California has had RTBE (formerly RTCE) programs since World War II. Parents were highly concerned about the effects the war years were having on children, with so many fathers away.

People who knew about the RT option were watching and preparing for California to have a provision for RTBE.

People were ready when the policy permitting time to release students for religious education was added to the state education code in 1942. Programs were started in Oakland, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Burbank, and Long Beach in 1943, and soon, RTBE Programs were being started all over the state.

California RTBE was started when Pastor Wayne Edwards visited RT programs along the California coast in 1988. He discovered that most people working in RT programs had no idea how many there were. He and the Oakland Director, Frank Connaughton, were convinced that California RTBE programs would benefit from working together.

The California RTBE Association was created under Pastor Edwards’ guidance and with Connaughton’s help. Edwards’ friend, Forrest Turpen, invited him to bring people interested in RT to the Christian Educators Association International Convention in Anaheim in 1989. A group from the National Association of RTCE, based in SC, came to Anaheim and offered their help in developing the ministry.

The state ministry sponsors conferences and regional meetings so members and friends can meet in person. This is the best way to network, pray together, share success stories, and discuss prayer concerns. Directors welcomed these events and were glad to share methods and curriculum that work in RTBE classrooms; networking has resulted in many successes.

Another development occurred in 2018 when California RTBE became a part of the National Released Time Association [School Ministries, Inc.] and changed the name to School Ministries of California (SMCA). With the name change, SMCA became the California state office for all RTBE programs in the state.