About Us

About the Program

The Fannin Christian Learning Center is a non

-profit release-time program that operates two campuses teaching the Bible to home-school students, Fannin County Middle School students, and Fannin County High School students.


Bible classes offered at Fannin County High School are:

  • Counted as a social studies elective credit (included in students' GPA)
  • Open to 9th-12th grade students together in class
  • Offered in four daily sessions, each lasting 90 minutes
  • Offered for enrollment to students as often as their schedule allows


Bible classes offered at Fannin County Middle School are:

  • Offered during students' Connections periods
  • 45-minute-long classes held off of school property (in an adjacent location)
  • Focused on daily Scripture application and include weekly memory verses
  • Purposely designed to be engaging, interactive, and fun for middle-school-age students

Our History


The Fannin Christian Learning Center opened for operation for the 2000-2001 school year.  


During the first year, the FCLC employed the Director and one teacher with both teaching classes. Volunteers provided all clerical and administrative work.  As office needs increased, a full-time secretary was added to the staff in the Spring of 2001.  


Student enrollment averaged 150 per year during the first five years, but increased to more than 200 in the sixth year, necessitating the addition of a part-time teacher. A third teacher has been needed off and on since 2006. Just for Spring 2012 semester a fourth teacher was needed. Financial support from churches, organizations, businesses and individuals in the area has continued to be strong throughout the years with 23 churches contributing regularly.  Banks, businesses, organizations, individuals give on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.  As a result, FCLC is currently operating free of debt!


In 2025, after 25 years of teaching Bible classes to the students of Fannin County High School, the CLC was blessed to expand our program by offering a brand-new Middle School Bible class! This program is designed to meet students right where they are—helping them grow in their knowledge of the Bible, deepen their faith, and discover how God’s Word connects to and changes their everyday lives.


The FCLC works in cooperation with Fannin County High School as well as Fannin County Middle School.  The FCLC desires to see FCHS and FCMS excel in all areas; thus, we support the schools' activities and will follow its policies as much as possible in our setting.


Our Staff

Top (Left to Right): Jared Herum, Bradley Thomas, Joel Chastain, Parker McCombs



Bottom (Left to Right): Tina Lee, Gena Turner, Caitlyn Lindley, Alyssa Hooper

Tina Lee, Executive Director

Tina has over 40 years of experience as a Christian School Teacher/Administrator/Athletic Director and Coach. “Miss Lee” moved here in the summer of 2000 from Fort Worth, Texas, and takes great pleasure in being a Fannin County resident. She went to high school and college in Georgia graduating from Tift College. She received her Master of Arts Degree in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She enjoys playing Spades and Catan, watching Alabama football, and traveling. She is also the proud mom of two beautiful adopted daughters! Favorite verse: Isaiah 43:1b “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Jared Herum, Curriculum & Campus Administrator

Jared grew up in Blairsville, Georgia, and loves to hike, fish, camp, write poetry, and play with his dog in his spare time. He currently studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary majoring in biblical and theological studies. He is deeply passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the authority and power of the word of God, and the great commission in all its various channels and forms. His hopes and prayers are to repent, submit, and delight in the Word of God by the spirit of God daily. Through the CLC, he hopes to co-work with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to cultivate consistent, repentant, and godly young men and women empowered by Christ to love and live for Christ wherever they are.

Caitlyn Lindley, Teacher

Caitlyn has called Fannin home most of her life.  She was once a CLC student herself and feels that it is very special to now be on the other side of the classroom as a teacher!  Her faith in Jesus is a big part of who she is.  Outside of school, Caitlyn loves spending time with her husband, Josh, and her dog, Monkey, while cheering on the Dawgs and playing games with friends and family.

Bradley Thomas, Teacher

Bradley grew up in the mountains of North Georgia and is a proud graduate of Fannin County High School. He earned his degree from Truett-McConnell University in 2021 and has served in ministry since 2013 in both youth and senior pastor roles. Most recently, he and his family served in the greater Charleston area of South Carolina, and they are now excited to be part of the faith family at Hemptown. Bradley is passionate about proclaiming the gospel, equipping the church through the Word of God, and shepherding others with truth and grace. He has a deep desire to see students develop a love for Scripture, a strong Biblical worldview, and a confident understanding that the Christian faith is both logically sound and historically grounded.

Alyssa Hooper, Executive Administrative Assistant

Alyssa joined the CLC team in October of 2019. After leaving Fannin County in 2010 for the beautiful state of Montana, she has returned home to Georgia and plans to stay! She has been married to her husband Bryan for over 37 years and they have one son, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. She has worked in Christian education for over 28 years and is passionate about young people knowing Christ. She enjoys camping, backpacking, reading, and spending time with her grandbabies.

