Parents, students and community members who attended Hurstville Adventist School’s recent Fun Day learned that school isn’t all about the teachers and the books. Sometimes it’s also about fun and community outreach.

In 2014, the Greater Sydney Conference launched its Church and School Evangelism Program, which provides money to schools in the Sydney Adventist Educational system to reach out to their students’ families and community members.  The Evangelism Program is a collaboration between Children, Youth, Family and Personal Ministries, along with the Education Department. Each school has the freedom to frame programs that fit its local school context and minister to the needs of its community.

Hurstville’s Fun Day featured an inflatable obstacle course, petting zoo with a goat, guinea pigs and lambs, as well as a few Carnival games.  Hurstville Church Pathfinders really connected in by preparing food that was sold as a fundraiser during the event.

Families who attended received a show bag that included a Beyond The Search DVD, marketing materials from the school, as well as a book that answered the question, “What is Adventism?”

By far the highlight of the day was the Nutty Professor, which featured Raul Moran dressed as a professor who presented fun, hands-on science experiments.  Another feature was the workshops presented by Sven Östring and Cheonneth Strickland on the topics of “What is Adventism?” and “Parenting for Success”.

A few of the tips shared during the parenting seminar included,

• Make time for yourself and look after yourself.  Remember, sometimes you need to put yourself first so you are in a good place to take care of your children.
• Make sure to foster your relationship between yourself and your spouse. If you don’t have a healthy marriage it can put a strain on your relationship with your children. Children see how their parents interact and this forms the basis of their values in life.
• Turn off all screens at least one hour before bed to ensure your children maintain their circadian rhythm.  Proper rest is essential to adolescent brain development.

There is great power in collaboration, and the Sydney Adventist School system presents a tremendous opportunity to share the gospel message.

Contributed by Rachel Lemons Aitken, Communications Coordinator, Greater Sydney Conference