FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

There have been two themes running through our Chapel Connects this week, faithfulness and generosity.  One could say they go hand in hand because faithfulness as a human being is sharing generosity with others.

In our Junior School Connect this morning, students were asked who their heroes were.   The offerings were Spiderman, Iron Man, doctors, psychologists, mums, parents, grandparents and the list went on.  I was very impressed not only with the range of heroes but also the touching reasons why students offered people in their own lives.

One of the students offered at the end that he could understand that everyone mentioned was a hero because they helped people from their heart.

It was a beautiful occasion to see students so young being able to articulate heart reasons for loving people who generously saved people, helped people, helped cities, helped the sick and helped families.

Now they have gone back to their classes with buckets to fill with stickers when they, themselves, fill someone else’s bucket in their day.  At the end of Term, we will bless their growth.

The Year 9 and 10 Chapel this week covered faithfulness in three different areas of life where students were encouraged to be faithful to themselves and who they are, rather than be swaying to and fro following other people’s opinions and not being true to who they are.

In this respect, we talked about the Nation’s faithfulness to our First Peoples and being faithful to who we are and not bowing to either peer pressure or relationship pressure when sorting out who they want to be and what future they want to create for themselves.

Last week, we also had the opportunity for sharing at the Year 8 Outdoor Education Program as we helped students at the Valley Campus release negative beliefs about themselves and then, reorganise their thoughts during an Identity Values Exercise.

Many students were very engaged with this process which was the first step to identifying their own self-worth so that they can move forward with meaning and purpose for their lives.

Rev Grace
College Chaplain