Out with the old, in with the new!

Kia ora Middleton School Community

This will be my last school newsletter as Interim Principal, which is why I chose the heading above. We look forward to Mike Vannoort starting next term and leading our school into an exciting future! 

A much sadder departure for Middleton, and christian schooling in general is that of Andy Van Ameyde (pictured).

Andy has served us humbly and faithfully for the last 25 years as a Board member, Board Chair, Proprietor Trustee and a leader within both the Riccarton Schools' Cluster and the Christian Education Network. When Andy wasn't advocating for Christian Education or assisting schools, he could often be found helping with the buildings and grounds projects that have kept out school looking modern and attractive.

In Andy's resignation letter to the Board, he said, 'This will allow new relationships and support networks to be formed without 'old wineskins', which no longer have any elasticity, getting in the way'. This is classic Andy style, humble and self-depreciating, under-stating all that he has to offer.

His words got me thinking about the new wine/new wineskins comments that Jesus made, and wondering why Jesus said that in the way that he did.

Luke 5: 37–39: No-one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no-one, after drinking old wine, wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better’.

Winemakers in Jesus’ day didn’t have glass bottles, so they would put fresh wine into goatskins. The skins would stretch almost to bursting point because of the fermentation process, and so they couldn’t be used again. This ‘picture’ of old wineskins being unsuitable for new wine would have been completely understood at the time.

Jesus was announcing, and modelling by his actions, a fundamental change from legalism and tradition to new life, NEW, vibrant, and not compatible with the old way of living. Out with the old, in with the new!

He added a caution – ‘The old is better – The security and familiarity of old habits and old ways often keeps us from accepting the new.

Jesus didn’t come to remove the Old Testament and God’s commandments, but to strip away the legalism and traditions that had made these ineffective. Jesus always reinforced the key elements of the old – love for God and for our neighbour.

Some questions for us all to think about are……. What is it in our lives, our families and in our school that is not compatible with the ‘new wine’ of the gospel? What are our sacred cows that possibly need to be challenged?

Last term the Board of Trustees began a consultation process for our school’s new Strategic Plan. A Strategic Plan addresses some of the questions listed above, and especially the question of what needs to change to keep us true to our purpose and mission. Shortly you’ll be receiving a final survey about some of the BIG issues and challenges we face in the next 5 years. Please take the time to respond.

We want to move forward in a way that values our past, and especially the key elements of our faith that the school stands for. We also want to be responsive to the needs of our students in 2019 and beyond, and to provide an education that truly equips them to serve the Lord in an ever-changing world.

So, it’s out with the old and in with the new!

Rod Thompson