SUNBURY CHAPLAINCY COMMITTEE IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hello to all supporters,

Many of you will have seen the segment on ‘A Current Affair’ this week slamming ACCESS Ministries and the work done by volunteers teaching CRE in schools.  As often happens, the media got it wrong!  Attached is a response by ACCESS setting the record straight.
Please note this is about SRI (Special Religious Instruction, or CRE as we know it), not Chaplaincy, but it will still be of interest to you all, I’m sure.
If you’re confused about the acronyms SRI and CRE (so was I! I still don’t know why the 2 terms!) ) – here is an explanation from the ACCESS website:
ACCESS ministries Christian Education program serves students and school communities in Victorian government schools by providing Christian Special Religious Instruction (SRI), which we refer to as Christian Religious Education (CRE).
Please feel free to forward or share this Statement (Click here for the statement) with anyone who is unclear about the role played by CRE teachers, or with anyone who has been misled or is confused by the media report.  I’m going to put it on the Uniting Church Facebook page.  It would be worthwhile to inform your congregations in some way too, if possible.  Let’s get the GOOD news out there!!
And let’s focus on the fact that over 90,000 children in 800 schools benefited from the CRE program last year!  What the TV report didn’t say much about is that parents can opt their children out of the program any time they want to – this has never changed!  Clearly thousands of parents are happy about their children participating and the ‘stars’ of the TV program are a minority.  Funny how the minority is always heard above the majority – people will often complain but rarely compliment, no matter what the subject!
It’s worth taking a look at the ACCESS Ministries website which has lots of useful information about CRE and Chaplaincy.
www.accessministries.org.au

Blessings to you all and thanks for your ongoing support!

Helen Hall
on behalf of the Sunbury Chaplaincy Committee
sunburychaplaincy@hotmail.com