Churches
We are deeply grateful to see local churches investing in CEIS
These churches see the immense value in a community-based, Gospel-driven ministry for children’s Christian education. For many churches, this is a wonderful opportunity to develop long-lasting relationships with the local school and families.
Get involved in the CEIS Mission to ensure every young person in ACT has the opportunity to experience God’s love as they seek, question and explore Christian faith and values as part of their public school education. through one or more of the following ways:
- Prayer: As a church, pray for the schools in your local area: for connections, for opportunities for Christian education and more. To receive prayer points either termly or fortnightly, click here.
- Volunteers: Consider whether your church might like to form a volunteer team to go into a school near you.
- Financial Support: Would you consider us one of your mission partners and contribute financially to the ministry?
- Official Partnership: for more information, please see the FAQs below.
- Joining the Sub-Committee: for more information, please see the FAQs below.
What does partnering look like?
Church Presentations
Hear what God is doing in communities around Canberra and learn how your church can take part in this.
Local churches building positive relationships with local schools is valuable for all – individuals and community.
Through a brief presentation, CEIS staff can provide an overview of all that is happening in your local area and ways that anyone may contribute.
Greater awareness may prompt any member to pray, donate, volunteer, request, support, or promote CEIS.
In Deuteronomy 6 God declares a joint responsibility for his people to share his teachings with his children.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Contact CEIS today about providing your members with a brief presentation. You will be amazed at all God is doing through CEIS and the options available to support His work.
FAQs FROM CHURCHES
Churches can support the CEIS ministry in a variety of ways – prayer, financial support, provision of volunteers, internal promotion – all of which are important and greatly valued.
Becoming a formal partner of SU in the CEIS ministry is a public acknowledgement of the importance of CEIS vision and the church’s willingness to work with SUA in pursuit of that vision, including the endorsement of their church members providing Christian Religious Education (CRE) through CEIS as a ‘provider’. A Partner Church would typically work toward:
- Taking responsibility for the delivery of CEIS sessions in one or more schools; and/or
- Contributing to the oversight of the CEIS ministry through involvement in the Sub-Committee that facilitates awareness about the ministries; fundraises for staffing and resources specific to CRE in Canberra; and liaises with the Education and Training Directorate around the delivery of Religious Education.
A partner church can take responsibility for the CEIS ministry within their local school(s). The partnership with SU reflects a trust between the two parties (church and SUA) that the ministry within that school will be supported sustainably and delivered in a manner consistent with SUA’s values and beliefs.
A partner can claim the delivery of CEIS programs in their local school as their own but recognise that they represent SUA in delivering that ministry, and commit to operating within the SUA framework. This releases SU to focus on supporting the delivery of other CEIS sessions and expanding the CEIS Ministry.
SU exists to work with churches to deliver local ministry, so partnership with churches in taking the gospel into local schools is a core goal of the CEIS Sub-Committee.
To find out more about the vision and mission of SUA and CEIS, visit this page.
Yes.
We seek to ensure consistency, transparency and high standards across all of our program delivery. One way of doing this is forming an official partnership with a church before taking responsibility for a local school. Such a partnership would demonstrate a commitment to the Aims, Beliefs and Working Principles of SU at all times whilst engaged in SU ministry. Partner Churches are expected to agree with and to promote the core beliefs shared with SU as representatives of the ministry in schools.
We deeply trust the abilities and hearts of our Partner Churches to support the CEIS Vision and contribute to reaching students in Canberra schools in a way that is consistent with the SU Ethos.
No.
A partner church has the right to nominate a representative from their church to become a member of the ACT CEIS Sub-Committee but they may choose not to do so.
Sub-committee members are a key channel of communication between churches, and SU and vice versa.
They use their various skills and gifts (including administration, communications, event planning, secretarial, finance management, fundraising skills, prayer, and networking) to shape and facilitate SU’s ministry in ACT schools.
Sub-committee members are expected to attend monthly, 2-hour meetings at the SU office (6/92 Hoskins St, Mitchell) to coordinate their efforts, assess, and support the CEIS team’s needs to meet CEIS’s mission.
Your church can partner with CEIS as an organisation through:
• Organising a CEIS presentation
• Committing to be involved in the delivery of CEIS in a local school
• Celebrating ‘Let’s Go Sunday’ (previously Schools Ministry Sunday)
• Adding CEIS to your annual budget
• Supporting and promoting CEIS fundraisers
• Encouraging individual church members to volunteer, request CEIS at their child’s school, subscribe to the CEIS SHared Prayers, become personal donors, participate in fundraisers, or follow CEIS on Facebook and Instagram
CEIS sessions work best in schools when local churches commit to regular leading and
volunteering. This allows relationships with students and staff to consolidate and student
exploration to be well supported. Contact the CEIS Coordinator who will help your church to
facilitate this process.
Now called ‘Let’s Go Sunday’, CEIS designates the Sunday at the end of week 1 of the new school year as a moment for
churches to unite in prayer and celebration for all school ministry. Some churches choose an alternative date later in the year. Information and resources are provided for SMS and CEIS staff are available to make a presentation.
CEIS hosts some specific fundraisers through the year. Please contact the CEIS Coordinator for further information.
Additionally, CEIS encourages and welcomes ANY fundraising by ANY church, group or individual at ANY time!
CEIS runs only on donations and directs all funds towards children being able to seek, question and explore God, Jesus and the Bible.