Christian Ethos
Monkton’s Christian Ethos and the work of the chaplaincy is about helping our pupils find 10:10 Vision!
In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The fullness of life he speaks of has not only eternal value but also shows how Jesus and the Christian life can give a framework to live by in order to have a “full” life.
We want every pupil to Look and to Live.
| Look | Live |
|---|---|
| To look into the claims of the Christian faith, consider the big questions of life. We want to enable everyone to construct their own world view in order that they leave Monkton grounded, rounded and prepared for all that lies ahead. |
MEET THE HEAD OF CHAPLAINCY
Andy Hutchinson (Rev Hutch as he is known to the pupils!) is married to Lyndsay and they have 4 children Lucia, Hugh, Jago and Talitha. Before joining Monkton he worked at St. Giles’ Church, Derby for 6 years, focusing on youth work, music and outreach.
Before Derby and training for ordination at Oak Hill, London, Andy taught History and was Assistant Housemaster at Queen’s College, Taunton.
As Head of Chaplaincy, Andy is responsible for the spiritual oversight of the school over all three sites in leading and facilitating the staff in helping nurture strong Christian foundations and values in the lives of the pupils.
He also must have the record for most creative and original ways to communicate: including, but not limited, to downhill desk-chair slalom, and bringing chickens to chapel!
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch do email him.
THE CHAPLAINCY ACROSS THE SCHOOLS
| Christian Ethos in Action |
Underneath everything we do, some key values make Monkton the special place it is, that flow directly from our Christian foundation. There is a deep-seated belief that every pupil is unique and valuable for who they are, not just for what "they can achieve". There is grace in the way teachers and all staff work so hard for every individual, regardless of their beliefs, abilities or even behaviour, on the odd occasion! There is a commitment to growing young people who think critically, engage in the big questions of life (whatever conclusion they draw) and go on to lead "full lives". And there is a kindness and love that spills out across the classrooms, playing fields, boarding house and dining hall - into every corner of Monkton life. |
| Prep Activities |
To help each child stop and reflect, there are regular moments in the week to consider the big questions of life, to explore the claims of the Christian faith in age-appropriate ways, such as Lower and Upper School Chapel services, some led by Rev Hutch and others with visiting speakers. We share in hymns and songs, often supported by a Prep School band. Year 8 pupils can choose to be part of Ichthus, a pupil-led team, who run an informal assembly fortnightly with drama, games, singing and a short talk - this empowers our senior students to facilitate the learning of their fellow pupils. Xcite is the Prep School Christian Union for Years 7 and 8, and our junior years Bible club, XtB, meets during a lunch or break time to discuss, explore, engage and think (usually with doughnuts!).
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| Senior Activities |
The Christian ethos at Monkton enables our students to explore and question the Christian faith and discover what it means to them. We have whole school chapels on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Chapels are led by Rev Hutch, other staff, pupils and visiting speakers. House Prayers take place on Fridays where each house comes together to discuss school events, consider a thought for the week, led by pupils within the house. We intentionally don’t have chapel on Sundays to enable both day pupils and boarders to attend church - we run buses/taxis to a number of different churches in the area for pupils who would like to attend. The Christian Union (CU) at Monkton Senior is led by a committee of Year 13 pupils and is very active and well supported. CU is on Wednesday evenings and is open to all pupils. At each meeting there are usually some games, singing and a talk from the Bible by a visiting speaker.
Crossfire meets 5 times throughout the year and is an opportunity to consider and debate questions and matters around the Christian faith. Years 11-13 students are welcome to attend and allows for some provocative questioning supported by external Speakers. The topics looked at have been varied, for example, God and suffering; can you be rich and a Christian?; and has science defeated God? There are weekly optional year group Bible studies on Monday evenings, big Chaplaincy events with comedians, rappers and more, the Michaelmas Addresses, weekends away, a joint inter schools CU gathering, voluntary communion services and much more! And Rev Hutch is always available to offer support and guidance, spiritual, pastoral or otherwise, to our students, of all faith or none. |
We continue to seek to provide as many opportunities as possible to help our pupils to “look” and “live”!
