DE CHAPEL AND JOLT (JESUS OVER LUNCH TIME) Alex Jacobi
It is a joy and privilege for us to be able to gather together with staff and students for DE Chapel and JOLT online. DE Chapel is held fortnightly and has been a place where students who are exploring faith, or wanting to grow deeper in their faith, are given the opportunity to listen, discuss and be empowered towards Christ-centred living. It has also been a place where we’ve been able to bridge connections between our On Campus and Distance Education students through our chat and breakout rooms.
After each message, students are invited into breakout rooms with their teachers and On Campus students to share reflections, ask questions from the message and receive prayer. It has been so encouraging to get to know our students and see prayer requests turn into praise reports.
DE JOLT was a new initiative that began in Term 3 with about 10 students and has now grown to seeing about 25 students each week. Students come together online to share a meal over lunch and then dialogue about faith and Christianity. It’s been encouraging to see how well known and loved these students feel through these weekly gatherings. We look forward to continuing to grow in the way we facilitate our gatherings online in 2025.
SECONDARY CHAPEL Ben Green
Secondary Chapel in 2024 has been a wonderful space for students to connect online each fortnight to hear and learn from the Bible and be transformed in their relationship with Jesus Christ. In 2024 we saw around 40 students on average join each fortnight for chapel. The team loved exploring topics such as Science and God and Jesus Among Other God’s. These topics were well received and sparked some helpful and insightful conversations in discussion groups, helping to refine and strengthen the students' personal faith. One of the highlights for the year was the launch of the Technology Building on campus at Marsden Park. This presented Secondary Chapel with a unique opportunity to use the filming studio, enabling us to keep the service feeling fresh and vibrant each week and created further opportunity for our student ministry leaders to serve our DE community. We are continually grateful for the opportunity to gather each fortnight and celebrate the way God is at work in this community.
SECONDARY JOLT Sanga Palu
Jesus Over Lunch Time (JOLT) is a vibrant and welcoming space designed to facilitate connection with God and one another. In today's fast-paced and disconnected world, JOLT seeks to be a place where students can come together to enjoy community, explore faith, and experience the love of Jesus in a relaxed, informal setting.
Each JOLT gathering provides a combination of fun, conversation, and spiritual nourishment. It offers an inviting and unique environment where individuals can connect with others, ask questions, play games, and be encouraged in their walk with God. The Ministry Team's heart is to create opportunities for students to explore their faith in Jesus, grow in their relationship with Him, and build lasting friendships with others in the DE community.
PRIMARY CHAPEL Viv Booker
We have had the joy of running our ‘Primary Chapel, Chow and Chat’ every fortnight starting in Term 3 this year. The aim is for students to come together in community with their lunch and spend time being encouraged, hearing about Jesus, and sharing with other students. We welcome all students to join us, regardless of where they stand in their personal faith.
It has been a huge privilege to be able to see so many different students join us online for games, singing, ‘chowing’ over lunch, hearing from the Bible, ‘chatting’ by sharing our responses and praying to the God of the Bible. We loved our series in the Psalms where we learnt about how God created us with big emotions and is with us through them all and enjoyed hearing about the ordinary, extraordinary Christmas story of Jesus’ birth. We are so excited to meet more of our Primary DE students in 2025!
PRIMARY ENCOUNTER Viv Booker
Primary Encounter Afternoon occurs on campus at ACC Marsden Park twice a year. It is an afternoon for Primary students from our On Campus and Distance Education to come and worship Jesus through singing, hearing from the Bible and praying in small groups.
We pray that it will be an opportunity for students to ‘encounter’ the peace and joy that the God of the Bible brings when in community, learning from His Word and singing to Him.
We have loved having some Primary DE students join us this year and warmly welcome more DE students to join us for an afternoon of worshipping in 2025.