Each month, articles that can be included or adapted for a school newsletter by a chaplain are provided in Chaplaincy Matters. Regular communication to the school community will help improve the understanding of what a chaplain does and help families and staff get to know ‘their chappy’ and the service being offered at the school. If people in a school community don’t understand what a chaplain does, or that the service even exists at the school, fundraising and other activities can be difficult.
Consider doing the following:
- Get permission from your Principal for newsletter articles and check if there is approval for the inclusion of a Bible verse before you use one.
- Call it something like ‘Chappy’s corner’ or ‘Food for thought’. Include a photo of yourself – you want the school community to recognise you.
- Finish the article with your name e.g. Chappy Jan.
- Have at least one article a month included in your weekly school newsletter, weekly if possible.
- Below are 5 articles for the next month – provided by Chappy Teresa. Teresa has been a chaplain for 12 years and is now a regular Chaplaincy Matters contributor sharing articles she has prepared for her school newsletters over the years. Teresa has also given chaplains permission to put their own names to her articles – so that they can be a personal message from chaplains to their school community!
Other articles have been available in previous editions of Chaplaincy Matters.
Article 1 – the theme is about Flaws and Imperfections
Food for Thought
In the early 1500s in Florence, Italy, there was a huge piece of marble that many sculptors had declared as useless because of a large deep hole that was in it. There was however one man who saw things differently; he believed that is spite of this hole he could still create something beautiful.
This man was Michelangelo. After several years of hard work, he transformed that ‘flawed’ block into the magnificent statue that the world now knows as the statue of David.
Think about this for a moment. All of us have flaws and imperfections – just like that original piece of marble. Some people feel that they are too thin, too plump, too short or too tall or perhaps just not as attractive as others. These thoughts can even lead some people to believe that they are of little worth.
However, the truth of the matter is that your value does not come from what you look like on the outside; it is the beauty of your personality that will have the deepest impact on others.
Decide today to stop focussing on any perceived negatives in your appearance. Instead, work at sculpting your personality and behaviour into the best that it can be by getting rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander. Try being patient with each other and make allowance for each other’s faults.
If you work hard in these areas, you will automatically become a more beautiful and more loved person.
A message from Chappy……..
Article 2 – the theme is about Planning for the Future
Food for Thought
Planning for the future – it’s something we all do. We plan for the Formal, for holidays, for retirement etc. There’s certainly nothing wrong with looking ahead but sometimes we forget to take time to appreciate the present.
Each new day brings 1440 minutes for us to make the most of. We can waste that time complaining about life’s problems and disappointments or we can be determined not to let anything steal our joy.
If you really think about it – there’s not one of us who can guarantee that we will be around for the next Formal, the next holidays or our retirement. All we can be certain of is right here and now. Appreciate the opportunities today can bring, use your time wisely and look for ways of bringing joy to the lives of others.
If you can be ‘joyful’, it won’t affect whether you have a long life or a short one, but it will certainly give you far more peace of mind.
A message from Chappy……..
Article 3 – the theme is about Conflict
Food for Thought
Conflict – why is there so much of it? As long as humans have existed, it seems that there have always been those who respond with anger. It is all too easy for us to criticise the violence that we hear about in our television news programs – wars, assaults and sometimes even murders, but we need to ask ourselves if we too are part of the problem.
All of us have the potential for either conflict or peace living within us. In every situation we find ourselves in, we have to choose to do deal with others in either a hostile or peace making manner.
What about you? How do you react when someone disagrees with you? What about when someone accidently bumps into you in a crowd or holds you up in traffic? Being around angry people is never pleasant, so please take a truthful look at your behaviour and make the commitment to choose peaceful solutions from now on. If you are an angry person, I can guarantee that you are not a happy person, so if you need to make changes, realise that you too will benefit from your efforts. Try being a peace maker as you deal with conflict.
A message from Chappy……..
Article 4 – the theme is about Finding Friends
Food for Thought
Isn’t it true that we all like to have plenty of friends, and we all love to feel that people care for us? What can you do though to make people like you?
Some people shock others into noticing them, through crazy behaviour or outrageous hair styles or clothing, but being noticed has nothing to do with being liked or loved.
I believe that there is only one sure way that guarantees you that you will never be short of friends. If you make a point of always looking for ways of helping those around you, and if you’re quick to lend a hand when it’s needed and willing to comfort someone who is experiencing tough times, then I am certain that love and friendship will flow back to you in abundance. To receive love you must first learn to give love.
A message from Chappy……..
Article 5 – the theme is Learning from our Mistakes
Food for Thought
Mistakes – some of these are of no real consequence, such as forgetting to put sugar in someone’s coffee, but other mistakes can have far reaching results. Wrong actions taken can leave some people with feelings of great shame and embarrassment that can last for years.
What about you? Do you have big regrets that are weighing you down? If you do, please consider the following:
Your past errors do not define who you are now. If you determine that you will learn from your mistakes, those lessons learnt will be the things that shape you into a wiser, more mature and reliable individual.
You are not a fool because you made a mistake – everybody makes mistakes. You are only a fool if you don’t learn from your past errors.
Admit and acknowledge what you have done wrong and make any adjustments to your behaviour that may be necessary to ensure that those wrongs are not repeated. You will then be free to let go of the past and move forward to a brighter future.
A message from Chappy……..