Greater Sydney Conference will allocate seven annual Sabbath offerings collected for education to a new scholarship fund for disadvantaged students in Adventist schools.
Conference CFO Eva Ing said they came up with the initiative after it was realised that, for some families, an Adventist education is beyond their financial means.
“Previously, our offerings were used to buy things like library resources and playground equipment for our schools, which is great,” she said. “But we believe our offerings should really focus on students and giving them an opportunity to come to our schools.”
South Pacific Division education director Dr Carol Tasker praised the initiative. “I am excited about this groundbreaking initiative, and would love to see it adopted by other conferences across Australia and New Zealand,” she said.
“The mission for education in the SPD is ‘to offer attractive, affordable and authentic Adventist education, providing each student with the best possible preparation for this life and the life to come’. Community families of faith value our education system and are delighted to find a place in an Adventist school.
“We don’t want to see any families missing out on quality Adventist education because it is beyond their weekly budget.”
The scholarships will begin in the 2020 school year. Donations above $2 are tax deductible.
