Week of Worship with our Adventist Schools
Published
Welcome to Week of Worship
Simon Hutton | Chaplaincy Coordinator
Week of Prayer, Week of Worship, Week of Spiritual Focus, Week of Spiritual Emphasis, Spiritual Emphasis Week, Festival of Faith. No matter what the week is called, these weeks of Spiritual Immersion in our schools are bookmarks in our students' spiritual story. Our chaplains, teachers and students spend countless hours planning and preparing these significant moments in our calendars.
During these weeks, students are challenged to walk out in faith and take the next step in developing their relationship with Jesus. The response to this is incredible! With students signing up for Bible Studies, other students are taking a leap of faith by wanting to learn more about baptism. Students also are encouraged to lead out in small groups and in their local churches.
A massive thank-you to all the staff, students and speakers who volunteered their time to make these weeks what they are! We really appreciate your involvement and passion to serve others and cannot wait for all the exciting things to happen in the coming terms!
Nunawading Christian College
Our Adventist schools are such fertile ground for sharing Jesus, and when we do, it is His beautiful character that draws the students to Himself. In daily worship, teaching the Encounter curriculum or in incidental and/or intentional conversations or interactions - our teachers and staff reveal Christ. Then as cream on the top, in our weekly Chapels and yearly Weeks of Worship, we see hearts touched and lives changed. Here is a snapshot what happened this year.
NCC Primary: 'Heart of a Champion'
Karen Horsley | Primary Chaplain
Based on the verse Hebrews 12:1-2 guest speaker, Alyse Hutchinson, invited students to:
- Choose to be on God’s Team;
- Prepare for the race of life with prayer and Bible study;
- Run with endurance by fixing their eyes on only Jesus;
- Receive the prize of being a part of the Kingdom of God; and
- Carry the torch - share Jesus with others.
NCC Secondary: 'Ignite'
Wendy Mckeown | Secondary Chaplain
Our Week of Worship was a deeply spiritual and joyful experience. We were blessed to have Sukeshinie Goonatilleke ('Suki') as our speaker for the week. Suki shared stories of faithful followers of Christ throughout history who demonstrated what it means to choose love, meet Jesus in God's Word, stand for the truth and make the choice to follow Jesus. Suki also joined us for Mega ReVibe on Friday night to share her powerful testimony.
The week was also full of activities for us to hang out as a whole school, such as the annual SRC pancake breakfast on Monday, a lunchtime sausage sizzle on Tuesday, hot chocolates and Tim Tams for recess on Wednesday, followed by a Volleyball social in the evening, the closest campfire treat we could get with Rice Krispie treats on Thursday. We ended the week with ‘Pasta with a Pastor’, where a group of pastors from our local SDA churches served our students delicious pasta and garlic bread.
We were blown away by God's hand through the lead up to and throughout the week, especially when we read through the decision cards filled out by students on Friday.
Mernda Hills Christian College
Sandy Wallis | School Chaplain
In a heart-warming and spiritually uplifting event, our primary students recently experienced our Festival of Faith, featuring guest speaker, Pastor Uili Mauga. The week-long festival left a lasting mark on the hearts and minds of our students.
Pastor Uili captivated the students with the life of Elijah. He shared how Elijah was fed by ravens, the touching account of his visit to a poor mother and her son who were down to their last meal, and the dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel with King Ahab and the priests of Baal.
Pastor Uili emphasised a central and transformative lesson: "More prayer = More power! No prayer = No power!” This message encouraged our Primary students to incorporate prayer into their everyday life.
Mernda Hills’ Festival of Faith is a testament to our commitment to nurturing the spiritual growth of our students, alongside their academic and personal development. It was a joyous occasion that highlighted the importance of faith in everyday life and the incredible impact it provides to us all.
Gilson College
Pr John Ghosn | School Chaplain
This year’s Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) in the Primary School profoundly impacted not only our students but also our staff and the broader community. We were honoured to host Pastor Sashka Tikulin, whose messages centred around the theme of ‘Closer,’ based on James 4:8.
Each day held a distinct focus: Monday encouraged drawing closer to God, Tuesday emphasised strengthening friendships, Wednesday highlighted community bonds, Thursday emphasised family connections, and Friday centred on the Gospel message of God's sacrificial love.
