Christian Values
As a church school we have a responsibility to teach the Christian values to the children. There is a rich variety of nominated values and as a school we have decided to use collective worship as a vehicle to incorporate these into our everyday lives.
Courage / Endurance and Self-Sacrifice. Courage takes many forms: it may mean facing up to the opposition or personal danger; tt may mean overcoming personal fears or phobias; it could mean making a stand for the right. Endurance is the recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful. It often takes real courage to be truly self-sacrificing.
Hope. Hope has lost something of its power as it is a word used too frequently in ordinary conversation. Hope is a universal phenomenon which sustains people in times of great personal difficulty. Where there is no hope society spirals downwards. For some people, hope is so strong that it inspires self-sacrifice to turn their hope into reality.
Humility. This is an attitude that challenges the values of our surrounding culture. Through humble service we discover the truth about ourselves.
Wisdom. This is not the same thing as ‘education’ of ‘cleverness.’ Wisdom can be best described as an ability of discernment or understanding which doesn’t come automatically but is gained from life experience.
Trust. This is essential to human life and lies at the heart of all relationships. Trust entails being vulnerable because by trusting you are putting yourself into others’ hands.
Friendship. This is an undisputed value in our society with children and teenagers often spending more time with their friends than their family. True friendship enables each person to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised.
Creation and Stewardship. The respect for Creation has faltered in the face of technological advances. Now we are face to face with the issues of climate change, crisis over access to food and water, destruction of habitat and the rapid extinction of species. It is not clear whether the earth can still renew itself or whether the damage as gone too far. What should we be doing now?
Agape (Christian Love). Agape is the key Christian value as it lies at the root of all other values. It means respect, affection, benevolence, goodwill and concern for the welfare of the one loved. It is selfless and means putting others first before oneself.
Koinonia (Community). It means fellowship, community, union and partnership. It is about Christians coming together as a family.
Thankfulness. This is often seen especially in worship where songs and prayers of thankfulness and praise are an important feature.
Compassion. Attitudes and actions must reflect kindness, mercy and compassion. Compassion is much stronger than sympathy as if you have compassion you step into their shoes, share their experiences and sufferings, want to support them or act on their behalf.
Peace. This is about positive harmony and healthy relationships between people. It involves spiritual as well as material security. Peace is a state of true wholeness, a state of well-being.
Forgiveness. Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a perceived wrong. Forgiveness cannot be given or received unless it is asked for and the asking must be genuine from the heart.
Justice. It is more than fairness and equality, it is a strong bias towards the weak, the poor and the socially disadvantaged. Justice builds a community where everyone’s well-being is bound up with that of everyone else. Without true Justice there cannot be true peace.
Service. This is a revolutionary concept. This calls upon people to lay selfish things aside for the need of others. Service is given freely without expectation of return.