Friday 17 March 2017

‘I am the Lord, and I do not change…’ Malachi 3:6(a)

It is truly amazing how many different events can occur in just one week at Nowra Christian School! One only needs to view the whole-school calendar to locate an incredible range of stimulating activities that actively engage our students right the way through from Kindergarten to HSC. Some parents might look at these events and conclude that the world of education has changed considerably from the time when they went to school.

This topic of ‘change’ was further brought to my attention on Tuesday evening when our dedicated Board members met together, as they do every month, to carefully consider matters related to the sound governance of our school. These meetings always begin with a devotional time and this week the topic centred on the concept of ‘change’. We were reminded that we all face times of change within our lives and that the school that we belong to is also located within the ever-changing world of education. We were further reminded that sometimes these changes can occur so rapidly that we can feel overwhelmed. However, we were then taken to a number of Bible passages that highlight the fact that we serve a God who does not change and that we can take great comfort as a result of this aspect of God’s nature.

One reassuring verse that clearly emphasises the fact that we can trust God and know that He will show Himself to be constant and dependable, no matter how many other things may change around us, is found in Malachi 3: 6(a). It states, ‘I am the Lord, and I do not change…’ This is good news indeed!

We were also introduced to a reassuring acronym for the word ‘changes’ that highlighted how every moment within our busy lives can be used by God to bring amazing blessings and opportunities. I have shared this acronym below:

As I look back on this past week at NCS, I can clearly see that God has been at work in so many ways through the amazing range of activities that have occurred at our school. I would particularly wish to highlight the program presented by our Stage 3 students at the K-6 Assembly, held today. This assembly was designed to share many of the areas of learning that our Stage 3 students have been recently involved in. The audience of students and many mums and dads, friends and carers, were delighted by the quality of these presentations. We were treated to a ‘Parliamentary Rap’, a ‘Nutrition Drama’ and a Science ‘Light’ Quiz. We also had a dramatisation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and there was some energetic singing of Praise and Worship songs. One particular highlight for me was when one of our parents, Mrs Giddings, shared some details of her recent battle with cancer. It was a privilege to hear her story and it added extra meaning to the reasons why our school is actively involved in the forthcoming ‘Relay for Life’ event.

I have been delighted to see our instrumental music teachers working with Primary students who are enthusiastically accepting the challenge of learning to play a variety of instruments. I also visited our Primary choir this afternoon for a short time and thoroughly enjoyed listening to our students as they completed their vocal exercise routines. I was present at the Senior School Parent Teacher interviews and was encouraged by the purposeful conversations that I could see taking place all around me. I enjoyed eating a pie that marked ‘Pi’ Day and watching students scour the school to locate clues that related to this mathematical concept. I spoke with a HSC student who shared news of our Senior Boys Volleyball Team who participated in the CSSA State Volleyball Gala Day and returned the State Champions. And these were just some of the events that your children have been involved in throughout this week!