We don’t have to look far to see the chaos in our society. This is particularly evident within the educational system. Public schools are seeing increases in violence, bullying, student anxiety, and suicide. At the same time, decreases in test results and faculty/staff morale create a tense environment.

In January 2023, Grace (Gibsonia, Pa.) RPC prayed for an opportunity to bring the gospel to the surrounding community, in particular Eden Hall Upper Elementary School, which shares an entrance with the church. Approximately 750 4th- through 6th-grade students attend Eden Hall in the Pine-Richland School District, a field ripe for harvest.

This prayer was quickly answered. Not many weeks later, Mark Sampson, an elder at Grace RPC, received an email from a friend asking if the congregation might be interested in participating in a release time program at Eden Hall. A new season of prayer began for the formation of the Pine-Richland LifeWise Academy program.

Release time programs in public schools have long been a part of life for some churches. Walton, N.Y., RPC had a program for children for many years. One of the first questions that came to mind was the legality of such programs. Are kids allowed to receive Bible training during the middle of the school day? The Supreme Court affirmed such programs in 1952 via the Zorach v. Clauson case.

Though legal for 70 years, release time has remained mostly unknown. Current estimates indicate that a mere 500 release time programs operate today, serving only 0.7% of the nearly 50 million public school students in the United States. This creates an excellent opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the next generation.

Several criteria must be met for release time programs to be permitted. They cannot operate on school property, and no tax dollars may be used to fund them. Additionally, parents must allow their children to attend.

Grace RPC was a perfect fit for a LifeWise program, as the church building sits just a few hundred yards from Eden Hall’s main entrance. The Grace family sees LifeWise as part of its outreach into the community, along with hosting Growing in Grace, a homeschool group, and a Trail Life troop.

In the spring of 2023, interested people were invited to meet with Joel Penton, the founder of LifeWise Academy. Penton, a former Ohio State defensive lineman and committed Christian, answered questions about the program and provided detailed examples of the curriculum.

Founded in 2019, over 30,000 children, grades K–12, receive Bible classes weekly in over 330 schools in 13 states. The original site, located in Van Wert, Ohio, has a 95% participation rate in the school system. Children in the high school program may be eligible to receive educational credit for their participation. Homeschooled youngsters are also welcome to attend.

Each program, which covers an individual school district, has a local board and director. This group hires teachers, aides, drivers, and people for other positions. They are also responsible for fundraising, publicity, sourcing facilities, and relationships with parents and school administrators. The program at Grace RPC has members from six area churches serving in the above roles. Another handful of churches provide financial support. Grace RPC members involved are teachers Alexa Howald and Lori Murray and board member Mark Sampson.

All LifeWise staff and volunteers undergo extensive background checks and child abuse protection training provided by LifeWise. Strict adherence to having at least three adults in each class is foundational. Teachers also have in-depth content training. Excellence is a core philosophy of the program. All is done to the glory of God, so it should be done well.

The Pine-Richland LifeWise Board worked with school officials to select a time during the school day when clubs meet. This way, parents do not have to choose between math, reading, or other core classes and Bible instruction. Students are divided between Tuesday and Thursday mornings, allowing smaller classes to foster better relationships between students and teachers. Great care has been taken to make things as simple as possible for school administrators, minimizing disruption to the school day. This program is designed to bless, not stress.

The children, a mix of churched and unchurched, are given Bibles and bright red t-shirts to wear on LifeWise days. They are also permitted and encouraged to invite their friends to attend. Students’ friends notice the red shirts with the LifeWise logo and want to know where they go during the school day.

The curriculum covers Scripture from Genesis to Revelation in a five-year cycle. All lessons are finely tuned to present the gospel through a framework of addressing the heart, head, and hands. As kids learn more about God’s Word, they are encouraged to take these things to heart and consider how their lives should reflect biblical truths in their personal conduct.

Another critical component of the LifeWise program is the development of biblical character traits. Each lesson appropriately uses biblical texts to highlight patience, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, and other attitudes that God’s Word upholds. LifeWise provides a set curriculum focused on these core areas. Since the content is Scripture-based and clearly laid out, there is little room for denominational distinctives to enter the classroom. Every available moment is intentionally aimed at Jesus’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, central to evangelical and Reformed churches.

The Pine-Richland program at Grace RPC launched in January 2024 with about a dozen 4th to 6th graders. By the end of the school year, 50 kids were attending weekly. The impact on families began even before classes started, when a parent called one of the teachers asking where they could get a Bible for their family to use.

In the 4th grade class, students began to ask for prayer for various things. As time is at a premium, students were given sticky notes to record their prayer requests and were encouraged to pray for each other. These requests were shared with the program volunteers. These prayer requests ranged from prayers for pets to safety on sports teams to prayers for unsaved family and friends.

With more than a dozen students moving up to the Pine-Richland Middle School in the fall of 2024, the program leaders knew that expansion was needed. As of the start of the 2024–2025 school year, over 50 kids were enrolled. As experience shows, once the program begins, kids encourage their friends to attend, and enrollment dramatically increases.

What do the kids think about LifeWise? One of the 5th grade girls noted, “My favorite part of LifeWise is that it is a way that my faith can be part of my school day. Plus, I get to leave school and spend time with other kids from school who share my beliefs about God.” Parents love the program, too. Kate Griffin has two sons in the program. “They love their Bibles and have gone from not wanting to go to LifeWise to loving it and inviting their friends.”

What have teachers been seeing? For one thing, the kids appreciate the program and are well-behaved. Even transportation time to and from school is spent in Bible memory. Teacher Lori Murray notes, “It is a blessing to be used by God to share His Word through LifeWise. I am thankful to see these students grow in their desire to know more about God. It is encouraging to see how much they have learned in such a short time.”

Christians know the power of the gospel to change lives. The members of Grace RPC are praying that kids in the LifeWise program will come to faith, trusting Christ to forgive their sins. The prayer continues that these kids will share what they are learning, which leads to whole households coming to faith. Christian families impact neighbors and communities, increasing the spread of the gospel far beyond a grade school classroom. Changed lives change schools and communities.

Not everyone was excited about LifeWise Academy. Some citizens used social media in the Pine-Richland area in an attempt to halt and discredit the program. Accusations of the use of public funds and resources abounded. Perhaps the biggest concern was that students were going to be indoctrinated by the Bible. Well, that is the point of the program.

These blocking attempts failed to gain traction. Indeed, several school board members showed support at informational and fundraising meetings sponsored by the local LifeWise committee. Even national media outlets such as NBC and MSNBC have done stories about LifeWise. One might assume that the attempts to derail the program actually show the positive potential of such release time programs.

Christians know that God’s truth answers all of society’s issues. School systems with release time programs note the difference that the gospel makes. Test scores improve, attendance increases, there are fewer disciplinary issues, and teacher/staff morale soars. More importantly, lives are changed as the Lord replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. And the world is seeing this impact.