Albuquerque Area, Contenders for the Faith, Boys 6-16

Hi Tabitha, I was wondering if you could post the following for me:

Subject: Contenders for the Faith

My husband and I would like to start a group for homeschooled boys
called Contenders for the Faith. It is a Christian group, designed
to teach boys important life skills, as well as strong Christian
values.

Contenders for the Faith is for your sons ages 6 to 16. It provides
guidelines for 89 different skills, each an important component to
preparing our sons to be godly men.

You will need to purchase: Contenders for the Faith Handbook- a
handbook for boys to prepare them to become godly men and comptetent
providers for their future families. There are scores of skills for
boys to learn covering practical skills, spiritual life studies and
service to others.

Skill Sections included in the handbook:

Biblical Manhood- Bible Memory, BIble Reading, Personal Journal,
Prayer Warrior, Proverbs study for boys.
Field and Forest- Archery, birds, butterflies, Camping, Ecology,
Horses, Insects, Outdoor life, Plants, pocketknife, Trees, Wildlife.
Knowledge and Skills- Astronomy, Chess, Computers, Drawing,
Electricity, Finances, Fire Safety, First Aid, Foreign Language,
Gardening, Geneology, Health & Fitness, Home Care, Hygeine, Kites,
Knots, Leatherworking, Modles, Oil Painting, Pets, Photography,
Poetry, Rocketry, Rocks & Minerals, Sign Language, Small Engine
Repair, Stamp Collecting, Tools, Typing, Watercolors, Weather,
Woodburning, Woodcarving, Woodworking.
Leadership- Biography, Library, Biterature, Music, Organization,
Propriety, Public Speaking, Scheduling, scholarship, Stewardship,
Stortytelling, teaching, Writing.
Others- Bus worker, Church, Family, Friends, Grandparents, Great
Commission, Letters, Love, Missionary, Neighbor, Others, Rest Home,
Special Needs, Widows.
Recreational Activities: Badminton, Bicycle, Croquet, Fishing, Golf,
Hiking, Ice Skating, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball.

The handbook is $15 and will be provided by us. It will be
sufficient for all your children, through all their years of
Contenders.

There are no membership fees or dues, however you will need to
purchase the book as well as a sash ($7.00) for each child to
display their earned badges (pins) which can be purchased for $2
each.

The group will meet on a monthly basis for fellowship for the boys.
Dads are strongly encouraged to be involved, moms of course are
welcome as well. Sibling attendance is discouraged simply because we
have found that it is better to allow the boys to have this special
time with Dad (and/ or Mom) and their Contenders brothers. We will
not forbid sibling attendance, however because we realize that there
will be times or circumstances where it will be unavoidable.

In addition to fellowship, the group meeting will involve a speaker-
one of the dads. Dads are encouraged to commit to one meeting to
speak for 10-15 minutes on a topic that would be encouraging or
educational to the boys.

The main part of the meeting will involve a presentation given by
each of the boys on a topic that they are earning a badge for that
month. (They will work on the project at home through the month and
just do the presentation at the meeting) It could be recitation of a
Bible verse they have learned, or they could tell the group what
they have learned and show anything they have made, or written or
drawn. They will have a month to complete their project of choice.
The parent may present the child with their badge once they have
completed their presentation. This not only teaches the boys to
become comfortable speaking in front of a group of their peers, but
it also teaches the important skill of listening, as each attendee
is expected to sit quietly and pay attention during the
presentations.

Once we begin, we can discuss other activities that the group can
do, such as monthly service projects or recreational activities for
the boys to do together outside of the meetings. It will be your
group too, and everyone's input is important!

The meetings generally last around 2 hours. We will be seeking a
church in NW Albuquerque to host our meetings. Their availability
will be a factor in our meeting night.

Our background: we are Christian homeschooling parents. Our oldest
son attended Contenders in Georgia when we lived there. It was such
a blessing to our family and we feel led to play a part in passing
that blessing on to others.

Please contact me at silleshotsbycindy@yahoo.com if you are
interested in joining. The group will start in August, but we need
to know as soon as possible how many to expect so that we can secure
a facility for our meetings.

Jason and Cindy Ellis