Term 2 Week 7 10th June 2016 Issue No. 18
From the Principal
Nicolle Cliffe might have been named “the person least likely to become a Christian.” It’s not that she was hostile to Christians or Christianity, like Richard Dawkins or the apostle formerly known as Saul. No, Nicolle had become an atheist since her college years and thought her Christian friends suffered a benign delusion that probably helped them deal with life.
In our Monday morning devotions, our staff have been looking at some of the different worldviews (ways of thinking about the world) that people hold. One such view is that of Atheism – that there is no God. This article by John Stonestreet tells of the journey from Atheism to being born again as Christians for a number of believers. Finding salvation from our sins through the love of Jesus is the most life changing event and journey that we can be blessed with.
Nicolle wasn’t afraid of dying either. She actually found the idea of life ending at death “mildly reassuring in its finality.” She had no deep sense of untapped longing. In fact, she seemed to have it all—a good marriage, children, a budding vocation as co-founder and co-editor of a website. Nicolle Cliffe just wasn’t a likely candidate for conversion.
Blessings Geoff Peet Can a self-satisfied atheist become a Christian? Of course she can. But sometimes, it might come through tears. Page 1
But then one day, she became worried about one of her children and found herself saying aloud to no one in particular, “Be with me!” She quickly shook it off as an aberration and the situation with her child resolved itself.
she believed in God; in fact—that she was a Christian. When the call came, Nicolle told her friend what had happened, the two laughed and prayed, and the atheist who was, was no more. “What happened during that hour was the natural culmination of my coming to faith,” Nicolle says. “I had been cracked open to the divine. I read books that I would have laughed at before the cracking, and the stars lined up and there was God, and then I knew, and then I said it out loud to a third party, and then I giggled.”
But then other strange things in Nicolle’s life (detailed in an article in a recent Christianity Today) started happening as well. One day she was surfing the Web and came across an obituary for Christian philosopher and author Dallas Willard. It was written by Pastor John Ortberg, who is the father of two of Nicolle’s friends. Intrigued, she clicked on it and read this passage:
Nicolle came to Jesus without apologetics or heavy theology. God uses all kinds of means, and all kinds of people to draw unbelievers to Himself. Augustine’s long journey through philosophies and life experiences, for example, came to a culmination in faith when his pagan heart was touched by a child who chanted the simple words, “Take up and read.”
“Somebody once asked Dallas if he believed in total depravity. “ ‘I believe in sufficient depravity,’ he responded immediately. “ ‘What’s that?’ “ ‘I believe that every human being is sufficiently depraved that when we get to heaven, no one will be able to say, “I merited this.” ’ ”
Oxford professor C.S. Lewis came when he could no longer shut out the “Hound of Heaven.” As Lewis wrote, “You must picture me alone at that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me . . . I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
The words brought Nicolle to tears. And that was the start of a pattern. ‘Later that day,’ she writes, ‘I burst into tears again. And the next day. While brushing my teeth, while falling asleep, while in the shower, while feeding my kids, I would burst into tears.’ Stunned by these sudden, uncontrollable emotions, Nicolle tried to get to the bottom of them. So she bought a book by Willard—and cried again. She read another one, by Lewis Smedes—and wept. Knowing that this couldn’t go on, Nicolle emailed a Christian friend to talk about Jesus who, of course, said, “Yes.”
With God, no one’s unbelief is safe. So take courage. Reach out to others with the love of Jesus. Share the Gospel, because even the most unlikely people are not immune to God’s grace. Our job isn’t to convert people ourselves, but to be faithful. God will do the rest.
In the days leading up to the appointment, Nicolle regretted asking. But in the hour before the two would talk, she knew that Page 2
Year 9 Missions “Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up.� (Romans 15:2) As well as the excitement of camping at Bungonia State Recreation Area last week, our Year 9 students spent time in the local mission field. On Tuesday, the boys ventured out to Tahlee Ministries to offer practical support in helping to keep their extensive grounds in order. The girls put their cooking skills to the test on Thursday and on Friday delivered packets of cookies to the staff of local community service organisations, as a thank you for the great work they do in our community. The staff were very appreciative of the yummy biscuits and also of the attitude of gratitude that the girls displayed.
On the Cover The resemblance is uncanny. Mrs Sculthorpe and Lissa teamed up to impersonate a favourite movie star on Crazy Hair Day. More of our creative Hairdos can be found on Page 6. Page 3
The Science Circus Comes to Town For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So what will happen when you put a fizzy tablet in water in a film canister and place it upside down on your hand? Liam found out the answer as a rocket launched from his hands on Monday. This is just one of the questions our Years 7-10 students considered during a visit from the Science Circus. The lively presentations of the Shell Questacon Science Circus are delivered across regional Australia by science graduate students who are studying for a Master of Science Communication Outreach.
