Man on a Mission: Joel Penton is Bringing the Gospel into Public Schools

LifeWise Academy is on a mission to reach school children with the gospel—during school hours!  When LifeWise launched in 2018, the initial goal was to serve 25 schools by 2025, but it surpassed that long ago. By the start of this year, LifeWise had set up chapters in more than 300 schools in a dozen states, teaching 35,000 public school students weekly Bible lessons that are usually scheduled to coincide with lunch or non core courses such as library, art or gym class.

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Meet The Guest

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Joel Penton is the Founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, a program that provides Bible education to public school students during school hours. Since its launch in 2019, LifeWise has quickly grown to serve more than 100 schools across the U.S. each week. Nearly 14,000 students attend a LifeWise program and receive a Bible class as part of their public school day.

Joel’s 15-year career as a nonprofit entrepreneur has been marked by the relentless pursuit of impacting students. He honed this skill playing defensive tackle at The Ohio State University where he relentlessly pursued quarterbacks for the Buckeye’s national championship football team. Upon graduating, Joel founded Stand For Truth and Relevant Speakers Network, a speakers’ bureau that has touched more than 3,000 public schools and 2 million students nationwide. He is the author of three books including DURING SCHOOL HOURS: Why and How LifeWise Academy is Reinstalling Religious Education into the Public School Day.

Joel lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Bethany, and their five children, where they all enjoy telling stories at the dinner table, watching sci-fi movies, and playing full-contact monkey in the middle.

 Links to resources mentioned in podcast and other important links

ALL THINGS HEIDI ST. JOHN

THREE WAYS TO GIVE

  1. Donate a non-tax deductible gift to Heidi St. John.
  2. Donate a tax deductible gift (with an end of year statement) to our broader Firmly Planted Family Ministry.
  3. Write or send donations to:  Heidi St. John 14001 Southeast 1st St.
    Vancouver, WA 98684
This entry was posted in Faith, Other on by .

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast "Off the Bench," and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning God's Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center, located in Vancouver, Washington.