Why is THEO in the situation of raising funds for a building? What’s the history? What’s the real bottom line?
THEO was founded in 2006 by Philip and Terri Threadgill who were single income homeschooling parents who needed more academic classes for their two sons. Due to their own tight budget, they established THEO upon the principle of keeping classes as inexpensive as possible while also serving as many families as possible–despite many requests for scholarships. Every few years, they would banter around the idea of raising prices, so that they could use the extra funds to scholarship families in need. Every few years, they came to the same conclusion – the same conclusion that the current THEO Board has come to – and that is this: it is best to keep prices as reasonable as possible to serve as many home schoolers as possible, rather than limiting some of THEO’s current families by charging more per class.
As lovely as that sounds, it has left THEO with enough to pay monthly expenses, to cover emergencies – things like a new HVAC or an $8000 sprinkler repair – but not enough to move or finish out a new location. During 2018-2019, THEO families went through a scare when the landlord said he would not renew our lease. In the end, December 2019, he changed his mind and renewed the THEO lease until June 2023. Think of Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
THEO’s 2018-2020 Building Fund Goal to finish out a new leased space during the summer of 2020 was exceeded. We raised and slightly exceeded that goal before the landlord changed his mind.
Please join us, the THEO Board, teachers and families, praying for God’s provision and direction for those funds. Did He provide them to make a way for THEO to continue in spite of the 2020 shut down? Or is this seed money to help THEO buy a facility in the spring of 2023 when the lease ends? Only God knows….
Our mission? THEO strives to strongly support Christian homeschooling families who seek to train up Christ-following children who are well educated and equipped to fulfill the great commission to the nations, or to their neighborhoods and families. Either way, the THEO Board and teachers want to lean into that mission with all our might – and seek God’s best plan for the coming days, months, years and decades.