After seventeen years of sacrificial service at Family Protection Ministries (FPM) on your behalf, Jim Davis has retired from his full-time work with us.
In 1995, Roy Hanson, founder and Director of FPM, asked Jim to join him full-time. After much prayer and discussion, Jim joined Roy at FPM. Roy and his wife Debbie were delighted, since they already knew Jim and his wife Judy to be dedicated and talented Christians. Jim came to the rescue just in the nick of time when Roy was sinking under an overwhelming and growing workload. Jim’s workdays soon grew busy, often stretching late into the night. His invaluable work has been characterized by spiritual maturity, technical expertise, attention to detail, and a passion for the interests of homeschooling parents in California and their parental rights. All of Jim’s experience before coming to work for FPM prepared him for this unique work.
Jim made innumerable trips to the Capitol to attend and testify at committee hearings and organize other important meetings. He also began sharing the duties of speaking at conferences and writing articles and letters with Roy Hanson. Jim created and developed our current system for searching out and monitoring legislation. Jim’s work in helping formulate strategies used to oppose dangerous legislation and to support beneficial legislation was crucial in our struggle to protect the freedoms to educate and train our children at home, free of government interference.
We also would like to give many thanks to Jim’s wife Judy, who supported and assisted Jim in the ministry. Jim will be missed at FPM very much! We are thankful to God and to Jim for his years of excellent and dedicated service to this ministry.
Passing the Baton
by Jim Davis
In December of 1994, I said yes to Roy Hanson and made preparations to move my family up to the Sacramento area in order to start working full-time with Family Protection Ministries. My wife, Judy, and I had been homeschooling for about 11 years by then, and we were convinced that God was calling us to become directly involved in protecting all of our rights to raise and train up our children privately at home. I am extremely grateful for the privilege of working with FPM’s founder and Director, Roy Hanson, for the past 18 years.
Working closely with HSLDA, CHEA, and many other wonderful people and organizations, it has been very exciting and encouraging to see God bring many victories in the face of many difficult challenges. And I praise God that, as a result of those victories, parents in California can still raise and train up their children privately in their own homes without unnecessary government involvement.
A couple of years ago, God made it apparent that I was to start taking steps toward retirement. As I gradually transitioned into retirement, Roy Hanson and I increasingly prepared Nathan Pierce to take over my responsibilities. Nathan is an experienced and very capable member of the FPM ministry team. He joined FPM as a part-time employee over 10 years ago and quickly became a tremendous addition to our ministry.
In October 2004, after Nathan graduated from Masters College in Southern California with a degree in Political Science, Roy and I asked him to join us full-time. Since then, Nathan has been trained and equipped through hands-on experience in every aspect of our work. He has also, as office manager, been overseeing our small staff of part-time employees and volunteers for several years. Over the past couple of years, Nathan has taken on more and more of my responsibilities as Senior Legislative Analyst.
Nathan is a homeschooling dad who is committed, prepared, and experienced to work for the ongoing protection of California’s homeschooling families under Roy’s superb direction. Many of you have already had the privilege of meeting Nathan when he has spoken at homeschool conferences, and you are aware of the God-given gifts and perspective he brings to this work. I have every confidence in passing my baton of responsibility on to Nathan Pierce. And I pray for God’s continued blessing on Roy, Nathan, and the wonderful part-time staff and volunteers who work with them on your behalf.
God bless each one of you for your various and continued support of and involvement with Family Protection Ministries.