At Endeavour College, our Vision for Learning focuses on us all “Exploring together”.  We explore learning together to encourage each other to take responsibility for our learning, to be risk takers, to be purposeful in our approach to learning and to be inclusive. Inclusivity has been our staff focus for the year.  This means that we […]

At Endeavour College, our Vision for Learning focuses on us all “Exploring together”.  We explore learning together to encourage each other to take responsibility for our learning, to be risk takers, to be purposeful in our approach to learning and to be inclusive.

Inclusivity has been our staff focus for the year.  This means that we have been looking at ways we can value the diversity that exists within our College and wider community, and work to ensure the learning needs of students are catered for.

As Christians in our world, this should also surely be our charter too. As I write this, a small group of staff are in Indonesia in North Sumatra. Our purpose is to develop connections with schools and an orphanage in Pematangsiantar. Having already visited these schools and orphanage in the last few days our view of the principle of inclusivity takes on a much wider meaning. We have fellow Lutheran schools in Indonesia who do not have the access to the range of resources that we do. What is our responsibility to them? How can we be inclusive and learn from each other? How can we develop an appreciation for the diversity that exists in our world? It is with all this in mind that we continue striving to develop a partnership with these schools and orphanage, with a view to bringing our students to share with students in these schools and orphanage later in 2018. One of our key strategic directions has been to develop our service learning program both in Australia and overseas. This particular initiative grew out of and in parallel with one of our Rudolph teams – ME (Mission Endeavour). These three students have been working for over a year to find ways to develop a partnership with an orphanage in Indonesia. Now, after much hard work, their vision and purpose are coming to fruition!

It is a wonderful opportunity for us all, Indonesian and Australian, to develop an understanding of the lives of others. We all have our own stories, struggles, dreams and joys, bound together in this case by our faith in Jesus and in Christian love for each other. Congratulations to the students who showed their love for others to initiate this enterprise!

If your school would like to know more about how they can connect to the mission of God through a LCA International Mission service-learning and ministry partnership, you are invited to phone Erin on (08) 8267 7300 or email erin.kerber@lca.org.au. For more information, go to www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/service-learning/

Read more stories about school partnerships and school service-learning at www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/local-partners/schools/