PARENTS have a great opportunity to enrol their state primary school children in Christian education lessons delivered by nearly 100 volunteers in 20 schools in the Bendigo area.
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The benefits of taking part include learning about the origin, history and influence of the Christian faith and the development of personal values such as honesty, compassion, respect and tolerance.
The volunteers are good role models who have been trained and accredited by ACCESS ministries, have Working With Children Checks in place and are approved by the education department.
Their aim is not to proselytise children or persuade them to join a church but to help them explore meaning and purpose for life.
The cost is minimal, being only about $6 per year for the lesson books, which are attractively presented and regularly upgraded.
Until recently children were automatically included in the program unless their parents chose to exclude them. Due to changes in government regulations it is now necessary for parents to intentionally enrol their children by filling in a form that has been supplied to them.
Having been involved in Christian religious education (known officially as special religious instruction) for the past 50 years, following nine years in engineering, I encourage all parents to fill in the form and return it promptly to the school.
During this time I have observed the positive influence of the syllabus (agreed to by most major denominations) on the behaviour of the children and the morale of the school community.
Not surprisingly, I have found most parents want the program to continue.
By having a background knowledge of our Christian heritage Australian children will have a foundation on which to evaluate other beliefs and practices, and be part of our multicultural and diverse society.
It may need pointing out that special religious instruction is quite different to school chaplaincy, which is delivered by trained professionals who provide pastoral care and counselling for students at primary and/or secondary level and are jointly funded by the community and school.
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