From the Executive Principal's Desk

In my final newsletter of the year. I wanted to reiterate a few of the words I shared at our Celebration Night earlier this week. I hope you enjoyed our first in-person end of year celebration event in 3 years as much as I did. There was a distinct sense of connection as we all gathered in Kingston City Hall to celebrate all the community’s achievements throughout a busy but fulfilling year.

Our CONNECTED theme for 2022 was based on verses in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which was written approximately 1960 years ago. The Ephesians were a group of people who were probably very new to this idea of being followers of Jesus. They were a new community. The death and resurrection of Jesus had happened around 25-30 years before.

You might think that’s a long time to be following Jesus but think about our modern world. The smart phone and the internet were only introduced around 25-30 years ago. Many adults reading this today will remember a time when mobile phones and the internet didn’t exist yet. And many of us still struggle with how to live in a world with these inventions.

So, the Ephesians were quite new to this idea of following Jesus the Messiah, especially the grown-ups among them. 

The Ephesians were mostly non-Jewish people who would originally have been outsiders but who were now being included in this new offshoot of the Jewish tradition and it’s at that point in History that Paul wrote to them.

Chapter 2 verses 19-22 reads; “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

This is incredibly exciting. Even more so as we can identify ourselves as active participants in these verses. We are all included. There are no outsiders anymore. We are all called to be in God’s family.

If we apply this truth to our experience here at Heatherton Christian College as we look back and celebrate the great things of our year together, we celebrate them all as a CONNECTED community.

May God bless all of you during this Christmas season. I pray you and your families encounter a new sense of the presence of Christ and His Peace.

I look forward to seeing you all again in 2023 as we build on a successful year and become STRONGER together.

Grace and Peace

Damian Higgins

Executive Principal