Ambassadors for Christ Speech & Debate Club Web Site

Christian Communicators of Tennessee CCT is a service organization promoting speech and debate for home-educated students in our state with the ultimate goal of training students to articulate truth and defend their faith. CCT, as a chapter of THEA, provides Ambassador Club with a $2,000,000 liability insurance without which we could not use the facilities we need for our weekly Club meetings and our tournaments. CCT also sponsors Student Congress in conjunction with the THEA Rally Day at the Tennessee Capitol each Spring.

Stoa Stoa works with Christian home-educated students who are ages 12-18 by October 1st of the current competition season. Since Ambassador Club is affiliated with Stoa, our Senior Varsity students are trained in the Stoa debate and speech events. See the link in the left margin with the listing of the SV events, all of which are Stoa events, with the exception of Student Congress.

Memberships
Every family who joins Ambassador Club is a member of CCT because a portion of the Ambassador Club fees are given to CCT for your membership. This allows every family in Ambassador Club to be covered by CCT's liability insurance.

Stoa Membership, is required to participate in tournaments and opens June 1st of each year.

A little more information about Stoa
Motto:
Speaking Boldly. Changing the World for Christ.

Scripture verse:
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36 (NASB)

This verse encompasses the scope and breadth of Stoa’s forensics-based mission. Stoa believes human speech, the ability to communicate with the spoken word, is “from” God and that it is only “through” the triune God that we can speak with grace, truth, and beauty. Stoa believes all things, only one of which is speech, are “to” God or are directed to His purposes. Stoa emphatically stands for these key Biblical principles as it helps to develop young people into winsome and God-honoring orators in all walks of life. In the broad sense, Stoa embodies an entire culture of thought, public discourse, apologetics, and intellectual inquiry. As such, it is emblematic of the Western Civilization and representative of the many goals we are reaching for in our children as we strive to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Watch this awesome video, What is Stoa Like?

Core Values:
* We are committed to following established process and structure.
* We are organized and communicate effectively.
* We promote a transparent culture of servant hearts.
* We communicate a clear vision and mission.
* We promote integrity and honesty in every situation.
* We recognize competitive excellence.

Quick Facts
* Stoa was established on the model of our nation’s founding fathers with a commitment to limited central government and maximum local control.
* Stoa trusts local leaders to know how best to serve their local communities in administering their own local tournaments.
* Stoa offers approximately 100 tournaments nationwide during each tournament season.
* Tournaments are held from Hawaii to Washington DC, from Seattle to Tampa!
* Stoa tournaments are all open to families from around the country.
* Stoa is building a world class community of speakers, debaters, and family members who are committed to Speaking Boldly and Changing the World for Christ in their homes, churches, communities, at colleges and universities, and in the workplace.

What does “Stoa” mean?
In ancient Athens, people would gather at public buildings to listen to politicians, philosophers, and poets. Greece’s Mediterranean climate rendered the interiors of these buildings unsuitable for crowds much of the year. Architects therefore designed the Stoa, the long covered porches fronting or surrounding buildings, often with a double colonnade, that became the symbolic feature of classical Greek architecture. Here, in a shaded but well-lit and well-ventilated space, people could gather to conduct business or test new or competing ideas. It was in such a setting where the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech in Acts 17 when he challenged the beliefs of the Epicureans and Stoics. In the same way that stoa existed to provide a place for public speaking, debate and the exercise of rhetorical skills, Stoa exists to provide locally-organized opportunities for friendly forensics competition in public speaking and debate for privately educated Christian homeschooled students.