The school year has started well and we have not yet seen a sharp rise in teacher or staff absences and even the number of student absences has been less than was being predicted. This may change but we are pleased that most of us are able to get on with business.

I like to take some time at the start of each year to remind existing families and to inform new families of some important ideas that drive what we do at GPCC.  This week I want to focus on our school purpose statement: The purpose of Green Point Christian College is to equip students for a life of redemptive action through a holistic education grounded in a Biblical perspective.

We do not take this as a token statement to look good in our advertising material or to display on the wall, it is what guides our every decision. We set out two years ago to review why we existed as a school and settled on this statement as remaining true to the founders’ vision, but giving some substance to our work. GPCC was founded by Green Point Baptist Church, initially to serve the needs of members of the congregation but demand for what was happening in the small school led to significant growth over the years. Today we have the highest enrolments ever and in spite of this growth, want to remain focused on a sound reason for continuing.

The Christian faith undergirds what we do as a school. We believe in the story the Bible tells of the creation of the world and humankind, of their failure to live under God’s authority and the consequences for all human beings of their disobedience. We know we live in a broken world, but we live in the hope of the Gospel, the good news of God that He has been working out a plan of restoration whereby human beings can have their relationship with Him restored and learn again to live as He intended.

Our hope is to equip our students with a vision for life that sees them committed to redemptive action ie, using their vocation, their interests and abilities to bring healing and goodness to every aspect of society. We all long to see what it might look like to have the brokenness of the world removed, and Christians are called to demonstrate that by their lives.

This means we seek to offer an education that encompasses all of what it means to be a human being – intellectual, spiritual, social and physical. This is grounded in an understanding of the world and of humankind that is informed by God’s words to us captured in the Bible. We want to challenge our students to consider living such a life and making a difference for good.

You may not be familiar with this approach to education, and I remain open to having a conversation with any parents who want to explore this further or understand it more.  Feel free to get in contact.