A ministry in Virginia is responding to the need for more Christian-centric education amidst the controversies surrounding American public schools today.
The ministry at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia is responding to a very unique call. Led by Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick, the ministry recently launched Cornerstone Christian Academy, a new school that will open in the fall of 2023 to respond to the need for more Christian educational institutions as an alternative to American public schools.
"After much prayer and discussion with our elders, and pastoral leadership, we will be launching Cornerstone Christian Academy," Pastor Hamrick announced during a Sunday service at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, CBN News reported. "Our goal is to provide children an education where they have a biblical world view. So they can go out into the world and be salt and light."
The Cornerstone Christian Academy sits about 20 miles from the church and is nestled among the rolling hills of northern Virginia. Its tree-lined campus is gearing up for a new school year in 2023 when it would initially welcome about 500 elementary and middle school students. According to Pastor Hamrick, the school is already equipped with classrooms, desks, a gym and cafeteria. He added, "We're going to repurpose it for the Lord."
According to the report, Pastor Hamrick's project has a multimillion-dollar price tag on it, but it will be well worth it, as it will be the ministry's response to American public schools' controversies today. In the last two years, Loudoun, Virginia has become ground zero for the country's culture war, where parents are combating critical race theory, transgender policies, and even sexual assault cases.
Pastor Hamrick said that the final straw was when Tanner Cross, a teacher at Loudoun County Public Schools, was placed on leave by his employer after he refused to abide by the district's proposed transgender student protections.
"Our kids need an alternative; we have to ourselves as a church get engaged. What can we do to help give a Christian-based, Christian biblical worldview education for our children?" Pastor Hamrick said.
Abbie Platt, who witnessed how three children were suspended for failing to wear face masks at school despite the mask mandate in the state being lifted, applied immediately. She lamented that Loudoun Public Schools have "lost" the "trust" of parents in the area who just want their children to be "in an environment where they can focus on literacy and learning instead of indoctrination."
Because of the controversies surrounding Loudoun's public schools, Pastor Hamrick knew there would be a demand locally for a more Christian-centric private school to exist. What he did not expect was to hear from parents from up to 27 states to reach out to him for their kids to enroll at the school. But the inquiries are not just coming from parents, but educators as well. The pastor reported that they already have more than 2,500 students pre-registered and more than 450 emails from educators "wanting employment" at the Christian School.
The report said that the overwhelming response to the Cornerstone Christian Academy shows a national trend. Between 2020 and 2021, almost 2 million students left public schools, The Federalist reported. Parents are now becoming more aware of "woke indoctrination" in many public schools, which has led them to look to private educational options.
E. Ray Moore, founder of the conservative Christian Education Initiative calls it a "Once in a 100-year moment."
Moore explained, "It awakened many people, Christian churches, and some pastors to recognize that that it is our responsibility to provide the Christian education or our children, not the government."
