiah was a prophet sent by God to the people of the southern half of Israel, right before the Babylonian takeover. Jeremiah warned the people of Israel that God was allowing their nation to crumble because they had turned away from God and God’s laws, and had refused to obey God any longer.  As God’s messenger, Jeremiah tried to speak to the people to encourage them to change their ways.  He wrote, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”  (Jeremiah 6:16a  KJV)

 

In the USA in 1962 (over sixty years ago), the Supreme Court’s verdict in the case of Engel vs. Vitale was that the following formulaic prayer could no longer be said in public schools:  “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.”  Although students who wished to opt out of the prayer were allowed to do so, the Supreme Court ruled that because of the First Amendment, protecting free exercise of religion and also the freedom of speech, children in public school should not be subjected to anyone saying that public prayer out loud.   With that decision, a severe divide began to develop between public education and religious education, although up until that time in our country (for nearly 200 years) some form of the Christian religion had always been present in American public schools.  Ironically, much of the historical freedom of religion and speech in the United States became repressed.

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American culture began to change around that time.  Drugs, divorce, and abortion became much more common than they had been before.  Now, three or four generations after the decision to separate God from the public school, many people in the United States do not believe in God at all.  Even many people who now call themselves Christians have actually spent very little time learning about the Biblical God, His character, or His will.  The nation of the United States finds itself now in a similar situation as Jeremiah’s nation of Israel.

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Old Paths Christian Ministries is led by Patrick and Jane Smothers, graduates of Pensacola Christian College in Florida, and Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin.  As its name suggests, Old Paths Christian Ministries will be endeavoring to spread a general practical knowledge of God’s Word and God’s will. People of all races, faiths, and denominations are welcome to come and hear God’s Word in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible plainly spoken and explained.  Old Paths Christian Ministries also exists to answer questions about the Bible, to offer prayer and other necessary support to the members of the Northwoods community, and in general to help American society return their attention to the God of the Bible and to the old paths in which He wishes all of us to walk.

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One of the ministries of the fellowship will be a Christian kindergarten, dedicated to sound academic instruction in phonetic reading, mathematics, history, and science, within a solidly Biblical worldview and Christian perspective.  Old Paths Christian Kindergarten will meet at the same location and is accepting additions to its waiting list.  Class will be taught by a state-licensed, experienced teacher with an MA in education from Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

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Old Paths Christian Kindergarten accepts students of any national or ethnic origin, provided they are prepared to handle the school's academic program demands, to respect the school's basic tenets of belief, and to abide by the school's disciplinary standards.

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If you have any questions, need any help which the fellowship can provide, or desire to enroll your child in a quality Christian kindergarten for next school year, please call either 715-966-9421 or 715-321-1144.  You are also welcome to join the Bible study at 10 AM on Sunday (528 Pine Street in Eagle River).