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| About Released Time |
How to Start a Released Time |
Benefits of Released Time |
Testimonials
Becoming a Volunteer
Register
What is Released Time?
The Released Time Bible Program is a Pennsylvania state approved program which allows public school students to be dismissed from school for religious instruction. Students must have parental permission to participate. Released Time is not illegal in any state, but laws and restrictions vary from state to state. Contact Joy El Ministries for information concerning Pennsylvania or your home state.
Who sponsors Released Time?
Varied ministries throughout the United States sponsor Released Time programs. Public school districts do not sponsor Released Time programs. Joy El Ministries has been sponsoring and conducting Released Time in south-central Pennsylvania for 40 years. Joy El Ministries is a non-denominational Christian organization focusing on evangelizing, encouraging and equipping individuals for active ministry. To learn more about Joy El Ministries, click here: About Joy El.
Who is involved in Joy El Ministries Released Time?
- Over 3,200 students in grades 3 through 12
- 71 elementary schools, 19 middle, junior and high schools
- 28 school districts
- 10 counties
- 2 states
- Over 1,100 volunteers serve per week
What happens in a Released Time class?
Students are dismissed from public school at a designated time each week for up to 30 weeks during each school year. They are transported or walked to a nearby church or other facility for classes. Class time is structured into three main parts:
- singing and announcements
- a Bible lesson
- reciting selected scripture passages during small group time
Students earn awards for scripture memorization, Bible lessons, daily devotions, and service projects. The students also earn discounts on the cost of a week of summer camp at Camp Joy El. Students memorizing verses and achieving 300 points earn a free week of summer camp.
Joy El Ministries offers Released Time classes for three age levels: elementary, junior high (or middle school) and high school. The junior high program is called CIA, or Christians In Action. CIA is open to students in grades 6 through 9. The senior high program is called Chi Alpha, which is open to students in grades 9 through 12.
To download a Released Time registration form, click here.
To download a CIA - Chi Alpha registration form, click here.
To register online, click here.
How Can You Start a Released Time Class in Your School?
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First, pray and ask for God’s direction. He will open or close doors for you and give you direction.
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Do some research. Find out if there is already a ministry doing Released Time in your school district or community.
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Search out other individuals who will join you in praying for the start of a Released Time class.
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Begin recruiting individuals to serve with you. It will take committed volunteers to get the class started.
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Invite Joy El Ministries to come and share about the Released Time program with interested individuals.
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Continue to make your community aware of the Released Time ministry opportunity through many PR avenues (emails, phone calls, presentations, letters, press releases, meetings, etc.). Press releases are available from Joy El Ministries upon request.
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Share the financial need in order for Released Time to happen in the community. It generally costs Joy El Ministries approximately $92 per student per year to operate a Released Time class. Communities are encouraged to participate financially. Donations to Joy El Ministries are not earmarked for a particular RT class. They go into the general fund. But, by supporting Joy El Ministries donors are enabling Released Time to happen in their community as well as helping other communities to begin a new program.
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Secure a host location. This could be a church, community center, office suite or any appropriate place to hold your class. Getting a local church involved to host the class will often produce additional support from that congregation as well.
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Arrange transportation if the students would not be able to walk to the location. Volunteers should be assigned to escort both walkers and riders to class.
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Assign volunteers to serve in needed positions: school coordinator, secretary, teachers, listeners, transportation helpers…there are many ways to serve, but these are the basic volunteer needs of each class.
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Select a desired day and time for your weekly Released Time class.
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Joy El Ministries will then contact the District Superintendent to communicate the desire to offer Released Time in your school.
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Joy El Ministries will provide training for your volunteers.
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Distribute permission forms to potential students.
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Collect returned permission forms and prepare to start Released Time.
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Begin your very first Released Time class!
Enrolling your child in the Released Time Bible Program benefits him or her in many ways. The National Council on Crime and Delinquency did a study on Released Time classes that found the following:
1) “A comparative review of all 4th and 5th graders involved in this program perform better than their classmates as a whole in almost every category”;
2) “Released Time students improved after one year in three categories of literacy skills: comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary”;
3) “The program also provides youth with strong adult mentorship and bonding, and reinforces positive moral and character development in an environment where teachers and administrators struggle with unruly students.”
