|
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Bethany Christian School is a ministry of Bethany Baptist
Church. We seek to train children to view life from God’s
revelation. We accept the Bible as God’s Word and the
complete and final revelation of God concerning all matters
of faith, truth and practice. As such it forms the
foundation upon which the school is built. We believe that
the main purpose of Scripture is to reveal God to man so
that he might receive glory. The ultimate objective of the
education program of Bethany Christian School is to bring
glory to God.
Our school is run as a ministry of the church and is not,
therefore, a parent-controlled school. Though we value
parental input, the direction and values of the school will
be ultimately be determined by the church.
We view the purpose of education as, firstly, to reveal God
and His truth to each student. We believe that “the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Pro 1:7). Secondly,
we see education’s purpose is to provide instruction in the
different subjects that children need to learn in order to
be able to function as honourable, hard-working citizens in
society.
The harmonious blend of godly counsel and knowledge of
various subjects required in our day is our educational
objective. We believe that every aspect of our Christian
School program, including curriculum development and school
policy, must have an integrative relationship to the Word of
God.
Bethany Christian School, as a ministry of Bethany Baptist
Church would assist parents in the responsibility of
providing God- centred training for children in a man-centred
society. Our purpose is the shaping of children’s character
to align with Biblical principles. This purpose will form
the content and instruction employed in the school.
In our first year, the school began with education from
years 1 to 8. In 2007 we adding year 9 and in 2008 we plan
to add year 10 and then also Kindergarten . An optional
further two years of study (11 & 12 equivalent) are also
currently available.
P O L I C I E S
ADMISSION & ENROLMENT
Enrolment into the school will be at the full discretion of
the school management. It is our purpose to maintain a
distinctively Christian influence within the school
according to what we believe the Word of God teaches. We
therefore require that all parents agree to fully abide by
the Statement of Faith following.
The school will accept applications from members of Bethany
Baptist Church and churches of like-faith. At least one of
the parents of the child applying for enrolment and the
child themselves will need to be faithful members of their
church (attending at least two services per week). A
pastoral recommendation from churches other than Bethany
Baptist Church will also be requested from the school.
ACADEMICS
The school will largely use the ACE (Accelerated Christian
Education) curriculum in conjunction with other curriculum
content as is needed to comply with NSW Board of Studies
learning outcomes. The education style of this curriculum is
more personal and individualised allowing advanced students
to work ahead while slower students do not get left behind.
The school is registered by the Board of Studies but is not
accredited. This means that the school is not able to
provide students with a NSW School Certificate or Higher
School Certificate (HSC). However, matriculation into
universities can be achieved through sitting the
internationally recognised SAT exams. This is practice is
common among Christian schools such as ours.
DISCIPLINE
The school does not and is not legally able to practice
corporal punishment. However, other means of discipline such
as demerits, detentions, suspension and expulsion will be
used if and when it is required. We request that parents
give the school staff the benefit of the doubt when matters
of controversy arise between students and staff. Meetings
with teachers and the Principal can be arranged to discuss
these matters as they arise. We believe that child’s
perspective and trust in authority will be strengthened if
staff and parents work together and provide a united
leadership team in the child’s life.
The school will aim to set a high standard of conduct and
attitude in the school. We will expect abstinence from all
alcoholic beverages, narcotics, defamatory/ obscene
language, secular or ‘Christian’ rock music, moderndancing,
illicit drugs, inappropriate TV & movies and other
questionable and worldly activities. We understand that some
parents will, on occasions, disagree with some standards set
at the school. We believe that it is important that parents
agree to support the school’s position and to encourage
their children to honour the authority of the school staff
that have been placed over them during their formative
years.
FEES
The fee structure allows a discount for parents with more
than one child in the school. The annual fee structure (for
2007) for students is as follows:
First child.........$2200
Second child....$1650
Third child.......$1250
Fourth child +...$950
If fees are not paid up-front by the due date a 5% surcharge
will be added. In addition to these annual charges, parents
may expect miscellaneous excursion fees and occasional small
levies to cover other activities during the year.
APPLICATIONS
Applications to the school must be made by completion of the
Student Application Form. Once application form has been
received. The school will contact the parents to arrange an
interview. Application forms can be obtained by contacting
the school BY EMAIL or by calling (02) 9622-3700.
