The Wollongong Combined Churches Education Board that oversees the high school SRE ministry in Wollongong is very thankful to those who are PRAYING for this vital ministry. We are privileged to have your partnership in the gospel and do ask that you continue to pray for it.
We are also thankful for the way many from the local Churches have provided SUPPORT by way of encouragement and participation in the fundraising events and food drives that we do each year. Last term our annual hot cross bun drive sold 900+ bags of hot cross buns with an overall profit of around $4000, which goes directly to paying the salaries of the staff that the board employs to do the ministry work in the schools.
SRE classes are where the Christian faith is explained and explored in classroom lessons with the Bible being open, in conjunction with the state wide used SRE curriculum, ThinkFaith and taught to 1000+ students every week. These lessons and seminars are provided by the 4 teachers who work in 5 local high schools around the central Wollongong area. This is the important, frontline, Christian ministry that has been happening for around 50 years that your prayers, support and FINANCES contribute towards every year, every week, every day.
At present we have: Heather teaching at Wollongong High and Illawarra Sports High, Jimmy Knight teaching at Keira High School, Samar Mikhael teaching at Smiths Hill High and Chloe Winch teaching at Figtree High. 2022 has been a stop start kind of year with SRE not going back properly until mid to late term 1. Student numbers have been mixed at the schools with the systems of SRE participation letters being sent out to parents and filled in correctly being diverse which causes class numbers fluctuate. Our teachers continue to encourage any and all students of the year groups they teach to sign up to SRE classes.
Overall the teachers have had many great classes, conversations and connections with hundreds of students, staff and parents. Many youth have attended lunch time groups and some made connections with the local youth groups in Wollongong including St Michael’s.
If you would like to hear directly from the teachers and some students from all the schools, then can I encourage you to come along to the annual coffee and dessert fundraising event on Monday June 6th, 7:00pm at Figtree Anglican Church. If you cannot make the event then you can find more info about how to become a prayer supporter and financial partner of this ministry here.
Andy Stevenson
WCCEB chairperson
