St Andrew’s Cathedral School Mission 2021 Day 2

The team gathered in the foyer of the school, the rain still ongoing. We started the day sitting in on the staff meeting, which begins with a devotion from the head of school, that the whole staff team participate in. How good that the whole staff team, Christians and those who are not yet Christians get to hear the word of the Lord explained at the beginning of the week.

The team heard from Mr. Sam Hwang, who sets up the senior school Christian Development (CD) class curriculum. It was helpful to hear the three spheres of influence that teachers aim to reach students with the Gospel, through the curriculum in the Christian Development classes, but also through class time, and teacher-student interaction, and an awareness of hidden curriculum, subtle things that the school promotes for example celebrating achievement in assemblies can communicate worth in success or achievement, if not framed well.

Most of the day the team split off into pairs and were able to sit in the back of CD classes, and interact with and meet some of the students. The year nine class was learning about agape love, and what showing God’s love to each other looks like. They seemed comfortable asking hard questions in the class space, and discussing the answers, weighing ideas with each other. The year nine students have had to attend a youth group as part of a school assignment, and there were a few of the boys who were very excited to see Amani.

Members of the team were approached by students whose parents had attended Moore or were missionaries overseas. It was a great opportunity to encourage them in their faith amongst friends who don’t yet know Jesus.

SACS also runs Gawura, a school, within the school, a campus for boys and girls from years K-6 who are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. The school runs cultural lessons, lessons learning the Wiradjuri language, as well as covering standard K-6 curriculum, and has a focus on community and parent involvement. Some of the team were able to sit in on classes here too, and loved it.

The rest of the day was spent in preparation for year seven and year eight chapel the following day. So good to have time to prepare and pray well for the students.
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We’d love your prayers for many students at St Andrews Cathedral School who joined us for chapel services on Jesus’ crucifixion today (Luke 23:44-49). Please pray that students would hear the invitation to Cru Lunch Groups later in the week, and to join the centurion who crucified Jesus in praising God for his death.

We were also involved in a bunch of Christian development classes, chatted with Cathedral staff about the unique privileges of cathedral ministry, and listened in on a program helping Christian schoolteachers educate from a Christian worldview.

“About 120 year 7 children sat on the floor and listened attentively as we talked about Jesus, or shouted raucously as we played a Kahoots-style game. Nic Trev did the talk, looking at the Roman Centurion who discovered Jesus’ innocence and at the torn curtain which speaks of our access to God through Jesus. He talked to year 7 about another year 7 kid who never thought much about these things until one day he found the truth in the gospel. When he announced that he was that year 7 kid who had become a Christian, some of them said, ‘I knew it’ out loud.” (Philip Kern, on Tuesday at SACS)
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