Students who participate in Released Time are being educated far beyond their peers who don’t attend. These are just a few of the proven benefits that Released Time has provided to students.
- Bible instruction—Bible lessons are taught simply and clearly, incorporating an understandable Bible principle for the child to practice. We don’t want to overwhelm children with too much instruction at once. The lessons we’ve developed allow children to grasp and apply a simple principle before moving onto the next one.
- Bible memory work- God’s memorized Word is a valuable resource to the mind and heart for life.
- Character instruction- Good character qualities and attitudes are modeled and taught, with encouragement for the child to make them personal habits.
- Relationships- Beneficial bonds of friendship, trust, and affirmation are established between the child and at least one caring adult.
- Learning skills- Practice at listening, memorizing, thinking, and processing along with positive social interaction strengthens the same skills that are vital to public school education.
We recently asked some of our Elementary Released Time students what they like about Released Time. Here’s what they had to say...
"I like Bible Release because we get to learn about God and the Bible. I like reading the Bible, and we get to do fun stuff here. Another thing I like is the singing. I love singing very much. There is nothing I don't like about Bible Release. It's the funnest. I like to meet new people and that is what we do here.“
"I like Bible Release because I like to learn about God and because God is watching over us."
"I like Bible Release because I love God and learning about Heaven because some of the people I love are up there." 
“I like Bible Release because I don't have time to go to church, so I come here and it is fun. I love to sign the songs and learn a lot of stuff about God. Jenny [her listener] is very nice. I have had her for two years."
"I like Bible Release because it's kind of a little church for kids that don't go to church."
"I like to learn about Christ because I want to become a pastor."
"I enjoy looking at the Bible and looking up Bible verses to learn about God."
"At Released Time I like when we go to our listeners and say our verses and that we get to learn about God. I've also learned how many books are in the New Testament and the Old Testament."
"I learned about fishers of men last year. I like Bible Release because we sing about God and learn about Him."
"My favorite part about Released Time is learning about God and the Bible, because we love God and we want to be helpful."
Becoming a Released Time Volunteer
There are many good reasons to become a volunteer with the Released Time Bible Program, but the first and foremost reason is because Christ commanded us to share the Good News with others:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20a
Another good reason to become involved is that Christ has a special love for children…
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
…therefore, because we are to conform to Christ’s image (become more and more like Him) we should also have a special love for children and develop a desire to teach them the ways of Christ.
There are lots of other great reasons to get involved in helping with Released Time and no doubt one of these reasons will be all you need to convince you to get started today!
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You may be the only believer these children have ever met.
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Your participation demonstrates to the “next generation” that they matter to God…and to you.
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You are allowing God to use the spiritual gifts He has placed in you to serve Him and others.
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Your faith will be stretched.
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You observe and participate in God’s work in your community, in the lives of the children, their families, and the school.
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You enhance your own “spiritual community” as you partner with believers from other churches.
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You help the children hide God’s Word in their hearts, share the love of God with them and teach them to pray. God does the rest!
Are you ready to become a Released Time volunteer? Here’s how:
Fill out a printable Volunteer Application (click here) and return it to the school coordinator of the class where you desire to serve, or...
Fill out our online Volunteer Application. Click here, or...
Call our office at 717-369-4539 or e-mail info@joyel.org to be connected with a Released Time ministry team leader in your local area.
For more information on volunteering in any of our programs, click here: Volunteers.
Invite-A-Friend and Volunteer Day
Several times throughout the school year, we encourage our Released Time students and volunteers to invite a friend to visit their Released Time class. This gives students who are curious about the class an opportunity to discover and experience what Released Time is all about. It also gives adults who are not yet volunteering a chance to attend a Released Time class to decide if volunteering with Released Time may be where God is calling them to serve. The visiting children get to find out if they might enjoy attending and learning God's word while visiting adults get the opportunity to see if they may be able to use their spiritual gifts to help children come into a relationship with the Lord and grow in their faith.
Invite-A-Friend Day usually generates much excitement among the children and volunteers in our Released Time classes. They are excited to share the unique relationship-building atmosphere with others. We would like to encourage you to consider joining us for this event as well. Dates and times for this event will vary from program to program so we encourage you to contact your child's school coordinator for details.