"Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians
5 v 16-18
EMMAUS CLASSROOM OPENING
Monday November 24th 2008 will long remain a special date in the minds of all those associated with the school
as an extension to the school which had been in the pipeline for 5 years was officially declared open!
Over 60 parents, children, friends, supporters and representatives from Erwood & Morris filled the hall. Sadly, there were a number who weren't able to attend; nonetheless, it was a memorable evening .
Andrew Stone, one of the Governors, acted as MC for the evening, opening with words from Psalm 105:
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
Make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
Tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
Seek his face always.
Head teacher Miriam Wiltshire (left) read 2 scripture readings before Andrew Stone (right) gave a brief resume of how the idea of a new classroom became a reality.
The first thoughts and plans were drawn up in 2004, but it wasn't until 2007 that the decision was made to proceed with the first stage of a much bigger extension programme. One classroom was the plan at a cost of around £80,000. In January, less than £8000 had been raised, but the Lord blessed abundantly and through much prayer, the school is now able to meet all its commitments. Some of the wonderful answers to prayer were shared with those who were there - the most dramatic was the wonderfully blessed and successful Three Peaks Challenge in June of this year. (Click here to read the full account of the planning fundraising processes)
We were privileged to have two of Emmaus
longest serving supporters present on the big day.
Dr John Hall (left) from Westerleigh in South Gloucestershire spoke on "making every thought captive to Christ", speaking of how counter cultural Christian education is and describing Miriam Wiltshire and Naomi Oliver (the two original teachers) as "revolutionaries".
Dr Robert Oliver (right) was one of those who prayed for a Christian school to be founded twenty years before Emmaus was born. It was therefore very appropriate for him to be the one to cut the ribbon and officially declare the new classroom to be open - even though he claimed to have "no experience in the ceremonial use of scissors."
The occasion also gave the opportunity to recognise the priceless contribution that two particular men have made to the new classroom.
Dale Roberts (on the left) has literally been the architect of the new classroom and has done so "on the most generous of terms". Len Hope paid tribute to all Dale's work over the years that the project has been taking place, liaising with governors, Miriam, local authorities, Wessex Water, contractors and the like. The finished article was a fitting testimony to the standard of his work. Dale responded by saying how pleased he was to see the classroom being used. He was presented with a presentation book that included photos of the building work from start to finish alongside drawings and pieces of writing that the children had done.
They all said how much they liked their new classroom.
The tables were then turned on Len Hope as he was then presented with a similar presentation book. Kevin Wiltshire (Chair of Governors) made the presentation and spoke of Len's key role in advising the governors (of which Len is one) right from the very beginning, but most recently in liasing between Dale and the contractors - and on top of that, Len has not been well recently. Len has been in the building trade all his life and still loves being involved in it.
Neither Dale nor Len knew anything about the gifts they received which added to the occasion - they both received hearty rounds of applause which echoed the thanks of all who were there.
On the left are Simon Clarkson (Director - in the brown jacket) & Steve Clark (Contracts Manager) of Erwood & Morris, Builders based in Bath. These were the men who made it all happen. The weather made life very difficult at times during the summer, but the classroom was finished on time and on budget. It was wonderful that they were able to join us for the evening - they were thrilled that the building has been so well received and is in use already. They would love to be involved in the further redevelopment plans for the school. Dale Roberts and Len Hope were extremely complimentary about them. Though the company has no website as yet, their contact email is mail@erwoodandmorris.co.uk Dale Roberts kindly brought along the plans for the next phase of the redevelopment and they were put on display in the new classroom for everyone to see.
Thanks
were also particularly expressed to Nick Evans (Health & Safety
Co-ordinator), Steve Hodgson (Structural Engineer), James Ridout
who fitted out the new classroom, Phil Collier & David Broome who
have looked after the funds and the Gift Aid. Last but not least all those
involved in staging the evening were thanked. My special thanks go to Craig
Hurley for taking the photos on this page.
After the service, there was plenty of opportunity for everyone to see the new classroom for themselves.
What next?
Throughout the service, all the praise and thanks were given to God for providing the people with the right gifts, the finance, the vision and not least the children. The school now looks to Him to provide for the next stage. Though a new classroom has been added, one class is still having to use the hall and the mobile which is used by the seniors is long past its 'best-by' date.
Please pray with us that the Lord will give clear guidance for the future and will continue to provide everything that the school needs at just the right time - as he has done so wonderfully throughout the 11 years that the school has been in existence.