Parent Information Morning
Praying for Our School
Parents who have booked in for our Explicit Instruction Literacy and Numeracy Information Morning are reminded that it is on Wednesday, June 22nd at 8:45am.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14
Whooping Cough Alert!
We know that the Creator of the universe listens to our prayers. So we have such a wonderful opportunity to bring our requests and our gratitude to Him.
This week we have had a confirmed case of whooping cough (Pertussis) in the school. If your child is showing any of the symptoms listed at the link below, please have them assessed by your GP.
You are invited to join with other parents to pray for God’s blessing on our school community and the effective operation of the school. Come along each Monday morning from 8:30 to 9:00 am.
For more information, please go to http://bit.ly/1Jprupb Page 4
Primary Athletics!
It’s on Next Week indicate this on the note which was sent out earlier in the week.
This year, we are holding the Primary Athletics Carnival at Metford Recreation Reserve (next to Metford Train Station), this coming Wednesday, 15th June.
We would like to foster some extra team spirit this year. Students and their families can sit together with their sport houses and each house’s area can be decorated by their team. There will be extra house points awarded for the most inspired ‘House Decorators’.
Students will be walking from school at 8:40am after rolls are marked. If students would like to compete in the 1500m race, they will need to be at the field by 8:30am, ready to run at 8:45am. Students must either wear their full sports uniform OR sports shorts with a plain shirt in their house colour. They must bring: a school hat, sunscreen, water bottle, and lunch and recess for the day, as there will be no access to a canteen. Parent helpers are needed to help run the carnival. If you are available to help please
Careers Website
2016 Term Dates
For all sorts of information about careers and study options, visit our new careers website at www.careersatmcs.com
Term 2: Tue 26/04/16 - Fri 01/07/16 Term 3: Mon 25/07/16 - Fri 23/09/16 Term 4: Mon 10/10/16 - Fri 9/12/16
On the site, students can get information about:
2017 Term Dates
▪▪Higher School Certificate (HSC) ▪▪Record of School Achievement (RoSA) ▪▪University courses ▪▪University open days ▪▪Job vacancies ▪▪Traineeships/apprenticeships ▪▪Gap years ▪▪Youth allowance ...and a whole bunch more!
Term 1: Mon 30/01/17 - Fri 07/04/17 Term 2: Mon 24/04/17 - Fri 30/06/17 Term 3: Mon 24/07/17 - Fri 22/09/17 Term 4: Mon 9/10/17 - Wed 13/12/17 Primary Assemblies
In addition, if students register at the website, they have access to a variety of services including: ▪▪Resume builders ▪▪Cover letter builder ▪▪Interest tests ▪▪Practice online applications
Term 2
Date
Class
Week 9
24th June
Music Assembly
5th August
3O
Term 3 Week 2
Page 5
y
The Guys!
New Stu dents
ats H in ilt u B nd a s
Waves of Colour
d Bir
! es d Du
M um
Beautiful Girls! Page 6
is a
Ge niu s
What’s Happening at Metford Community Baptist Church?
Metford Community Baptist Church is a community of Christian believers who love Christ, each other and their community. We have services every Sunday (9:30am and 6:00pm) and would love to see you there.
Our Contact details: Pastor: John Cook 83 Chelmsford Drive Associate Pastor: Andrew Sumpton Metford NSW 2323 (Next to Maitland Christian School) Phone: 4934 5350 admin@metfordbaptist.com.au
Church Services: Every Sunday 9:30am and 6:00pm Page 7
W hat ’s
Monday
Tuesday
o n th e
S ch e du le
Before School
Lunch
Recess
After School
Supervision from 8:00am Period 1 starts 8:30am
11:03am - 11:43am
1:40pm - 2:00pm
2:51pm After 3:15pm, collect children from school office
Primary Art/Mural Club in C1 Years 3-6 Chess Club
SALT in E8
Secondary TOPS Meeting in M1
MiniSALT in M2 Years 3-6 Computer Coding Club in E3 K-2 Choir in B2
GIFT in E15
Secondary Vocal Group in M2
Primary Choir in M2
Wednesday Secondary Visual Arts Club in E2
Thursday
Years 5/6 Drama Club in D5 Secondary Tops Rehearsal in M1 Mission Knitting and Quilting Group in E5
Friday
Secondary Boys Bible Study in E8
Grandparents’ Day, Friday, 1st July, 10:00am - 2:00pm Page 8