One of the stand-out moments of SEW involved a parent of one of our students. After the first day, her son expressed a desire to grow closer to God, despite their non-Christian background. Instead of dismissing him, she supported his new-found interest. Unsure of God existing, she prayed for a sign of God’s existence. That night, she dreamt about a speaking event focused on friendship, featuring the biblical story of David and Jonathan. Feeling compelled, she attended our program the next day, where Pastor Sashka did in fact speak about the very same topic. This experience moved her to want to explore Christianity further and start reading the Bible with her son.
This story is just one example of the profound impact observed during SEW, illustrating how God's presence was palpable throughout our school community that week.
Edinburgh College
Rachel Turner | School Chaplain
Edinburgh Primary recently celebrated our annual F.L.A.G. (Fun Learning About God) week, and it was a delightful journey of faith, fun, and food! This year’s theme, ‘Fear Not Bake Off,’ turned our school into a bustling kitchen where students learned valuable life lessons through cooking challenges and activities. Our guest speaker, Mr. Tee, inspired everyone with his insightful message about the ‘Recipe of a Cupcake Christian.’
Flour Faith: We kicked off the week by learning about ‘flour faith.’ The students participated in a blind fairy bread competition and created salt dough masterpieces. These activities taught us the importance of having faith, even when we can't see the outcome.
Milk Movement: On Tuesday, we explored the necessity of the ‘milk movement,’ emphasising the need to take action with our faith. Students blended delicious smoothies in a friendly competition and enjoyed refreshing cold Milo drinks at lunchtime, reminding us that faith requires movement and action.
Eggcellent Friends: Midweek, our focus was on being ‘eggcellent friends.’ We learned the value of kindness and community by binding people together rather than pushing them away. The day’s activities included an egg-cracking competition and the creative task of making Lego food, reinforcing the importance of friendship and support.
Sugar Sweetness: Thursday’s lesson was about ‘sugar sweetness,’ highlighting the need for a positive attitude in all circumstances. Students engaged in a blind lolly-tasting competition and made their own sherbet, understanding that a sweet disposition can make life’s challenges easier to bear.
God’s Special Ingredient: The week culminated on Friday, when we combined all our ‘ingredients’ and added the special ingredient of God’s love to make delicious cupcakes. The students participated in a cupcake-decorating competition, and each one received a beautifully decorated cupcake at the end of our Chapel service. This final activity underscored the message that we can create something truly wonderful in our lives with God.
Heritage College
Pr Joshua Stadnik | School Chaplain
At Heritage College, both the Primary and Secondary campuses participated in their week of worship. Back in March, the primary school space was transformed to feel as if one had entered the starry skies. NASA was the theme, which stood for “Needing A Saviour Always.” Mrs Monique Johnson blessed the school, whose unique storytelling left everyone hanging on for more with every talk. It was a week full of faith-filled learning and fun.
Meanwhile, in May, our Secondary campus celebrated the vibrant Festival of Faith, featuring special guest speaker Pr. Ray Moaga. Pr. Ray captivated our students with his compelling life story, sharing several inspiring anecdotes. As part of the festival, students expressed themselves by writing personal messages on our blackboard centred around the theme "What am I made for?"
A prayer space was also filled after every session, with students taking the time to write thoughtful prayers and reflections on our prayer wall. The secondary courtyard was buzzing with excitement, filled with various games and activities, creating a fun and engaging atmosphere for all. It was a week of reflection, inspiration, and joy, fostering a deeper sense of community and faith among our students.
These weeks are definitely a highlight for the school and leave both students and staff inspired for the rest of the year. A big thank you to everyone who was involved. We can’t wait to see what God does next.
Henderson College
Pr Fereti Saaga | School Chaplain
For most of our lives, we find ourselves conforming to the routines and responsibilities we have each week. However, Week of Spiritual Emphasis (WOSE) disrupts the norm and reminds us to pause and be empowered by people who are walking with God each and every day. We had a double blessing for our WOSE with the husband-and-wife duo Jordan and Alyse Hutchinson as guest speakers.
The Primary School was impressed with Alyse’s examples of ups and downs that have happened throughout her life, while the High School was in awe of Jordan’s experiences through travel, being a professional chef, and appearing in a TV game show.
Both were able to add value through their interactions with students within the classrooms and during school hours whilst emphasising the important message found in our theme "God is Greater than our Ups and Downs".
We finished off the week with a celebration for our whole school community to meet Alyse and Jordan. Alyse summarised the week by speaking about making the most of the time that we are here on Earth and knowing that God is someone that we can rely on during our time here on this planet whilst Jordan emphasised that we do not need to do anything to earn this love from our Creator and that it is up to us to accept it.
