A close up of the front cover of a newsletter

Christian Heritage Week - A History

The first Christian Heritage Week took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 10-16, 1991. Citizens for Excellence in Education and Christian Heritage Ministries worked hand-in-hand to make this week a true revival of the Christian principles, values and virtues upon which this nation under God was founded.

The event was extremely significant for our nation, as it is the first official proclamation signed by a State Governor, recognizing the Christian principles upon which our country was founded, and thus glorifying the God of our fathers and resuscitating the historic, biblical legacy which is ours.

More than one thousand Christian (and non-Christian) students, teachers, homeschoolers, parents and educators attended the seminar and slide presentations which I conducted. One non-Christian private school had two hundred and fifty students, teachers and parents in attendance. We were able to minister to numerous young people who had important and pressing questions pertaining to the true history of America, as opposed to its modern revised versions permeating our nation's school system. The breakthroughs for Christ were gratifying and encouraging. As our Lord Jesus says in John’s gospel, Chapter 8 verses 31 and 32: If you abide in my Word the Truth shall make you free. And again: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (II Cor. 3:17).

Upon returning to Washington, God gave me the task to research each of the 50 State Constitutions at the International Law Library of the Library of Congress. The Preamble to all 50 State Constitutions glorifies God as the Father and sustainer of our liberties as Americans. All State Proclamations were then formulated, citing each State's Christian heritage, followed by the founding fathers’ use of Scripture and their reliance upon Almighty God in prayer. These were then put into the hands of Christian Heritage Ministries state coordinators at God’s appointed time for each state Governor’s signature, in order to celebrate their first Christian Heritage Week.

Schools, both public and Christian, homeschoolers, ministries, churches, and the public-at-large are thus impacted with historic fact from the original documents of our founders.

Christian Heritage Ministries begins our youth-oriented, grassroots, community-involved Christian Heritage Week celebrations in early September of each academic school year, through May of the successive year, excluding summer holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, when the schools of America are closed or preoccupied with holidays of major national significance. We have celebrated Christian Heritage Week on a statewide level in 42 individual states to date, to include Arkansas, California, Missouri, Colorado, South Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, South Dakota and New York. A number of these states have celebrated their fifth, sixth and seventh Christian Heritage Week, to include Virginia, Mississippi, and Idaho: while Delaware has just celebrated her Seventh Annual Christian Heritage Week, December 17, 1998.

In 2000, all 50 States in the Union had celebrated a “Christian Heritage Week” during the academic year. We have conducted our twelve power point presentations for many public, Christian, private and home schools, who have welcomed the exciting experience of learning about America’s authentic history from original records. As of 2024, many States have celebrated their 29th, 30th and 31st annual Christian Heritage Week.

(Excerpted from, Great American Statesmen and Heroes, Copyright 1994 by Catherine Millard.)