Welcome to 2024

Welcome to 2024 - from the Executive Principal Andrew Linke

Transcript below from the video:

Welcome to the 2024 school year. Welcome to those of you returning and a special  welcome to the 150-200 young people and families that are joining the Emmaus community for the very first time this year.  So a special welcome to all of the new people  that are joining our community this year. 

We return to the year with some changes at Brooklyn Park many of you would be aware that we were putting a large shade structure over the courts. As you returned this week you might have found only half of the shades fabric was covering the structure but the builders reassure us that that the other half will be done this weekend. So in Week 2 we should have the completed shade structure. According to the old Maxwell Smart from Get Smart, "missed it by that much" but we can navigate a few days without the second half and that'll bless us all into next week. 

At South Plympton, we've lost the use of the internal car park and they've already started digging up all the asphalt and hopefully we'll start seeing some footings drilled over the next week or so.  I've attached a couple of photos above for those who don't see Brooklyn Park because you're at South Plympton and vice versa so you'll get to see what's going on. 

We're hoping that within the next week or so we'll actually be able to share with everybody some updated high res renders and photos of what the South Plympton building work will be like when completed with one of those flythroughs so you can really get a feel of what it is that we're building and developing here at South Plympton. 

As I think about building I reflect on my holiday experiences where there was some building related misadventure that I went through and it really shapes my message to you this year. We noticed that in one part of our house when we would turn on light switches the circuit breakers would go off. It took a little bit of investigating to work out what the problem was and when you're up on the roof, pulling up tiles, looking underneath for problems, what you don't want to see is chewed up wires. There's a photo above of what I found. There's meant to be two layers of insulation and there's not meant to be bare copper wires hanging out of it. I worked out fairly quickly that birds had gotten into our Eve space and started to chew off all of the insulation from the wires, causing short circuits, so that was obviously the problem why our circuit breakers were going off.

But the question is Why? and How can I stop this happening again? Not just replacing the wires and getting us back running again. There are guards that are made to cover the profile of the tiles by the gutters to stop the birds crawling in under the tiles where they can get shelter and set up nests. If you look at the photos above, not only will you see a glimpse through the tiles at the chewed wiring but you'll also see the solitary little egg that's been laid in amongst all of the damage. A lot of damage for just one egg, but the point that's made me reflect is keeping your guard up saves a lot of problems.

My encouragement to you this year as we enter 2024 is to reflect on keeping your guard up because that really paves the way for not just losing your power at home but many things on a spiritual level so my message to you is from Ephesians 6:13-18 (The Living Bible Translation). 

13 So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it's all over, you will still be standing up. 

14 But to do this you would need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God's approval. 

15 Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. 16 In every battle you would need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. 17 And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit--which is the word of God.

18 Pray at the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians every where." 

So my prayer for you this year is to keep your guards up and put on the armor of God as in Ephesians 6. But more than that the scripture challenges and encourages us to immerse ourselves in the word and finally pray, pray as it says "all the time". Pray for yourselves and your own needs but pray for each other as a community in Christ.  

So as we embark on 2024 together with the exciting building works and all the great stuff  that's going on immerse yourself in the word pray, pray earnestly and pray for each other. So looking forward to sharing more building news with you soon. 

God bless you all,

Andrew Linke

Executive Principal