When one thinks of education, especially beginning from pre-school through high school graduation, most think of the standard public education system.

However, over the past several years, and even more so in recent years, other alternate means of teaching children – including online, private schools and Christian schools have increased dramatically in number.

Now, in Clinton County, and although small in numbers student- wise, the county will have its first known Christian school, which began classes last Friday, August 4.

The Gospel Christian School, housed in the fellowship hall/annex of Gospel Baptist Church of Hwy. 1590 is located in the Hogback community of Clinton County.

The school, which became a reality from the dream of new Pastor Marcus Williams and his wife Tracey, offers both classroom (textbook) and online education to a handful of students, with a biblical, Christian aspect built into the learning process.

Jewell Pyles, long-time member of the church and strong advocate of the Gospel Christian School, said during a recent interview, “The Lord is working it mostly…He knows it’s needful.”

Tracey Williams said her husband taught a Christian school at Fountain Run in Monroe County prior to becoming pastor at Gospel Baptist Church following the passing of former pastor Sam Booher. He had, however, preached previous years at the church, including in revivals and she is also certified as a Special Education teacher.

Pastor Williams, serving as principal of the newly formed Christian school, is originally from Jamestown, Tennessee while Tracey, who will be a full-time teacher, is from nearby Byrdstown.

Enrollment for the first year in the new endeavor is small, with five students, but they range from ages five through 16 and will be taught from the online A Beka system, which streams classroom instruction live for all grades from the home base in Pensecola, Florida, as well as textbooks that are provided for hands on classroom instruction.

Williams said the program covers everything a student from K-12 needs to graduate and stresses one-on-one interaction with Kindergarten and early age students.

Although students use online streaming, they do lessons from textbooks.

The Gospel Christian School is solely funded through donations, and some churches do the schools as mission work, Williams said. Individual donations and fundraisers are the primary revenue sources to fund the school.

Christian schools, like private schools, have been increasing in numbers and Biblical teachings in the Christian school settings can be implemented in lessons without government intervention.

Both Williams and Pyles said the alternative Christian school was “not a competition” with public schools, but simply offering a voluntary, alternative choice.

Class hours at the new school at Tuesday through Friday’s, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with standard recess and lunch times.

The primary recruitment time for new students will be summer months, although no student who wishes to enroll would be turned down.

Williams noted there were “many, many Christian schools in Kentucky and across the nation,” including in several area counties. Monticello, for example, has several students enrolled since opening and like public or private schools, Christian schools do graduate students and prepare them for higher education and/or career technical opportunities.

The A Beka Book education approach, according to its brochure, “is founded on biblical principles and the concepts of traditional education. The Bible provides insight into educational matters including human nature, knowledge, authority, orderliness, and philosophy. A Beka Book firmly acknowledges that a Christian program of study must look to the Bible to inform the use of methods and materials in classrooms. Accordingly, teacher resources, student texts, assessments, and support materials have been designed to work together within this philosophical framework.”

A major concept of “alternative” schools, especially Christian schools, is the concept that government regulations pertaining to “separation of church and state” are denying students, including those Christian students, to be able to express their religious beliefs in the public school system.

Gospel Baptist Church and Gospel Christian School also provides a “Statement of Faith” for the church and school.

The following is the profile, philosophy of education and history of the Gospel Christian School:

Gospel Christian School (GCS) is a ministry of the Gospel Baptist Church at Old Burkesville Road, Albany, Kentucky. Bro. Marcus Williams serves as the pastor of Gospel Baptist Church and is presently the principal of Gospel Christian School. The Christian Education Committee (CEC), which is composed of selected Christian men in the area, oversees the work of the school.

Philosophy of Education:

Gospel Baptist Church is a very conservative Baptist Church, and Gospel Christian School endeavors to reflect the doctrines and standards of the pastor and the people of that ministry. The church believes that the purpose of Christian school education is to hand the torch of a Bible-centered, Christ-honoring learning to this generation of young people. The education the children and young people receive should show them how to face God and then, with the vision of God in their hearts, face the present world and the world to come.

The purpose of Christian school education includes the responsibility to prepare each student with the basic tools of learning. The ability to read, the mastery of math, and the ability to express thoughts orally and in writing make up the basic tools with which a student can make his way through the disciplines of learning and become a productive, Christ-honoring citizen.

The purpose of Christian school education is also to develop in students a system of values consistent with the Word of God.

Another purpose of Christian school education is to instill in the hearts of students a strong love for this country, the United States of America. Also, Christian education should uphold the sanctity of our homes and the sacredness of our churches. Regard for God’s house and ministers of the Gospel are held forth in the classrooms and in student chapel and are under-girded in Bible lessons.

The ultimate purpose of Christian school education is to support parents in their desire to “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6.

History: Gospel Baptist Church was founded in 1974. Brother Tommy Hensley started this work as directed by God and pastored the church for several years. Over the years, the pastors and Gospel Baptist Church have had a unique ministry to young people. Several of youth were called into full-time Christians service under the ministry of the Pastors and also with the encouragement of the Godly men and women of the church

With the expansion of the work at Gospel Baptist Church, there was a desire for the development of a Christian school as an alternative to the humanistic teachings of the public schools from which God and the Bible had been subtracted since 1964. This school was to be distinctly Christian with the Bible as its foundation in every phase of instruction. The school is at a new point in its history and it seeks to continue to fulfill the vision that the founder laid out for the ministry. The church believes that now more than ever a solid Christian education is what is best for our children and youth. Together the church and school hope to honor Christ with this ministry and pray earnestly for God’s will in the coming months and years.