Purpose of Emmaus
Emmaus Christian School Canberra was established in 1997 and has since sustained a focus on building strong community through engaging partnerships between home and school.
By providing a Christian education, the school enters into partnerships with parents who desire their children to be equipped with a biblical worldview - a set of presuppositions that views the world through Biblical truths (Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5).
Being a gospel-shaped community, Christian education at Emmaus is shown through the delivery of a Christ-centred curriculum and a teaching and learning program delivered by staff who submit all of life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Our School Motto is Growing Together in Faith, Love and Wisdom
Emmaus is a member of the Association of Independent Schools ACT and Christian Education National.
For our Statement of Faith please see below:
The Lord God is one – Father, Son & Holy Spirit. He fulfils His purposes in creation, revelation, redemption, judgment, and the coming of His Kingdom, calling people to be united with Himself and with each other in love.
Because God is the creator of all, ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ domains of learning cannot be separated. Since humanity’s purpose is to glorify God, all learning should be directed to that end, seeking to enthrone God as the creator and rightful king in the way we teach, learn, speak and act.
God made humanity, both men and women, in His own image, giving all people immeasurable dignity and worth. Our rebellion against God sees us disconnected from Him, falling short of His glory and deserving of judgement. Our sin taints all areas of life and learning, damaging individuals and communities. It ensures the futility of all human endeavour and learning that is divorced from the knowledge of God.
Yet God the Father has shown his love for us by giving Jesus Christ, His Son, for us.
Fully human and fully God, born of the virgin, Mary, having lived a sinless life, Jesus willingly died in our place as a sacrifice for our sin. He rose victorious over every evil and against all sin, sickness and death. He was taken up to be with God, His Father, and will return one day in glory and power.
As the exclusive and all-powerful saviour, we believe that Jesus is the key to life’s purpose and meaning, and is the unsurpassed model for human flourishing.
The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in the world, who leads people to repent and turn to God and makes the life and work of Christ real in the hearts of those who trust in Him.
He is present in every Christian’s life, illuminating their minds to understand Scripture, giving spiritual gifts freely, and producing evidence of His presence – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control – to be used in the service of God and others
The Bible was written by people, inspired by God and has ever since been protected by God.
It is our highest authority in all matters of faith and practice and illumines all learning and every dimension of human life.
The local and global networks of people who follow Christ in Christian groups and denominations comprise the Church: a new humanity, the family of God and Christ's body on earth. Through the Church we are shepherded towards ongoing transformation into Christ's likeness.
Christ commissioned His followers to spread the news of God's plan to everyone, teaching them how to find and follow Him. He commands us to love God with all our heart, mind and strength, and to love others through service, reconciliation, and the provision of liberty to all who are oppressed and broken-hearted, until Jesus comes again.
Along with the Church, families are a precious gift to the world, as the primary community in which parents are to teach their children how to love, serve, worship and grow in character.
Families are formed and sustained through the gift of marriage, an institution that is to be honoured, whether or not we are called into it ourselves. The Bible's teaching, as upheld throughout the history of the Christian Church, is that marriage is the relationship between one man and one woman, entered into for life to the exclusion of all others, and is the proper context within which God's good gift of sexuality is to be enjoyed.
A Christian is someone who responds to God's grace by being 'born again' into a new life of trust and obedience to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This journey is not entered into alone, but in community with other believers through shared worship, fellowship, and service in the Church.