The Bible: NEW TV Series

"THE BIBLE is an epic 10-hour mini-series that brings to life the dramatic tales of faith and courage in the most widely-read book of all time. Breathtaking in scope and scale, THE BIBLE series features powerful performances, exotic locations and cutting-edge visual effects to create a spectacular television event that will entertain and inspire the whole family. From Genesis to Revelation, THE BIBLE series features some of the most famous stories ever written and some of the most iconic characters: from Noah's Ark, the Exodus and Daniel in the lion's den to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Channel 5 intends to broadcast THE BIBLE series this December (see www.channel5.com/thebible). Free resources are available at www.thebibleuk.org."

This new TV series comes to the UK via Channel 5. It begins broadcasting on Saturday 30th Novemember 2013 at 9pm, presumably fitting perfectly in the run up to Christmas.

The reviews of this have been very positive and picks key events from the Old and New Testaments that cover the whole journey as the People of God to the first early Christians. Watch the trailer here:

 

 

The first episode takes the viewer from Noah all the way to The Promised Land via Abraham and Moses. It should be great viewing for all students and teachers of RE!

Faith In Action

A new part of our General RE for 6th Form course includes an element of 'Faith in Action'. Students are asked to complete one hour a week of voluntary work either in or outside of school. 

As part of this we invited Church of England Pastor from St Luke's in Cranham. He is contactable, as he offered, through the church website <here>.

He spoke about a few projects he was involved in and you may want to find out more:

• Christians Against Poverty - providing debt relief to anyone who needs it
• Above Us Only Sky - a homeless charity that provides a range of services including sleeping bags
• Hope 4 Havering - an organisation that provides shelters for the homeless around Havering 
• Harold Hill Food Bank - providing emergency food for people in crisis

It's quite amazing to see the range of organisations working in our local area and shows the great needs of nearby communities. 

Do we do enough to support local charities? Do you think that enough Christians 'walk the walk'? What could be done to encourage more people to put their 'faith in action'?

Typhoon Haiyan: CAFOD Appeal

As Typhoon Haiyan devastates The Philippines, CAFOD has launched an urgent appeal to  to support the work of its church partners on the ground.

Rey Barnido, an aid worker from CAFOD’s partner Caritas Philippines, said: "Patients are overflowing from the regional hospital in Tacloban. There are dead people everywhere. There is no water or power. Volunteers are trying to manage the disaster. It looks as if nuclear bombs were dropped."

Donate <here>

 

 

Read more: http://www.cafod.org.uk/Education/Secondary-schools/Emergencies

Shoebox Appeal 2013

It's that time of year again in Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School! We have had our visit from Samaritan's Purse and it is now all go on organising, purchasing and packaging our shoeboxes.

Deadline: Friday 22nd November 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra1Orafn7bM 

How To Pack Your Shoebox (Watch VeggieTales guide) What To Pack  Toys: Bear, soft toy, tennis ball, finger puppet, jigsaw, yo-yo, building blocks, small musical instrument, trucks, cars, dolls, clip on earrings, etc. Education Items: Calculator, felt pens, pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser, colouring book, notepad, picture or puzzle book, chalk, pencil case, stickers, etc. Hygiene Items: Toothbrush, toothpaste hairbrush, comb, hair clips, bar of soap, flannel, etc. Other Items: Sweets (sell-by date to be at least March of the following year), gloves, scarf, sunglasses, cap, hat, bangles, necklaces etc. All gifts should be new, please include items from each category. Y7 to 10 will have an RE lesson dedicated to making a shoebox with their friends. Y12 and 13 will have a General RE lesson putting their 'Faith in Action' and making a shoebox with their form.

What I did...

I went on to eBay and searched for 'party bag fillers' and hundreds of ideas came up! For just £21, I purchased the following:

• 50 bouncy balls
• 12 maracas
• 20 colouring books
• 18 packs of crayons
• 20 packs of hair clips
• 10 toothbrushes
• 20 stretchy-man toys
• 12 bracelets 

Who wants to share or swap?

Please also remember we need £3 to cover the transport cost for each:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwPTUB93o98 

Lots more information here: http://operationchristmaschild.org.uk

Please please get involved this year and bring a smile to a child this Christmas

We know that every shoebox you send brings joy, hope and smiles to a child whose life has been haunted by poverty, disaster, disease or war.  What is more, every shoebox gift that is freely given to a child overseas is a symbol of the true meaning of Christmas, of God's unconditional gift to mankind, the birth of His son Jesus Christ.

Each year in the UK alone, hundreds and thousands of people wrap and pack shoeboxes so that we can deliver them to children who may otherwise never receive a gift.



Selfies at Funerals?

 

Is there no limits to when it is acceptable to take selfies? It seems not... a tumblr account called 'selfiesatfunferals' is just that. 

A large number of (mainly) young people seem to find that taking a selfie at a funeral is completely fine. They then obviously feel the need to post it on various social networking sites including Twitter.

Some people realise something of  what they are doing as they say things like 'i going to hell' [sic] whereas others accompany the announcement they are at a funeral with 'lmao'.

Would you take a selfie a funeral? How would you react if someone took a selfie at a funeral you were attending? Is it simply putting a little fun into the funeral? Or is it just a harmless action that happens to be at a funeral?

See more: http://selfiesatfunerals.tumblr.com/ (will not work at school I'm afraid!)