A woman of faith and boundless creativity, Bonnie Fite has dedicated her life to using her talents to share the joy of Christ and love of God to all audiences. From her early days teaching children’s Bible clubs to her international impact as an author and educator, Fite has inspired countless individuals through her insightful teachings and captivating stories.
Fite began her career as a classroom teacher in inner-city San Francisco, later moving to Silicon Valley. She also taught Bible clubs in East Palo Alto, once known as the murder capital of the United States. Undeterred, she and her teaching partner ventured into this dangerous neighborhood to pick up children for Bible club. Despite the challenges of the neighborhood, including frequent taunts from drug dealers on the street, Fite and her partner earned the respect of the community.
In the late 1980s, Fite moved to Berlin for her husband’s military assignment. While there, she was approached by members of her church who were encountering difficulties with leading children’s Sunday school and vacation Bible school. Fite identified a need for practical, biblical-based discipline and parenting guidance.
“Christian versions of discipline and parenting were drenched in psychology in the nineteen eighties,” she said. “I thought, we can do better. … I hunted through the pages of Scripture, and I decided … I’m going to teach using our Heavenly Father as our role model.”
Teaching her method to parents at church led Fite to publish her first book, Effective Discipline, in 1997. The Christian Booksellers Association rated hers as one of their top five out of thousands of titles published that year. Despite initial setbacks, God opened doors for the book’s translation into languages like Tamil and Russian. She also developed a workbook for parents, Love & Boundaries, with practical and biblical approaches to classroom management and parenting.
As the book gained recognition, translators sought to modify and sell the book in foreign countries. The book became transformative in various cultural contexts, including in India and Russia, where traditional family structures and societal norms differed significantly.
“You can take…Jesus as savior, but still hold on to all this cultural baggage that contradicts other principles in Scripture,” Fite said. “By using God the Heavenly Father and using Scripture, … I’m not telling anybody this is the American way. I’m saying this is God’s way.”
Raised in a single-parent household, Fite developed a deep appreciation for creating meaningful family traditions and using the holidays to reinforce biblical values in children. She recalls how her family was shown extra care by their church growing up, and she has fond memories of being included in the church’s Christmas pageant.
“Instead of the Christmas celebration being potentially a lonely time, it gave me a lot of warmth and delight [to sing] the songs about Jesus,” Fite said. “So as a result, as a mom, I wanted my kids to know all the carols.”
One day, while singing with her kids, one of them wanted to learn the 12 Days of Christmas song. Eventually, she and her oldest son, in second grade at the time, put together their own take on the song, incorporating biblical characters and themes for each day of Christmas. Her song, titled “The 12 New Days of Christmas,” starts with the babe in a manger bed, two earthly parents, three wise men, four elder saints, and so on.
Over the next few years, she connected with an illustrator and a graphic designer to bring the song to life in the form of an interactive children’s book. The book was well-received, even among Jewish communities who appreciate its biblical references to messianic prophecies. In 2002, the year after the book came out, Fite connected with Don Marsh, a Dove and Emmy recipient for his compositions of children and adult choirs. Marsh assisted in producing a CD of the song to accompany the book.
Fite didn’t stop there. She went on to write an entire script for a full-length children’s musical drama based on the song, with a Christmas carol dedicated to each of the days of Christmas.
In 2004, she put together her first choir at a local church in northern Va. to perform the musical. After scouting for kids at her church who were interested, and with invites extended to neighbors, they had their choir. They did a performance at the church and a few shopping malls, plus at the National Christmas Tree near the White House in D.C., where cold winds made an uncomfortable experience less impactful than she hoped. In 2006, her next choir held 84 kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. Learning from their lesson last time, Fite told the children to pray for three things: warm weather, big crowds to hear about Jesus, and for television studios to come out and broadcast the performance.
“I told the kids, when we sing at the National Tree, you are on a mission trip, and you are missionaries,” she recalls. “You’re singing about Jesus to people that maybe at Christmas time don’t even know His name.”
The Lord answered all three prayers, and her performances continued. The next year, Voice of America broadcast their performance. In 2012, the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation covered their performance. Apart from her own choirs, Fite’s musical has been performed across America. In 2016, she also took on the ambitious task of translating her Christmas musical into Norwegian, collaborating with a former opera singer to ensure accurate translation and musical adaptation.
Her Christmas book has gained significant popularity, selling over 10,000 copies and being featured at the Museum of the Bible. To cater to adult readers, she has also written Advent devotionals. Expanding her children’s book series, she has created books for Easter and Thanksgiving, incorporating biblical stories and historical events. She has written several Bible studies and workbooks for adults and children, delving into topics like prayer, Old Testament women, and effective parenting strategies.
Fite’s creative endeavors have continued to flourish. She is currently working to acquire a publisher for a pro-life children’s book, featuring biblical characters and historical figures like Moses and George Washington Carver. Additionally, she plans to write an adult book on the history of the pro-life movement, delving deeper into the stories of individuals who have fought for the protection of unborn lives.
Anyone interested in learning more about this project or collaborating with her are encouraged to contact her at bjfite@reagan.com.
Fite’s legacy extends far beyond her published works. She is a mentor, a teacher, and a friend to many. As she continues to write, teach, and inspire, her influence will undoubtedly shape generations to come.
To learn more about Bonnie Fite and to purchase her books, visit ProfoundPromises.com. Fite has been an NRB member since 2023.