Gulf Coast Home Educator's Conference 2008 - SETHSA is looking toward the 22nd annual summer conference. SETHSA would like to welcome to our conference Mr. Andrew Pudewa with the Institute for Excellence in Writing, Dr. and Mrs Jenna Dee Martin with Biblical Discipleship Ministries, and Mrs. Johnnie Seago with P.A.C.E.S. Mr. Pudewa and Dr. Martin will be our keynote speakers.

Andrew Pudewa, who was recently given the "Best Homeschool Speaker 2007" award from The Old Schoolhouse magazine, is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a homeschooling father of seven. He speaks with clarity and insight, practical experience and humor on the subjects of writing, thinking, spelling, and music. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.

Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan, and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his beautiful, heroic wife Robin currently teach their four youngest children at home in Atascadero, California.

Dr. Jobe Martin has spent the last twenty years studying the topic of Biblical Creation vs. Evolution, and lectures frequently on the subject. He began his scientific career as a dentist, and a believer in Darwinian evolution, as he had been taught in numerous courses in high school, undergraduate school, and dental school. Some of his Christian students at the Baylor College of Dentistry challenged him to prove to them that evolution was a correct, complete and accurate explanation for the origin of the earth and all of its abundance of unique life forms.

As Dr. Martin studied the topic in order to educate these students in evolution, he began to see that most of the world is heavily indoctrinated from their earliest education to believe in an earth that was created billions of years ago in the Big Bang, and life which evolved from non-life. Yet in reality there is very little scientific evidence to back up this version of origins. Over the course of the next decade, Dr. Martin became an expert on the subject, and has uncovered countless pieces of evidence that the Big Bang, evolution of life from non-life, and an earth billions of years old are simply not factually provable, and are in fact, somewhat incredible. He has written a superb book on the subject, The Evolution of a Creationist.

Ladies Retreat  This year’s conference will host a new forum. Our retreat for women is a special time just for mom. Sometime’s moms just need a time of refreshing so we can return with renewed purpose to their daily routine. During this time you will be encouraged to finish the race strong with an undivided heart. Mrs. Jenna Dee Martin has a love for women and a desire to equip them in their role in the home. Mrs. Martin has spoken to women from all walks of life and has a special love for homeschool moms. Mrs. Johnnie Seago has spent years helping to equip moms in their roles of wife, mother, and teacher as well as training them to excel in their endeavor to homeschool their children. These two wonderful women will make you laugh and cry as they encourage, equip, and renew you as a mother, wife, and teacher. This will be a special time you don’t want to miss, so make plans to attend this super charged weekend. Please check the Ladies Retreat information page for more details.