Opinion Articles

SOUL MATTERS: Christian volunteers take scripture to schools
By John Donnelly and Sue Sneddon

Australians all know the value of a good volunteer. Our history is full of stories of heroic citizens lending a hand in times of difficulty. The Hunter is no exception: volunteers protect swimmers at the beach, provide meals to the homeless, and fight bushfires.

There is another band of heroes who quietly go about their duties each week. They are the volunteers who go into government schools to present Special Religious Education. These church based volunteers prepare for and make their weekly visits - motivated by a love of God and a love for the young.

While every church and indeed every faith has the right to present faith education to their children, not every church has the capacity to exercise this right. Volunteers from various churches cooperate to offer Christian education to as many students as possible in the Government Schools across the Hunter.

In the primary schools of the Hunter, over 15,000 students receive SRE lessons from an army of over 650 volunteers. All of these teachers give generously of their time and talents to ensure that the next generation of Christians are supported in their faith.

Churches of all denominations join together to support this great effort: by training and supporting volunteers, developing engaging lessons, and preparing exciting assembly presentations for special seasons such as Easter and Christmas.

Like most volunteers, “Scripture Teachers” (as they are often known), love what they do. Pat McCabe of Charlestown is one of many volunteers who goes about her generous and joyous work year after year. Pat recently retired after 35 years of service to the students of Charlestown East and Hillsborough public schools. Then there’s Dorothy Daley from Cessnock, an over-80-year-old with the loveliest smile, who has been teaching SRE for 50 years and is still going!

Few have been recognized for their service, but June Eggert from the Central Coast has actually received an Excellence in Teaching award conferred by the Department of Education and Training for her contribution as an SRE teacher over more than three decades. This year Brian Andrews was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for 40 years of volunteer services including SRE teaching and coordinating in Kurri Kurri.

At a time when the powers that be are debating the merits of ethics and values education and controversy rages over who is entitled to offer what form of education to the students in government schools, volunteers like Pat, Dorothy, June and Brian have continued to offer interesting and life changing lessons to the students in their charge.

Local schools have welcomed and acknowledged the contribution of SRE Teachers for around 50 years and despite frequent changes in government, policy, social agenda and technology over the years, scripture teachers continue to make a positive contribution to the lives of families in the Hunter and across the State.

John Donnelly and Sue Sneddon
Committee for Religious Education in Schools Support and Training (CCRESST)

This article is submitted by the Churches Media Association www.cmahunter.com.au.


*This article was published in The Herald, 14th December 2009