From the Chaplain

From the Chaplain

Festival of Lessons and Carols

Our Festival of Lessons and Carols is only a couple of weeks away, being held on Thursday 30 November at 7.30pm in the Great Hall.  Everyone in and connected to our community is warmly invited as we celebrate the joy and meaning of Christmas. We take a collection at this service every year and the money donated always goes towards a local charity. I hope to see you there!

Christmas gift collection

As part of our annual school Christmas service, we ask each student to contribute towards a gift for either a boy or a girl, wrapped in cellophane, to donate to the Vinnies’ Community Centre in Redfern. These gifts will be distributed to children who may not otherwise receive anything at Christmas due to poverty or other family issues. There will be greater demand this year due to the unsettling times that many families face due to financial pressure and housing stresses. The feedback that we get each year is that these gifts make a huge difference to children throughout our city, giving them the message that they are loved and cared for. We will be receiving those gifts up until Friday 1 December. More information will be delivered to students via their Form or class teachers.

 

“Mr Lee-Lindsay needs new undies and socks”

For those new to our community, I would like to introduce you to our socks and undies drive. There are a number of welfare organisations that are always asking for NEW socks and undies for their clientele. This is a serious issue amongst the homeless in terms of hygiene and good foot care. This is a whole school activity and because we want to get a variety of sizes this is how we would like the different year groups to donate:

Primary
  • (Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2) – Girls Socks and/or Undies for 3 to 7 year olds
  • (Years 3 and 4) – Boys Socks and/or Undies for 3 to 7 year olds
  • (Years 5 and 6) – Boys/Girls Socks and/or Undies for 8 to 12 year olds
Secondary
  • Year 7 – men’s medium undies and/or socks
  • Year 8 – women’s medium undies and/or socks
  • Year 9 – men’s large undies and/or socks
  • Year 10 – women’s large undies or socks
  • Year 11 – men’s or women’s small undies or socks

Students can start bringing in donations this week and there will be a basket outside the Chapel for collection, like what we do for Harvest Festival (only we will not decorate the chapel with the items!). I will distribute our collection to local organisations in the last week of Term 4. Thank you in anticipation and for your ongoing generosity.

Rev. Garry Lee-Lindsay
Chaplain