Paul and Gena Suarez Recipients of the 2009 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award

COLUMBIA, SC, Jan. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Frontline Ministries, Inc., and the Exodus Mandate Project ( www.Exodusmandate.org) announced today that Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Gena Suarez are the joint recipients of the 2009 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award. Established by Frontline Ministries, Inc., in 2007, this award honors and recognizes Christian leaders who have exhibited moral courage through their unique contribution to the Church by advancing Christianity in the culture and life of the nation. This contribution and ministry may be in the face of opposition or it may run counter to the prevailing culture of Church and society. Chaplain Moore said of Mr. and Mrs. Suarez, "This couple has made a tremendous contribution to homeschool education through the founding and publishing of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine ( www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com). Their magazine has grown into the largest Christian homeschool magazine in the United States."

Starting with a humble beginning in spring of 2000, not as a magazine, but as on on-line e-Bay business, selling used textbooks and curricula to homeschool families throughout the United States and abroad, it flourished to a 12 page black and white flyer (The Old Schoolhouse Newsletter) in 2001, and then proceeded to becoming a full-color glossy magazine with paying advertisers in 2002 called The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOS). Since then, the Lord has blessed their efforts and has expanded TOS with the addition of a blogging community (HomeschoolBlogger.com), an on-line store (TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com), and a number of other homeschool-associated websites.

TOS Magazine exists to support and encourage the Christian homeschooler. Says Gena Suarez, "For the Christian, 'homeschooling' is not merely about 'schooling' or 'education.' Homeschooling is about discipleship -- cultivating a love for God in our children's hearts (Proverbs 22:6)." TOS Magazine is inclusive with respect to educational methodology, allowing "experts" to freely talk to the homeschool community about the various education methods available to them, as well as providing an endless array of educational resources, product reviews and heartwarming, encouraging articles written by homeschool columnists.

TOS Magazine exists to bless the Church. It is their objective to educate and warn the Church on the true nature of the Public School Institution -- to provide the Church with an accurate picture of the public school profile. "No other entity or establishment has succeeded in inflicting more injury to the Body of Christ in this country than the Public School System," said recipient Paul Suarez.

TOS Magazine exists to bless the non-Christians -- to share the Gospel with homeschooling families who have not yet embraced Christ. While there are few non-Christian homeschoolers who subscribe to the magazine, most of their contact with such homeschoolers takes place through their blogging community on HomeschoolBlogger.com (HSB). They intentionally did not make HSB a "Christian" community, hoping to draw homeschoolers of all faiths, and to encourage those who know the Truth to engage in lively conversation with those who have not encountered the Truth yet.

In accepting the award, Paul and Gena Suarez said, "We are most appreciative of your recognition. Yes, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is about homeschooling, but our focus has always been to keep Christ "front and center," even as we promote and advance the cause of homeschooling. It is our prayer that God will use this humble little phenomenon known as "homeschooling" to revive the Church in this country -- and around the world -- and set it back on its biblical foundation."

Dr. Robert Dreyfus, for whom the award has been named said, "Paul and Gena Suarez embody the attributes that have made America great, and many individuals have benefited from their work." Dr. Dreyfus, a prominent retired Florida dentist and inventor of a device to relieve neuromuscular pain for dental uses, served as a president of the Florida Dental Society of Anesthesiology.. He has a 45-year history of volunteer work on behalf of family values and K-12 Christian education in Florida and is now the Florida State Coordinator for the Exodus Mandate Project.

Dr. Bruce Shortt, Exodus Mandate Board member and contributor to TOS Magazine said, "No magazine does a better job of reflecting the joys of homeschooling than Paul and Gena Suarez's The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. From the beautifully designed cover and layout to the insightful and engaging articles, the Suarez's show in every issue of TOS how homeschooling is a profoundly fulfilling journey that anyone can undertake. Homeschooling couldn't ask for better ambassadors than Paul and Gena."

Chaplain Moore noted that the 2009 award is the third to be awarded. The 2008 recipient was Dr. Brian D. Ray, PhD, president of the National Home Education Research Institute (www.nheri.org). His work as a premier researcher, writer and demographic analyst for homeschooling in the US has been recognized by both the Christian and secular worlds.