S T A T E M E N T
O F F A I T H
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men
supernaturally inspired by God; that it is truth without any
admixture of error; and therefore is, and shall remain
preserved as the only complete and final revelation of the
will of God to man; the true centre and only basis for
Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human
conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
1. By “The Holy Bible” we mean that collection of sixty-six
(66) books, from Genesis to Revelation, which as does not
only contain and convey the Word of God but is the very Word
of God.
2. By “inspiration” we mean that the books of the Bible were
written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were
supernaturally and verbally inspired word-for-word and free
from error. We exclude all other writings past or future to
claim divine inspiration.
3. By “preserved” we mean that the words of God have been
preserved in the English language in the form of the
Authorised Version; the King James Bible. The Authorised
Version is, therefore, the Word of God without error and the
only source of authority for preaching and ministry.
THE TRUE GOD
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons,
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and that God is a
sovereign, living Being, infinite in power, knowledge and
wisdom, with a plan for man and the universe which He is
actively engaged in carrying out to completion.
THE BIRTH & DEITY OF CHRIST
We believe that was Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy
Spirit and of Mary, a virgin, and is true God and true Man.
THE CREATION, MAN & SIN
We believe in the literal Genesis account of creation, and
that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and
thereby incurred not only death, but also spiritual death
which is separation from God, and that all human beings are
born with a sinful nature, and in the case of those who
reach the age of moral responsibility are sinners in
thought, word and deed.
SALVATION
We believe that the salvation is wholly of grace through the
sacrifice of Christ Jesus upon Calvary. We believe that in
order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new
birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is
instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the
one dead in trespasses and sins is made a partaker of
eternal life, the free gift of God. We believe that the
blessings of salvation are made free to all; that salvation
is not earned or merited in part or in whole by works, rites
or rituals; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept
salvation by a repentance of any trust in self or works to
merit God's forgiveness and to trust wholly and solely in
the blood of Jesus Christ as the payment and full provision
for the forgiveness of sin. We further believe that it is
impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be
lost.
THE RESURRECTION & ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the literal and physical resurrection of the
crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into
Heaven and His present life as our High Priest & advocate.
SOUL LIBERTY
We believe that every individual man must obey God rather
than men, for everyone must give answer to God individually,
therefore, no man nor church has the right to act as a
person’s conscience. Each one has the right to interpret the
Scriptures and the responsibility to God as to how he does
so.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all believers have immediate access into the
Holiest by the blood of Jesus, that we need no human agency
to
intercede before the throne of grace for us, and that Jesus
Christ is our mediator before God.
THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that a legitimate New Testament church is a
congregation of baptised believers united in organisation to
practice New Testament ordinances. The purposes of the
church being to meet together for preaching, teaching,
exhortation, and fellowship; to be actively involved in
winning men, women and children to Christ. We believe in
following the apostolic example of meeting on the first day
(Sunday) and that the church is not under the law in
relation to Sabbath observance.
We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local
church; that each New Testament church is free to govern
itself on the principles laid down in the Holy Writ without
interference from outside organisations. We believe in the
separation of the church and state, with each having
definite and distinct spheres of responsibility.
ISRAEL
We believe in the literal fulfillment of the prophecies and
promises of the Scripture which foretell and assure the
future restoration and regeneration of Israel as a nation.
THE HOLY SPIRIT & SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that a Christian permanently becomes the temple
of the Holy Spirit the moment he is saved; We believe that
God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of His
gifts and that He has given evangelists, pastors and
teachers as sufficient for the edifying of the church today;
that the sign gifts such as miracles, tongues and healings
(as in miraculous healers) were for a purpose past in the
establishment of the early church and that these have now
ceased with the passing of the apostolic era. We further
believe that the Charismatic/ Pentecostal movement is not a
Scriptural movement.
THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the Scriptural ordinances of the church are
baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper; that baptism be
administered to believers only, as a symbol of their belief
in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ; and as a picture of the believer’s
identification with Christ in His death, burial and
resurrection; and that the Lord’s Supper should be partaken
by baptised believer’s only to show forth His death till He
come. The Lord’s Supper is to be administered only to the
people of the local congregation.
FUTURE EVENTS
We believe in the personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational
and imminent return of Jesus Christ, when all the saved of
this age of grace will be gathered together unto Him; that
there will be a period of tribulation upon the earth; that
Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints when the
nations will be judged.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the
unjust, the everlasting joy of the saved in heaven, and the
everlasting punishment of the lost in hell and ultimately
the lake of fire.
top |
