By Amy ChengThursday 1 Apr 2021Christian LivingReading Time: 3 minutes
A school in Sydney is helping flood victims by donating and packing goods, cooking meals and helping with clean-up projects.
Principal of Norwest Christian College Felicity Marlow said she wanted an initiative to help her students grow in their love for others.
“It’s really important for our students that, in all that they do, they’re showing that they love God, but also that they love others,” she told Hope 103.2.
“We believe that every human being is made uniquely by God but made to love him and to love others.”
“It’s really important for our students that, in all that they do, they’re showing that they love God, but also that they love others.” – Felicity Marlow, principal of Norwest Christian College
The college’s Love Hawkesbury campaign is an initiative helping to connect families and communities impacted by flooding with those who are able to provide assistance.
Source: Supplied / Norwest Christian College students taking part in their school’s Love Hawkesbury campaign
The three-phase campaign begins with providing goods to affected families, through partnering with Glossodia Community Kitchen.
“[Today], we just had teams of mostly senior students, just in their free periods, their study periods, coming down and filling bags and they just do it easily. There are no questions asked; it’s a real delight,” Ms Marlow said.
Phase two will see the college’s Food Tech students cooking meals for Blacktown Carevan to be delivered to families in need in the Hawkesbury.
“They’ll give up either their morning or they’ll take time out of their normal day, which means they have to catch up on their schoolwork to do that,” Ms Marlow said.
Phase three will involve senior students, college families and local church small groups practically serving the community with clean-up projects, as directed by Samaritan’s Purse.
Ms Marlow said it was natural for the college to lean into its existing partnerships to serve the community.
“The Love Hawkesbury campaign is really about connecting the needs of families and communities that have been impacted with flooding with those who are able to provide assistance,” she said.
Loving God with all heart, soul and mind
“For me, as principal, I want to give an opportunity for our students to grow as young people who serve.” – Felicity Marlow, principal of Norwest Christian College
Norwest Christian College has Matthew 22:37-39 as its college verse, which forms the basis for its vision and mission.
The college teaches students to love God with all their hearts through their faith, to love Him with all their souls through virtue, and to love God with all their minds through wisdom.
“And how do we love our neighbour as ourselves? Well, that’s through service and giving back as a community,” Ms Marlow said.
Families of the college have been embracing the opportunity to participate and students have been “overwhelmed” with the number of goods donated.
“I think for them, just seeing people giving up [their time], and working alongside other parents who are giving up their time… will be meaningful,” Ms Marlow said.
Through this campaign, she wants people to feel loved and for her students to grow in their desire to serve others.
“There are people who have extreme need at the moment, and we want to love people really well,” Ms Marlow said.
“For me, as principal, I want to give an opportunity for our students to grow as young people who serve, that that’s their natural response when things like this occur,” she said.
“That they think ‘how can I help?’ And they’re flexible and adaptable enough to jump on in and do that.”
