Christian Values
Friendship, Forgiveness, Hope, Respect, Honesty and Perseverance
'Dear Children, let us not love with words or speech, but in actions and in truth'. (1 John 3:18.)
To support everyone’s understanding of this, we celebrate examples of all members of our school showing Christian values in action. When we see someone showing Christian values through their actions we recognise this through awarding our Christian Values Certificates, when we come together for celebration worship. We also promote these actions through our curriculum and in the classroom.
Friendship
‘A friend loves at all times.’ (Proverbs 17:17)
Trust, feeling comfortable in each other’s company, being able to share joys and sorrows are all features of friendship and these are things of immense value. True friendship enables each person to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised. All this echoes the value placed by God on the preciousness of each person. Through our Christian value of friendship we learn the responsibilities, challenges and joy that friendship can bring. This gift of friendship underpins the relationships our children enjoy within our school.
Forgiveness
'Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.' (Luke 6:37)
Everyone makes mistakes – it is part of being human – but sometimes our mistakes can hurt others and we need to say sorry. Sometimes mistakes made by other people hurt us. The Bible teaches that when this happens, we need to learn to forgive others. Through our Christian value of forgiveness we learn about “letting go” of sadness, upset and frustration.
Hope
The beginning of John’s Gospel says ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Throughout his life Jesus gave hope to others and the resurrection of Jesus shows us that evil can never ultimately triumph over love.
Hope is an attitude of mind that we develop through faith in God and each other. Through our Christian value of Hope we learn to keep going even when things get hard and when we face new challenges. Together we can turn hope into reality.
Honesty
‘Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18)
The Bible teaches us how much God values honesty. Most importantly, we learn that Truth is one of God’s attributes. The Old Testament refers to the Father as the “God of truth”. Jesus spoke of himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Through our Christian value of Honesty we learn about being trustworthy and truthful in our friendships, our relationships, our school and our community. We understand that we need to be honest and truthful with others when working together as a team.
Respect
'So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you'. (Matthew 7:12)
The children at Kilby St Mary's know that to respect is to understand that everyone is different, created by God and that everyone should be treated with love and kindness. We want our children to respect themselves and their own unique contribution to their homes, schools and communities. Having self-respect means being able to celebrate our gifts and talents and looking after ourselves so that we can then do the same for others.
Perseverance
‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Galatians 6:9)
Endurance is needed when standing firm in the face of any difficulty. It is the special gift that we have when life is difficult or painful that helps us not to give up. Difficulties might include hardship, persecution or scorn, for example, although we hope these difficulties do not arise in our school. We use it more in the context of ‘keeping going’ and ‘not giving up’. Through our Christian value of Perseverance we learn that life is sometimes difficult and painful, and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity.