Christian Education
MS CATH BUTLER, HEAD OF MINISTRY AND MISSION
Theodore Roosevelt said these famous words in 1910: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming … if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
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Throughout 2020, there were many ‘arena moments’ – moments of riding high on the waves of victory one moment and then in the next moment, floundering in the doldrums of defeat. It has been a year of extremes. Yet, it’s worth pausing to acknowledge that there was a communal and courageous daring greatly in an arena not of our choosing. We faced defeat feeling disappointment when events were cancelled, celebrations postponed, or when we could no longer go on that ‘trip of a lifetime’. Stretched to the very edge of ourselves at times, and perhaps to the edge of our mental health, we carried on, woke up the next day and did it all again. People remained compassionate, thought of others, expressed gratitude for what they did have, worked hard, learned new skills or new ways of doing things in a short space of time.
There is much to give thanks for. COVID-19 affected us all. However, it did not stop ministry at Fairholme; rather, it opened opportunities for more girls to connect with Christian faith throughout 2020. Chapel services moved online for Boarders and all sub-schools, and these forums prompted lovely moments for reflection within these smaller groups. Through platforms such as the Fairholme Ministry page on Instagram or the FairSongs playlist on Spotify, students were able to remain connected and encouraged in their faith. myFairholme (the school’s e-learning platform) has the capacity for groups to be created and so, through the Ministry@Fairholme group page, a Thought for the week, along with the Song of the Week and the Bible Verse for the week was posted. This page also holds a plethora
