Who is my Neighbour?

VISION

We aspire to encourage diversity and a love of learning that nurtures well-rounded individuals, with curious minds, who shine in service to our community and are inspired to flourish. 

VALUES  

Our Core Christian Values are 'Respect, Care and Courage'

A Narrative of Our Vision and Motto

We aspire to be exceptional.  In the story of The Good Samaritan, the man who came to Jesus was already an expert in the law and a man of good character. Yet Jesus made the hero of his parable a character, the Samaritan, who would stretch even the greatest expert. Hence our motto remains an open-ended question, challenging us to continue to expand our horizons. We continually strive to ask ourselves and one another “Who is my neighbour?” and “Who is your neighbour?” This question relies on, and provides a firm foundation for, our core values: respect, courage and care.

We aspire to encourage diversity

The expert in the law and the Samaritan are contrasted in their attitude to diversity. The expert in the law cannot even bring himself to mention the race of the Samaritan in v37 – even though that man, the hero in Jesus’ story, had been exemplary in his conduct. Whatever the historical differences between Jews and Samaritans in this era, the Samaritan shows no such hesitation in showing compassion for a wounded man. His care overcomes any issues of cultural diversity and sets us an example of inclusivity we seek to encourage. Our neighbours are spread across the world, and we do not know them all by name. We want to show respect to all by striving for equality and understanding our place in the world.

and a love of learning that nurtures well-rounded individuals, with curious minds,

Jesus was seeking to challenge and encourage an expert in one area of life to see beyond his current boundaries (in this case his cultural and religious boundaries) – to expand his current understanding and break through a barrier (in this case that of prejudice) – something that was restricting his growth and understanding. Faced by a man stripped naked, beaten and left half dead it would have been simpler to pass by as others had. Going over to the man risked the Samaritan facing a similar threat to his own well-being from the same robbers. If the man was dead, contact risked physical infection and ritual uncleanliness. Our neighbours are those we encounter every day as we embark on continual learning. We want to show courage by taking risks in order to help our peers and colleagues in their learning journeys.

who shine in service to our community and are inspired to flourish.

The Samaritan’s provision for the wounded man in v34 goes beyond first aid – it is an outstanding example of service to another – the sort of service we aspire to. He is equally concerned for the man’s future welfare. In v36 the Samaritan’s provision goes beyond immediate care of a wounded man. He sets a pattern of seeking the very best for another individual. We too seek to encourage one another to go beyond the norm and see ourselves and others flourish in life. We are a community of neighbours. This community is made up of children, families and our town. We want to show care by asking our neighbours how we can support them and going beyond what is required, providing a voice for those in need and speaking up when we need support ourselves.

Therefore, our vision is a template that helps us show:

• Respect – towards our neighbours who we do not know so well.
• Care – towards our neighbours with whom we already share relationships.
• Courage – to face any barriers as we strive to demonstrate respect and care towards our neighbours and ourselves.