Churches launch resources for Education Sunday
-03/10/05
As the new academic year gets under way churches are about to publish the resources they have prepared for Education Sunday 2006.
For well over a hundred years there has been an annual recognition in England and Wales of this special Sunday as a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education.
Last year the chosen theme was “A More Excellent Way”, selected to allow the churches to address some of the underlying assumptions that lead to high stress levels induced in teachers and pupils alike by their experiences of the education system.
Their message, churches said, pointed to the way Jesus challenged attitudes to ambition, success and power, which if taken seriously will help lead to rediscovering the joy of both learning and teaching.
The next Education Sunday will be on 12 February 2006. This year the ecumenical steering group responsible for devising the material has focused on the purpose of education for its theme: “Prizes that Last”.
ìSport has been very much in the headlines recentlyî says Graham Russell, Methodist Secretary for Residential Schools and a member of the steering group, ìwith Londonís successful Olympic bid and the excitement over Englandís recapturing of the Ashes in cricket. Sometimes education seems like a sporting event. There are new targets to aim for, new rules, and new trophies to claim.
“But education is not just about being the best: it has wider purposes that need to be valued for their own sake – the development of individual potential and the pursuit of knowledge and truth. St Paul says we should not run aimlessly, but be like athletes – with purpose: listening for Godís word, which fits us for life and prepares us for the ultimate prize.î
Churches launch resources for Education Sunday
-03/10/05
As the new academic year gets under way churches are about to publish the resources they have prepared for Education Sunday 2006.
For well over a hundred years there has been an annual recognition in England and Wales of this special Sunday as a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education.
Last year the chosen theme was “A More Excellent Way”, selected to allow the churches to address some of the underlying assumptions that lead to high stress levels induced in teachers and pupils alike by their experiences of the education system.
Their message, churches said, pointed to the way Jesus challenged attitudes to ambition, success and power, which if taken seriously will help lead to rediscovering the joy of both learning and teaching.
The next Education Sunday will be on 12 February 2006. This year the ecumenical steering group responsible for devising the material has focused on the purpose of education for its theme: “Prizes that Last”.
‘Sport has been very much in the headlines recently’ says Graham Russell, Methodist Secretary for Residential Schools and a member of the steering group, ‘with London’s successful Olympic bid and the excitement over England’s recapturing of the Ashes in cricket. Sometimes education seems like a sporting event. There are new targets to aim for, new rules, and new trophies to claim.
“But education is not just about being the best: it has wider purposes that need to be valued for their own sake – the development of individual potential and the pursuit of knowledge and truth. St Paul says we should not run aimlessly, but be like athletes – with purpose: listening for God’s word, which fits us for life and prepares us for the ultimate prize.’