Ruth Thompson, Author at Kuyper Christian School

A Community for Partnership

21 Sep 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Tim White, Interim Deputy Principal

The life of a Christian school is shaped by the conviction that God calls each member of the community to serve one another in love. At Kuyper Christian School, we live as neighbours together—working side by side, committing ourselves to one another, and submitting to the authority of God. We are more than employers and employees, staff and parents, teachers and students. We are partners, bound by our shared community and by the Spirit of Christ.

The task of education involves many people, each with distinct responsibilities: parents, board members, association members, students, teachers, and non-teaching staff. Recently, we also formed the Kuyper Community Group to provide practical support for our educational mission. What a wonderfully diverse group we are at Kuyper! Yet in this diversity, we stand united in our common faith and by our shared commitment to serving the Lord through education. Together, under the authority of God’s Word, we each carry out our tasks for God’s glory and the benefit of our school community. But if our priorities shift away from serving God, true partnership and community cannot exist. Instead of complementing one another, we risk division. Unless we are ‘full-on’ for God, we may pull in different directions.

Each of us is accountable to the Lord for our particular task, and, as members of one body, accountable to one another. School leaders are not ‘bosses’ but servants who use their gifts to build up the team and community. The board and staff lead with authority by serving—not to meet their own needs, but to guide the whole school in faithful obedience to God. While individuals should not expect undue interference in their responsibilities, we must remain mindful of our shared accountability as co-workers with and under Jesus. We must listen carefully to the collective wisdom of the body as our school community prayerfully seeks to glorify God and His place in His world.

Above all, we are responsible to live out our calling in education together for the Lord. Partnership is not only about completing tasks, but also about cultivating and strengthening relationships. It is all too easy to slip into confrontation or blame, to live as the world does. Yet Christ calls us to more. As Jesus’ representatives, we are to be known by our love. Genuine partnership, therefore, is something we must always nurture.

It is encouraging, when speaking with fellow Christians about difficult matters, to encounter a spirit of humility and inquiry. Rather than blustering or accusation, a simple reliance on God to guide us through challenges. The nature of a partnership is revealed in conversations.

We are a community committed to achieving great things for God. However, we must remain attentive not only to the tasks before us, but also to maintaining, encouraging, and affirming our partnership as we serve Him together.

Stay & Pray

12 Sep 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Creating Space for Real Connection

7 Sep 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Stay & Pray

5 Sep 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Primary Assembly

3 Sep 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Band Tour Wrap-Up

31 Aug 2025 by Ruth Thompson

Rob Weule, Creative & Performing Arts Coordinator

Six months in the planning. Countless phone calls, emails, texts and negotiations. Hours upon hours of rehearsal, both at home and at school. Leads and reeds prepared, instruments tuned, cases packed. Mr Booth (our amazing coach driver) briefed, and the parent team assembled. Back at school, lessons written, class covers planned, and staff prepared.

On the Road

Monday Morning:
First day of Band Tour 2025.
Forty-nine excited travellers hit the road.

Five days later:
Nine gigs under our belts.
Over 3,000 students entertained.
A tour party forever changed.
And just like that… it was over.

The tour was done:
A week of gigs.
A week of travel.
A week of living together.
A week of laughter and joy.
A week of teamwork, care and resilience.

But the tour doesn’t just last a week. It lasts a lifetime—a lifetime of memories, friendships and musical connections.

Coming Home

When we got home, we were exhausted.
We were emotional.
We missed our own beds, our toothbrushes, and air that wasn’t scented with coach freshener.
The hot shower awaited.
The home-cooked meal called.
But we were changed forever.

One Band. One Sound. One God.

Thank You

So many people contribute to making an event like this happen. A massive thank you to:

Our Parent Team: Cat, Stephen, Rachel and Nicole
Colleagues who covered classes back at school
Families who supported us from home
Behind-the-scenes helpers: Caz, Es, Tina, Andrew and Ruth
The encouragement of school leadership
Every touring musician—including our teacher-players.

A Word of Encouragement

On the final night, Jodie Paul (our peripatetic music teacher and band member) shared these words with us:

Over the last four days, I have joyously noticed many small acts of kindness and serving, but I would like to highlight the unity you’ve developed as a group. It has been wonderful to see high schoolers, primary students and adults—boys and girls, friends and strangers—performing, serving and laughing together as one.

Jodie went on to reflect on a passage from 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, which speaks of unity among followers of Jesus. She reminded us that these verses apply beautifully to playing in a band and paraphrased them as follows:

Just as a band, though one, has many instruments, but all its many players form one team,

So it is with Kuyper Concert Band.

For we were all encouraged by teachers, parents and friends to learn music,

Whether old or young, Queenslanders or New South Welshmen, Panthers fans or Knights supporters,

And we were given the same pieces of music to play.

If the flute should say, “Because I am not a saxophone, I do not belong to the band,”

It would not, for that reason, stop being part of the band.

And if the triangle should say, “Because I am not a trumpet, I do not belong to the band,”

It would not stop being part of the band.

If the whole band were clarinets, where would the rhythm be?

If the whole band were timpanis, where would the sweetness be?

If the whole band were trombones (pause for effect), where would the SENSE be?

But in fact, God has placed each one of us on this band tour just as He wanted us to be.

If we were all individuals doing our own thing, not listening to each other and working together,

Where would the band be?

As it is, there are many wonderful musicians and support crew here on Band Tour 2025,

But one Kuyper Concert Band team—in the words of Mr Weule,

“One Sound. One Band. One God.”