Greenslopes Baptist Church pastor, Graeme Jones, was first introduced to school chaplaincy in the 1970s when he met chaplaincy pioneer and long-term SU QLD staff member, Keith Drinkall.
While Graeme was supportive of school chaplaincy from that first meeting with Keith, it wasn’t until 2002 that he became involved in the LCC at Cavendish Road State High School.
“That was the inception of chaplaincy at Cavendish Road SHS,” Graeme recalled.
“Our LCC just covers Cavendish Rd SHS but our local church assists local chaplains in four other nearby schools.
“Our support includes chaplain mentoring support, food for their brekky clubs, and some financial help.”
A strong LCC, Graeme attributed his LCC’s success to three things – the long-term commitment of LCC members serving on the committee, the involvement of local churches in prayer, fundraising and support of the chaplains, and the diversity of committee members.
“We have always sought to have a mix of teachers, church representatives, and parents on the LCC,” he said.
Graeme believes that God working to answer prayer is the best way to get good results.
“The biggest ‘win’ for this school has been the prayer support of local churches,” he said.
“From time to time we have faced what appeared to be insurmountable challenges. A group has consistently ‘prayer-walked’ around the school asking the Lord to deal with the challenges, and each time, changes have occurred for the better and the challenge has been sorted.”
Graeme has learned a great deal in the last 16 years on the Cavendish Road SHS LCC.
“Each chaplain is different and functions best when given opportunity to use their gifts and abilities – some use sport, or games, or music, to enhance their involvement with students,” he said.
“Time also needs to be invested by the LCC in meeting with school leadership, P & C office bearers, and key community personnel because when the LCC is involved with these stakeholders, it enhances the chaplain’s work.
“And when there is a good mix of church leaders, teaching staff, and parents on the LCC, they help to raise the chaplain’s profile in the school and community.”
And while Graeme acknowledges that fundraising is always a challenge, he said networking with other chaplaincies, SU QLD’s Brisbane office, local businesses and churches is the best way to get creative fundraising ideas.
Graeme’s Top Tips:
- Get a strong prayer support base and feed relevant needs to them.
- Love and support your chappy by promoting them at every level.
- Give your Chappy a phone call or email to encourage them frequently.
- Be on the lookout for creative fundraising ideas.