NWACHEA

CONSTITUTION of the Northwest Arkansas Christian Home Educators Association

The Northwest Arkansas Christian Home Educators Association shall also be known as NWACHEA.

The purpose of this organization is:
1. To encourage and stimulate parents to create an environment in which learning is a lifestyle. (Proverbs 27:17)
2. To provide group activities for families who wish to educate their children at home. We desire that participating in NWACHEA sponsored events will facilitate parents who want their children to honor God by striving for high standards of character, achievement, and education.
3. To be an advocate of home education and a voice in Northwest Arkansas. NWACHEA looks for opportunities to promote the value of parents responsibly educating their own children as a viable alternative to state or private education.
4. To help establish and encourage Christian home school support groups in Northwest Arkansas.
5. This is a Christian organization subscribing to Articles of Faith which are appended hereto as Appendix A to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Northwest Arkansas Christian Home Educators Association.

All of NWACHEA shall be governed by an Administrative Committee. (See Appendix B for current list of committee members). The Administrative Committee shall consist of members from each branch of NWACHEA, who will volunteer on a yearly basis to assist with leadership duties and decisions. There shall be no fewer than 2 representatives from each branch on the Administrative Committee, one of whom must be a Branch Steering Committee member. The leadership of each branch will select members to represent their group on the Administrative Committee.

The Constitution and By-Laws of Northwest Arkansas Christian Home Educators Association may only be amended by action of the Administrative Committee.

The Administrative Committee has the authority to amend the Constitution and By-Laws when the need arises. The committee members shall work together to agree on a draft of the changes, after which the amended Constitution and By-Laws will be made available to the members of NWACHEA. The members will have an opportunity to read the changes and give feed-back to the committee for 30 days. After considering the comments of the members, the Administrative Committee will make adjustments as necessary, and vote to pass or reject the Constitutional changes at the next committee meeting.

Local NWACHEA branch groups shall be governed by Branch Steering Committees, the specific functioning of which shall be more specifically set out herein or in By-Laws which may be adopted from time to time by the Administrative Committee. In order for a new branch to form, there must be at least two current NWACHEA members in good standing, who volunteer to serve as Branch Steering Committee members. The initial Branch Steering Committee members for a new branch group will be approved by the Administrative Committee. Those members may select up to three additional members to serve with them in their cities, making a minimum of two and a maximum of five individuals that serve as Branch Steering Committee members in each branch of NWACHEA. Each individual branch shall determine the manner in which its own Branch Steering Committee members are selected.

Branch Steering Committee members may plan activities such as classes, field trips, parties, etc. for home school families in their area that are in harmony with NWACHEA’s Foundation (consisting of the Constitution, By-Laws, Philosophy and Purpose Statements, and Articles of Faith).

NWACHEA is a voluntary association that reserves the right to exclude from membership or remove from membership, by action of the Administrative Committee, anyone or any group whose actions or activities are in conflict with the Constitution or Articles of Faith of NWACHEA.

No activities or functions shall be initiated in the name of or on behalf of NWACHEA except by express consent of the Administrative Committee or local Branch Steering Committees.

The Administrative Committee shall fix an annual membership fee as a requirement for membership prior to each school year. This fee is non-refundable, and not pro-rated.

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Appendix A

Articles of Faith
• We believe the Bible to be inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.  (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (I John 5:7; II Timothy 3:16; John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14)
• We believe in the deity of Christ, in His virgin birth (Matthew 1:8), in His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), in His miracles (John 2:11; Acts 2:22), in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood (Hebrews 9:15), in His bodily resurrection (John 20:1-24-31; Acts 2:24), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:11; Hebrew9:28; Matthew 24:30), and in His personal return in power and glory (I Thessalonians 4:15-17).
• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (Romans 3:23; 5:12, John 3:16; Titus 3:5-7).
• We believe that salvation is of grace by faith and not of works (Ephesians 2:9).
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christ is enabled to live a godly life (Romans 8:1-17).
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. (Rev. 20:15)
• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 11).