Year 12 Final Day Blessing at Caulfield Grammar School
What is meant by ‘service’ in Anglican Schools? The Reverend Ryan Holt, Head of Chaplaincy | Caulfield Grammar School, VIC
The term ‘service’ is readily used yet surprisingly slippery to grasp. The word often used for service in scripture diakonia occurs frequently and includes complementary perspectives. Service reflects the nature of the Triune God and character of the incarnate Jesus who ‘did not come to be served but to serve’ (Matt 20:28), and declares, ‘l am among you as one who serves’ (Luke 22:27). Following the way of Jesus, all those who identify as Christian and belong to a community that shares his name are called to serve. Jesus Christ as the embodied of what it means to be fully human also reveals that service is part of being our full or whole selves, with service universally recognised and respected across the ages. Whilst all followers of Jesus are called to serve, we learn that different people are also called to different forms of service or gifts of service for the health of the whole (1 Cor 12; 1 Peter 4). Service spans waiting on tables (Acts 6) to the nature of true community leadership (Luke 22). Whilst it is difficult to capture every biblical aspect of service, we can see service as both a virtue and practice, gifted by the Triune God to all people, exemplified by Christ, holistic, located in the ordinary and extended to all in different measure. Service is also an expression of a selfless love willing to learn from and with others. When mentioned in Anglican Schools ‘service’ can encompass a range of other interdependent and related themes or virtues, such as the call to love our neighbour, 6
hospitality, community engagement, justice, charity, social enterprise, advocacy and character. Service is not only a virtue and practice it is also a popular experiential pedagogy ‘Service Learning’. To have service stated as a priority at an Anglican School or broader network is common and rarely contested. ‘Character and Service’ emerged as an important pillar of Anglican School identity in the paper by Rev Dr Daniel Heischman for Anglican Schools Australia, ‘service’ remains a core value of Anglican Schools Australia and service is the focus of this edition! Yet, if we asked our school communities what service means, I wonder what they would say? What experiences would they draw upon as exemplary? Does service have limits to preserve its essence or is the term problematic? Does Anglicanism have a particular flavour of service in a marketplace full of meaning? Or to quote, Dennis Denuto in the Aussie classic, The Castle, ‘It’s just the vibe of the thing’. These ideas and questions (Denis Denuto excluded) are being considered as part of my doctoral research in my own context of Caulfield Grammar School. An Anglican School in Melbourne which has service as its founding vision through its founder the Rev Joseph Henry Davies ASA NEWS
