Announcements

On Friday March 27, Alison Wells (Covenant class of 1998) married Ross Blaikie. It was a wonderful celebration for them, and for their family and friends. Alison is one of five Wells children that attended Covenant Christian School! There were many ex-Covenant students involved in the wedding, including James and Matt Wells, Amy Wheaton and Pete Muddle with Music, and Heidi Muddle as the Matron of honour. The happy couple are honeymooning in Vietnam and will be living in Manly upon their return. We wish them every happiness.

Bob Mendelsohn, the director of the Jews for Jesus organisation's Sydney branch, will be speaking at our Senior School Assembly (Year 10-12) on Tuesday March 24 at 10.30am. Parents are welcome to attend.

Jews for Jesus is an organisation that proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.  "What could be more Jewish than following the Jewish Messiah?"  says Mendelsohn, who considers himself 100 percent Jewish and 100 percent Christian.

Bob grew up in Kansas City in the center of the United States. He was the third of three children in an Orthodox Jewish home.  He kept kosher, was Bar Mitzvah and graduated from Hebrew school. After high school he enrolled in university, but soon dropped out to search for life's meaning via the '60s counterculture.  "I didn't find what I was looking for—meaning and reality—in the counterculture.  I found it in Y'shua," Mendelsohn says.

Bob returned to university and graduated from Kansas University in 1977 with a B.S. in Education.  Prior to his decision to become an evangelist, Mendelsohn taught high school maths and was the pastor of The Mustard Seed, a church of over 700 people which grew out of a prayer group Mendelsohn had established.

Since working with Jews for Jesus, Bob has worked in New York City, Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco. He helped to pioneer the organization's New York branch, where he was the pastor of Kehilat Y'shua, a congregation of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus.  He coordinated the organization's Summer Witnessing Campaigns there.  In Chicago, he was the leader of the Jewish gospel music team.   Along with his wife and their three children he then founded our work in the Washington area in 1989. He led the flagship station in New York City overseeing training, local operations, and the Northeast US until he moved to Australia in 1998 to found the work among the 100,000 Jews of Australia. The office in Sydney is in Bondi Junction in the Eastern suburbs.

Bob is one of the senior staff of Jews for Jesus, holding the rank of deputy commissioner.  He writes for Jews for Jesus publications, as well as authors some of their gospel tracts and the regular Bible study materials used by the worldwide staff.  His testimony of faith (Whoever Heard of a Jewish Missionary?) was published in 1999. It includes his grandmother's story of becoming a believer in Jesus.

He is also a sought-after speaker and organiser for other groups concerned with evangelism. He has served on the Board of Directors of the North American Renewal Service Committee and has been published in their magazine A.D. 2000: Together. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Women’s Aglow and has written for Aglow and for  Charisma magazines.

He has been interviewed on media outlets throughout the States and here in Australia including Gordon Moyes’ Sunday Night Live and also on the ABC. He is a regular writer for Alive magazine.

Mendelsohn has a Master’s Degree in Missiology with concentration in Jewish Evangelism/Judaic studies from the Fuller School of World Mission in Pasadena, California.  His wife, Patty, also holds the same degree.

The Jews for Jesus organisation was founded by Moishe Rosen, a Jew who has believed in Jesus for over 40 years. The organisation has permanent branches in seven North American cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Washington D.C. and South Florida) as well as over seventy chapters spanning some thirty states. The group's international branches are headquartered in Johannesburg, London, Paris, Odessa, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Essen and Tel Aviv besides Sydney.

Dr. Rosen is quick to point out that he did not "start" Jews for Jesus. "Jews for Jesus began about 2,000 years ago, around 32 C.E., give or take a year. Jesus' first disciples were Jewish, and there have been some Jewish people who have believed in him ever since."  

To Bob and other Jews for Jesus, believing in Jesus makes sense in light of the Jewish Bible and in light of their experiences as "believers."  For those who argue that Christianity contradicts the meaning of Judaism, Bob says there are answers, which he is happy to discuss with any inquirers.  

The Junior School Council organised a Book Swap to support fellow Christian Schools in Victoria. There were two ways to help. As we did last year, the school asked for donations of secondhand but well cared for children's books. These books were sold for between 50 cents and $5.00. Throughout the day Teachers took children in class groups and assisted them with their purchases. Children who brought in books for sale or donation were given one voucher to allow them first choice of the "For Sale" books.

