Methodism & Education
From the Chaplain’s Desk
Warm greetings.
In raising awareness and educating our college community about our Spirituality Statement, I will reflect on various aspects of our College life, and hope that we can further engage with the themes I am writing about.
In this, the second article, I will trace briefly our history and developments as a Methodist College. I will also encourage you to visit our website for any further reading about who we are.
Methodism & Education
Why does the Wesleyan tradition value education so highly?
One obvious source lies in the educational passion of the Wesley’s, in the context of the mission of the church. Brother Charles Wesley succinctly and poetically stated these efforts in his often-lauded stanza that elaborates fully the necessity of faithful discipleship (Charles Wesley, 1763/1983, 7:643-44):
Unite the pair so long disjoin’d,
Knowledge and vital Piety:
Learning and Holiness combined,
And Truth and Love, let all men see,
In those who up to Thee we give,
Thine, wholey thine, to die and live.
Knowledge, Learning, and Truth conjoined with Piety, Holiness and Love portray people, through the baptismal/Eucharistic imagery of dying and living in total dedication to God. Charles Wesley captures the passion of the Wesley’s’ concerns for educational preparation as part of the total transformation of a person. The lyrics suggest a form of on-going, dynamic, catechesis
– a “way” of discipleship reminiscent of early Christian formation that ultimately situates all educational efforts as forms of faithful discipleship resulting in Christ-likeness.
Tata Mandela: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world........
The Methodist Church is known for its strong beliefs and convictions pertaining to issues of education. It is our heritage and entrenched belief that education is an indispensable tool for building a better society. We all know of the challenges that the education system of our country is facing at the present moment. God has spoken to the Methodist people though the visionary leadership of the current Presiding Bishop Rev Z Siwa who has challenged the people called Methodists to "reclaim their role in education".
The MCSA (Methodist Church of Southern Africa) chose to criticise but not without giving Godly solutions. These are a few proposed areas of focus:
Spiritual leadership and pastoral care in schools,
Reintroducing Education Sunday,
Establishing Methodist education institutions,
Involving retired teachers in the education of children, and
Establishing conducive learning environments though child quality initiated programmes.
Our school as a Methodist institution.
Historical
St Stithians College (the "College") was established on 30 April 1941 as a Methodist Church School. This was set out in the first preamble and section 1 of the Trust Deed (the "Deed") of the St Stithians College Trust (No. IT466/1941) (the "Trust") as –
"… a Methodist Educational School in Johannesburg or its vicinity, under the control of the Methodist Church …,"
meaning that the College is a church school, espousing a Christian Methodist ethos and set of values as a self-governing institution, but with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa ("MCSA") having the final say in all matters concerning spiritual welfare, religious instruction and worship at the College. The Trust had in turn been established by the executors of the estate of the late Albert Charles Collins, in order to fulfil his directions to them in this regard in his Last Will and Testament.
St Stithians College is a Methodist church school and in the words of our Rector, Dr Tim Nuttal,
“St Stithians offers a synergy model of boys’ and girls’ schooling on one campus. Our students experience a holistic and relevant education, grounded in values that reflect our identity as a Methodist School.”
It follows a co-ordinated educational model within a village of schools consisting of boys' and girls' colleges, boys' and girls' preparatory schools, and a junior preparatory.
As a Methodist school, it has ties to Kearsney College (boys) in Hillcrest, Durban, Epworth High (girls) in Pietermaritzburg, Penryn College (co-ed) in Bombela, and Kingswood College (co-ed), in Grahamstown.
The founders of St Stithians College in the 1950s were committed and active Methodists. The creation of the St Stithians College Trust in 1941 included the Presiding Bishop and the District Bishop of the Methodist Church as trustees.
Since the earliest days of the College, the Methodist Church and the school have been connected in a close relationship, with the Church’s representatives playing an important role in the St Stithians College Council.
Statement of Purpose
Our College gives life to the words "happy fulfilment" inscribed on our foundation stone and to this end we strive to, amongst other:
[*] Educate individuals to be lifelong learners who participate, lead and serve
[*] Live out a Methodist ethos, providing diverse opportunities for our students and staff to honour God, honour others and honour self; to know oneself, to be oneself, and to contribute as African and global citizens
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, during this time of Lent, we thank you again for all you have done for us on the Cross of Calvary. We thank you that you have died that we might have life, and have it in all its fullness (John 10:10.)
Thank you Lord for our beautiful school and all that it offers. Please continue to bless us and may we be a shining light to the nation.
Amen
Rev J Samdaan