Gena Turner, Office Manager

Gena joined the Fannin Christian Learning Center in 2025, bringing with her more than 20 years of ministry experience and a deep passion for sharing God's Word with the next generation. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, Gena understands the importance of planting the seed of faith early in life. Her favorite verse, Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go; and even when he is old he will not depart from it" - reflects both her heart for ministry and her calling to serve students. Gena and her husband Jason, a retired firefighter, are proud to come from a strong military and service-oriented family. With children and grandchildren all living in North Georgia, she treasures time spent with them and looks forward to working with the students at the CLC.

Parker McCombs, Teacher

Parker grew up in Blairsville, where he currently resides, graduated from University of Georgia, and is currently a student at the International Reformed Baptist Seminary. Although Parker grew up in a Christian environment for much of his life, it wasn't until the fall of 2018, when Parker was struck with the holiness of God, his own sinfulness, and his one true need, to be at peace with God through Jesus Christ. God kindly opened his eyes to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and since then, God has cultivated a passion in him to share the gospel with others. 


Parker has had the privilege of working with youth both at his previous and current churches, and desires for the younger generation, along with all generations, to believe in the Gospel and deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. Parker enjoys playing sports (when he's not injured), playing the guitar, and enjoying God's creation, particularly through wildlife photography. His favorite verse is John 6:37, where Jesus says “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.”


Joel Chastain, Teacher

Joel comes from a multi-generational family in Blue Ridge.  His father and mother were raised in Fannin County and graduated from what was then Blue Ridge High School.  Joel grew up in Marietta and was very active in his church there.  Joel graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor's degree in Pastoral Ministry with an emphasis in Youth Ministry, and a Master's degree in Religious Education.  He brings more than 30 years of experience in youth ministry, pastoral ministry, teaching and coaching young people.

Board of Directors

Proverbs 11:14 "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

Marty Raymond, Chairman

Daniel Davenport, Vice Chairman

Teresa Haymore, Secretary

Rhonda Jacobs, Treasurer

Kathy Brownlee Chastain

Chrissy Struthers

Hannah Pace Nicholson

Advisory Board

Scott Mathis

Zach Welch

Lori Welch

Kenny Stuart

Sherry Walden

More Information

What is a Release-Time Program?


The United States Supreme Court has ruled that religious released time programs are legal. The requirements for a religious release time program are as follows:


1.   The program must meet off school property.


2.   The program must not receive local, state, or federal funds.


3.   The program must be voluntarily registered for by the student.

STATEMENT OF FAITH:


  1. There is one God of this world and universe; He is the Creator and


      Sustainer of all things which exist.


2.    He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.


3.   He has chosen to reveal Himself to man through His Word, the Bible.


4.   He created man for fellowship and relationship.


5.    Through man’s choice to disobey God’s Word, sin broke the relationship.


6.   Jesus, the only Son of God, became the way by which the relationship could be restored.


7.   Jesus became the perfect sacrifice to mend the broken relationship, canceling sin and restoring man to a redeemed condition of fellowship with God.


8.    Redemption comes by believing that Christ is God’s Son and by His perfect sacrifice of His life for our sin, we are forgiven of our sin and we are restored to a relationship with God for an eternal life with Him.


9.    All men have sinned and there is no other way of restoration to God except through Jesus Christ.


10. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.  God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union.


11. All human life is sacred and created by God in His Image.  Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death.  We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139)


12. The statement of faith does not exhaust the extents of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of the Fannin Christian Learning Center's faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Board of Directors is the FCLC's final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning and application.

CORE VALUES:


 1.  Because the Bible is God’s Word – inspired, infallible, authoritative, and a perfect revelation of Himself, and thus relevant to all people every day, we will teach our students to look to the Bible for answers for daily concerns.


2.   Because God desires a personal relationship with us individually, we will lead our students in daily relationship with God by instructing them in prayer and how to study the Bible for themselves.


3.   Because God has created each of us as unique individuals, we will teach our classes with variety to give attention to the different needs and learning styles of our students.


4.   Because teaching God’s Word is a privilege and “released time” is a legal way to teach His Word to public school and home school students, we will strive to be in harmony with the Fannin County High School system/parents and the community of Fannin County.


5.   Because teaching others carries great responsibility, the FCLC staff will maintain a mutual accountability to communicate with respect, openness, integrity, accuracy, and clarity.

Non-Discriminatory Policy

 

The Fannin Christian Learning Center is a private non-profit religious institution designed to teach Bible history and Christian Life Principles, on a voluntary basis, free of charge, to high-school age students in Fannin County.  The FCLC admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the center.


Admission Policy

 

In order for a student to attend the FCLC, he must voluntarily register for the course, read the Student Handbook, and sign a statement stating the Student Handbook has been read and the policies found therein will be followed.  The Parental/Legal Guardian must also give permission for the student to take CLC by signing the release form.


There is no cost for the course to the student or his/her legal guardian.  Any

activity outside the classroom which may involve cost is strictly optional for each student.  All costs and fees are clearly explained to the student and his/her guardian.