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The second way the school is helping is through a direct donation of books to Christian Schools in Victoria. These books were either new, or used but in excellent condition.

A BIG thank you to Mr Groves and his class for all their help. Thank you also to parents who served on the stall and all who supported the Book sale particularly to infants and transition teachers who had to deal with tears and fears of lost money etc.. The Junior School Community raised $1013.75 with still a little more money coming in.

The donated books have already been sent to Victoria and the money will be sent as a cheque to Plenty Valley Christian School to assist the families who lost houses in the fires.

For the Thornton family of Belrose, starting school this year meant dramatic changes. Brad and Lynnette Thornton have home schooled their six children for several years. This year they chose to enroll all six children at Covenant Christian School in Belrose.

Brad explains “homeschooling for us has been a challenging and rewarding adventure, one that has helped us to grow closer together as a family. We knew that with a big family there was always the possibility for our lives to diverge in many different directions, so we made the decision when the children were young that family would be a priority. We also knew that it was our responsibility as parents to really know our children and who God has made them to be.  Homeschooling gave us the privilege of spending wonderful days together discovering the unique and special giftings of each of the children”. Hannah, age 16 and the oldest child in the family, says, “Home schooling allowed me the freedom to work in my own time, learn to be self-motivated and to study what I was interested in.”

The decision to transition into private schooling came while traveling together as a family last year.  Lynette shares “We observed the children grow in confidence as they engaged cultural differences and language barriers. We also grew in confidence that schooling at Covenant would be a benefit to them, knowing the kindness of the staff and the family-centred environment.”

Brad had taught at Covenant for several years, so he had a great understanding of the school, its’ staff and vision. With six children the logistics of having Preschool to Year 12 all in one location certainly made the decision easier.

Principal Bill Rusin says “as a community we admire families who choose to home school. We believe parents are the most important educators of their children. Our role is to serve parents and work with them. I expect we would have a higher percentage than most schools of families who either have, or will, choose to home school at some stage of their children’s education”.

Lynnette says “I appreciate Covenant’s commitment to support parents in educating their children, encouraging parents to do what they see is best for their children, whether that is home schooling or traditional schooling,”

Most families with children starting school face the challenge of buying uniforms and covering books. With six children starting at once this has been a huge exercise for the Thorntons. Lynette explains, “The uniform shop staff have been really helpful in getting the children organised in an affordable way, which is not an easy task with so many starting at once!”

Lynnette feels it has been a big adjustment. “We are learning to work out good systems for packing seven school lunch boxes  including Brad’s, keeping track of each child’s schedule, making sure their homework is done, books packed in their bags and processing all the notes that come home each day. The children certainly have lots of stories to tell at the dinner table!” Zac, age 7, says, “There are lots of people everywhere and you have to sit down a lot!” while Dan 14 says “I feel more motivated to learn at school”

Part of Covenant’s vision has always been to help families financially afford education. After the first child, subsequent sibling’s fees are heavily discounted.  Brad explains, “We are grateful for the discount Covenant provides for multiple children within a family. Three of our children are attending free.”

The six Thornton children are among 139 new students starting at the school this year. Overall the Preschool to Year 12 School has grown by 56 students since last year. Neil Pierson, who started doing the school’s marketing last year, believes there are many factors behind the school’s growth. “The main reason is families recommending the school to others and sharing the new School Tour on DVD. Our families are members of 120 local churches so are part of an extensive community. The number of families booking in for tours has really jumped. It’s been a busy year and it looks like continuing.”

This week we are running World Maths Day. This is a worldwide event run through Mathletics. It begins when Wednesday March 4 starts at the International Date Line to our East, and continues until it is no longer March 4 anywhere in the world (so for us it starts 10pm Tuesday night March 3 – and goes until 10pm Thursday night March 5).

World Maths Day is about having fun developing your Mathematical skills. You might have a chance to play in class, or you can go to www.worldmathsday.com to log in with your Mathletics login (students in JS can also go to the website and generate a login and start playing)!

So play as often as you like – but only until Thursday night!

Mathematics Department.

Christian Education National has a formal partnership with Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family have prepared a suite of resources specifically aimed at helping those affected by the recent fires and floods. These resources are free of charge and can help any family dealing with tragedy.

The resources can be read online or downloaded and include:

• Understanding and Coping with Trauma
• Parenting in the Midst of Tragedy
• When God Doesn't Make Sense
• Grandparents Special - Hugs and Hope

The resources can be accessed at CEN's website.