More than 200,000 primary school kids from Sydney public schools are estimated to resume protestant Scripture classes in their schools this week. This is enough to fill the Sydney Cricket Ground at least four times says the Rev Andrew Thorburn, Youthworks Ministry Advisor.
The drivers of this ministry (from the Sydney Anglican Diocese alone) include 246 SRE Coordinators and an estimated 2000 volunteer teachers, some of whom have been teaching for over 40 years.
The amount of volunteers investing in primary SRE indicates the strategic value many in the diocese have placed on this ministry area.
According to Mr Thorburn, "the value of SRE is in nurturing students to be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus in every area of their lives. It gives students the opportunity to explore the big questions of life and can build strong connections between individuals, families and the local church."
"Even from simply an educational perspective SRE contributes significantly to the teaching of values regarded as important for living successfully in community" In light of concerns about the teaching of values in our government schools we ought to be confident of the contribution Christian SRE classes have and will continue to make to the education of students."
Because of the inherent challenges involved in teaching the gospel to classes of 20 or more children, Mr Thorburn recommends that SRE teachers regularly meet, debrief and pray together as well as gain the necessary skills and knowledge to answer questions, deliver lessons and manage the classrooms effectively.
Youthworks' annual SRE Conferences aim to achieve this by offering primary SRE teachers the opportunity to network with other teachers, be encouraged in their ministry and equipped to make the most of the opportunity that SRE presents.
"The SRE conferences seek to help SRE teachers lift our sights from the day to day and remind us of why it's great to be a Scripture teacher as well as give practical ideas to use in the classroom " Having the right ‘tools’ for teaching goes a long way to making teaching a joy instead of a burden", says Mr Thorburn, Conference Coordinator.
The Schools' Ministry Conference, held in three locations last year, had a record number of attendees, involving over 425 Scripture teachers across the Diocese and other parts of NSW.
Wendy Volckmar, a primary SRE teacher at Turramurra North and Warrawee Primary Schools said: "As a new teacher the SRE conference was very helpful, I got a lot out of it and it gave me some good classroom skills. I love to teach the Bible and I love to be in the Bible myself " I get so much out of teaching it".
The first SRE Conference this year will be held on Thursday at Kingswood Anglican Church, followed by two more in Dapto and Sydney City. For more details visit the Youthworks website.
PHOTOS: David Vagg / Anglican Youthworks
