SRE ministry

If you are interested in financially supporting the SRE ministry, it's a tax-deductible, registered charity. Contact our office for details (hmf@hnlc.org.au).

Changing the Guard...

Chris Forder resigned at the end of 2009 and has been replaced at Pendle Hill HS by Kat Harris - also a member of the ministry team at Toongabbie Anglican Church. Chris and Leslie are proud parents now, and we wish them God's blessing in their future ministry pathway.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

We have expanded the combined churches' SRE to include elements of the primary school SRE ministry. Boyette Zapata serves as Holroyd Primary Schools' representative, with a mandate to ensure that in the future, every one of our 23 primary schools has operating a viable RE ministry. He liaises with the schools and with contributing local churches to identify places that have limited (or, no) SRE program, and then "plugging the gaps".

If you can volunteer to help broaden the work of Religious Education so that every primary school student hears about Jesus Christ, please contact Boyette at the numbers below.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Holroyd SRE has operated as a combined churches ministry under Holroyd Christian Ministers' Fellowship since 1990. Several local churches regularly financially contribute to support Coordinators in five local State high schools. The five schools are covered by - Boyette Zapata (Girraween HS), Kefas Makava (Greystanes HS), Chris Forder (Pendle Hill HS), Dave Morgan (Merrylands HS), and Michelle Burns (Holroyd HS). You can contact them through the contacts below.

	By law, every student in NSW has the opportunity to receive a period of religious instruction every week. The Coordinators oversee a network of volunteer teachers who assist them in covering all students. This covers students Years 7 to 10.
	Further to this, every school has a program of lunchtime and personal contact groups. These are done in accordance with the school authorities' knowledge. Some schools have involved our people in additional pastoral care of students, something we take as evidence of the positive light the ministry is viewed with regarding school morale and personal development of students.
	Seminars are conducted for senior school students (Years 11 & 12), utilising teams from Auslife, YWAM, Trojan, etc. These effectively fit into the senior school PD study program.
	Some students, with parental approval, go on to attend church youth activities, where they mix with other young people not attending their own school, and become involved in camps, outings, study groups, etc.
	The youth leaders of the district combine with the SRE Coordinators and teachers to put on a series of youth events during the school year.

A continual stream of students have been involved in youth activities, Bible study, camps, and Sunday meetings in local churches. The majority are from unchurched homes. Our discipling program covers not only Bible teaching foundations, but also lifestyle skills. Some of these young people have brought much chaos with them! But also much life and joy to our churches! The slow process continues - of changing the mindset so they begin to think and act (and react) as a Christian. We pray the change in their lives will speak, not only to their school friends (and teachers and staff!), but to their families too.

What can you do? You can...

	Pray regularly for the ministry. Prayer letters are available on request from our office. Holroyd New Life Church conducts a prayer meeting at the high school sites once a term. These are open to all who wish to pray together for the schools. See "coming events" webpage for details of the next one.
	Give. Finances are always close to breakeven. All funds go into the ministry direct. Seminars, coordinators' support are the major costs. All gifts are tax deductible.
	Volunteer teach. To get involved, contact one of the coordinators. Their details follow...

Greystanes HS - Kefas Makava	makava@hnlc.org.au 0430-559255
Girraween HS - and Primary Schools' Liaison Representative - Boyette Zapata	r_zapata@exemail.com.au 0433-436574
Holroyd HS - Michelle Burns	burns@hnlc.org.au 0417-692905
Pendle Hill HS - Kathryn (Kat) Harris	kat@toongabbieanglican.org.au 0422-150392
Merrylands HS - Dave Morgan	davemorgan42@hotmail.com 0400-352232

	Kat Harris Dave Morgan Boyette Zapata	Dave Morgan 2008 Commissioning service
Kefas Makava	Michelle Burns