Jim & Teresa Barnhart
Parents
When my husband and I made our first trip to Jefferson County Christian School for our initial interview, the 15 miles from our home in Weirton to the Mingo Junction location seemed like a VERY long drive. However, the commute didn’t take long to get used to and over the years the 30-mile round trip seemed to get shorter and shorter. I can’t begin to tell you the difference JCCS has made in the life of our family. I remember filling out the application form and when it asked, “Why do you want Christian education for your child?” My answer was that we wanted our child taught the same values and morals at school that we were teaching at home. JCCS more than gave that to our children. They gave them a Christian worldview that cannot be shaken. And believe me, the world will definitely not only try to shake, but literally rip from your child everything you have tried to instill. Our daughter is a graduate of West Virginia University. Her major was Oil Painting with an Art Education Certification. To say the professors at WVU tried to convince her that the Bible and everything she believed about Jesus Christ was false would be a gross understatement. Her experiences there were strength building and if I might say, she was “salt and light” in a very dark place. Our son is at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. This has been a very positive experience for him, but on many trips home he has a story about one of his professors or coaches that he always seems to compare to Randy Sells, for the most part they seem to come up lacking. Mr. Sells has made such a profound impression on our son, having been not only his teacher, but also his coach for five years while at JCCS. Our son recently changed his major to Political Science and I believe Randy’s teaching in his American Government class influenced that decision. Both our children have been described by loving family members as “old fashioned” kids. I love hearing that. Even though a Christian education is not free, it is so “freeing” to rest in knowing that your children are being taught “absolute truth” every day of their lives.
God Bless!