| Every Child Matters |
 Every Child MattersHow Christian schools workers make a difference By Kirkley Greenwall Every Christian schools worker I’ve ever met loves the job. What’s not to like? Jeans and trainers are the standard uniform. And we get to spend hours each week playing games. But, as with any work, there are stressful moments. Here’s a taster of a typical week: 8:51 a.m., Monday: Standing alone at the front of a chilly hall, surveying the sleepy faces of a thousand teenagers who are waiting for you to deliver an assembly 12:45 p.m., Wednesday: Navigating corridors heaving with hormones and cliques during a lunch break, trying to convince pupils to answer a survey about Christianity 1:40 p.m., Friday: Teaching a Year 11 lesson in the graveyard slot, with a PowerPoint that has malfunctioned and left you with no visual aids There’s never a dull moment. But all of these times are chances to talk to students about Jesus, and this is the real reason Christian schools workers are happy to go to work in the morning. The need for Christian schools work is compelling. Most young people have no contact with a church. Studies on teenagers have found ‘few outlets… for young people to talk about their faith. Almost half of young people do not talk about religious or faith issues at all’. For the typical teenager, Jesus just doesn’t register on the radar. According to a study at the University of Exeter, students ‘are confused about almost every aspect of (Jesus’) life and mission’. Christian schools workers have a role to play. Organisations like CrossTeach see schools work as a long-term commitment. Contact with schools often begins with assemblies and RE lessons from a Christian perspective. We find that young people enjoy asking us questions. They’re surprised to discover that people live their lives according to what the Bible says. Assemblies and lessons can get young people thinking, but the goal is for them to feel interested enough to poke their heads into one of our clubs. This is the heart of the work, where we teach them from the Bible and develop friendships. Some of these young people will go on to become part of church youth groups and some will place their trust in Jesus. There are encouragements that keep schools workers going. What a privilege it is to know that opening up the Bible with a few teenagers at lunchtime is a means of bringing God’s truth into young lives. If you’re interested in learning more about CrossTeach, please visit our website at www.crossteach.com. (This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the April 2009 issue of Evangelicals Now and is used with permission.) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
