Christ Centred Outward Focused Vol.29 No.4 May 2024
Newspaper of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark Thy Kingdom come
The power of pilgrimage
Theology for a planet in crisis
Light up the world in prayer
Lent Climate Pilgrimage
See page 3
See pages 6–7
St Augustine’s launches new master’s degree See page 8
Climate pilgrimage – a journey of deeper change © Tim Dendy.
Pilgrims on the Kingston–Merton leg of the pilgrimage for climate change.
Continued on pages 6–7
A transformational trip – young explorers head to China In March, 30 children from St Stephen’s Primary School in year groups 5 and 6 visited Chengdu, China. St Stephen’s is a small school with big aspirations – located in the semi-rural village of South Godstone, Surrey, 90% of children at the school are of white British ethnicity. The international trip was an opportunity for children to experience another culture with the aims of challenging stereotypes, developing a deeper appreciation of their own culture and others whilst building confidence and resilience. Amanda Blackburn, Executive Headteacher writes: “The socio-economic backgrounds of our
community are diverse and as a school, we actively create and expose all our children to a wide range of opportunities to broaden their experiences and improve their ambitions for their future. “Our week in Chengdu achieved all of that and more! We spent three days at our partner school, Sichuan Tianfu New Area Yuanyin Primary School, where our children were buddied up and able to experience a mixture of immersion in different classes and standalone special lessons like calligraphy, ceramics and Kung Fu. The daily whole-school exercise outside was a favourite amongst the children and staff. It was impressive to see how quickly bonds were formed between our
children and their buddies and there was real emotion as they bid farewell to each other at the end of their time in school. We were also able to spend three days exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of Chengdu; visiting the Chengdu Panda Base was a highlight, as well as exploring a variety of restaurants and shopping.
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“We were supported throughout the process by Global Schools Alliance – who help support schools in the UK with an international partnership – right from submitting a successful application for funding, through to planning the itinerary and providing a knowledgeable local guide to accompany us during the trip. “To say that our visit was transformational feels like an understatement – the experience was enriching, moving and motivational for both the children and staff. It has brought us closer to achieving our aims as a school of preparing our children to embrace the future with hope, faith, confidence and compassion, believing that they can do all things through Christ.”