 Mr. Mal Forman From the Chairman ……2010It’s exciting and a great each year to bring my Chairman’s report and express my thankfulness for the wonderful blessings that the Lord God has poured out upon Bundaberg Christian College. This year is no exception as we have again experienced encouraging results in the life and growth of Bundaberg Christian College and our students.
In Proverbs 29:18 it says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish. At the commencement of Bundaberg Christian College the following occurred. A vision was given, a vision was received, a vision was enacted upon, a vision is brought to fruition, a vision is celebrated; through faith, commitment and determination, we can achieve and we do achieve.
We celebrate the outcomes of a vision given through faith, commitment and determination. We have seen and heard the results, talents and achievements of many of our students and we are proud of you and give thanks for another great year. Our enrolments this year have grown to around 610, along with a staff of around 80.
We were blessed to have received $2.7 million from the Australian Government’s Stimulus Package for which we are very thankful. We were able to build and complete our Multi-Purpose Hall and Early Learning Centre (Kindy) along with providing new shade structure and complete much needed building refurbishment; such as, extension of our tuck shop, sheeting under the awnings and soffits of some of our primary buildings, install security gates etc. These facilities are now being used. Progress on Stage 8 is going well which, Lord willing should be ready for use at the commencement of next year. I can’t say it enough, our God is good! Bundaberg Christian College is the Lord God’s and Jesus Christ is its Head. We have a wonderful staff and I extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our Principal, Mr Mark Bensley and executive staff for their commitment, enthusiasm and leadership in the College and to all of our staff, thank you for this past year. It has been a year of progress, change and learning which is evidenced by the outstanding results and achievements of many of our students across a broad spectrum such as Sports, Ag Science, Hoof n Hook, Music, Academia, Christian growth and more. Thanks also go to our P&F for their support and contribution and for serving in this way. And we thank you our parents and students for choosing Bundaberg Christian College for your education. The core and foundation of Bundaberg Christian College is Jesus Christ and there is a very strong focus on providing education within a caring and Christian environment. Our motto “Education With Wisdom” is derived from Proverbs 4:7, ”Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and in your getting, get understanding”. The Word of God is our “constitution”, our road map, our source of guidance and authority in the matters of ethics, morality, spiritual living and grace, which enables us to be and live as Christ would have us. Christ centred education is meant to develop character, that is, ones total personality. Character is also manifested by our decisions, by our destiny, our desires and deeds. I cannot emphasize enough that Christian education is special and we are blessed that the aims of the College are Christ centred. As Directors and Company members it is our desire to seek the Lord’s will and direction for the College. I thank my fellow Directors and acknowledge their dedication and input as the call upon their time plays a significant role in the governance of the College. Congratulations to our current year 12 students, it has been an honour having you complete your education with us and we wish each one of you the very best for your future, both in your spiritual and physical lives. You are a tremendous group of young adults of whom we are proud and it has been great having you with us. If ever there was a time that we needed to be fervent in prayer for our leaders in government, it is now. With the tenuous situation that we have with a hung Australian parliament and the many issues that our State government are experiencing, we pray that they may be open to the things of God so that legislative changes and requirements imposed upon schools and we the people are in accordance with God’s will. We will continue to experience a number of changes in the operations of the College in the coming years such as the introduction of National Curriculum etc.; This, I believe is a good thing as it brings about equity in education.
There are many important things in life and I would like to share with you a very encouraging story that I recently came upon. One day a father and his rich family took their young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" Very good, Dad!" the son replied.
"Did you see how poor, people can be?" the father asked.
"Yeah!" answered the son. "And what did you learn?" The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home; and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon.
When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!"
Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life, you've got everything!
You can't buy any of these things. You can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass.
If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. It is important that we understand that, and strive for balance in our life.
How do we find that balance? - Firstly, by not undermining our worth and by comparing ourselves with others. - It is because we are different that each of us is special.
And secondly, by not setting our goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Never take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
Never give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying and don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to together.
We shouldn’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
We should never shut love out of our life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don't run through life so fast that you forget, not only where you've been, but also where you are going. We need to take time out occasionally to smell the roses.
Always remember, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
We shouldn’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, and is a treasure you can always carry easily.
Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved or taken back. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and
Today is a gift: that's why we call it The Present.
Contentment is a rare state of mind that even the wisest among us sometimes finds it very strenuous to attain.
There is no end to what the heart can desire, and because we can never have all that we want we will always be unhappy if we can't be satisfied with what we have.
The way to happiness is to learn how to restrain our human desires, especially the desire to have more. Disappointment comes when we can't obtain what we desire or expect.
We foolishly ignore our loved ones to obtain what we desire, only to find the joy it brings is only temporal.
Someone once said that "the constant pre-occupation with self and selfish desires is a sure road to misery".
Please avoid self-pity. Recognize that everyone, even pop stars, millionaires and billionaires have problems. Accept your situation and take small steps to improve it.
When you help others in little ways it brings unexpected happiness. It takes your focus away from the "Poor Me!" syndrome.
Appreciate and treasure what you have now. You can never tell what will happen tomorrow. You may lose that special friend or loved one whom you've been taking for granted.
A wise man once said, "Seek not wealth or riches. Instead, seek to be wise." - Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10
Our real attitude to God is expressed in our attitude to fellow humans.
The bottom line of the words that I have spoken tonight is that you would “Seek the Lord while he may be found; Call upon Him while he is near” Isa 55:6 The Lord has blessed us greatly and I ask that you would continue in prayer through out 2011. 
Mal Forman - Chairman
|
