Three ways to bless your SRE Coordinator

‘Be a blessing!’

This is what a friend used to say to her children as she dropped them off for playdates with other families. It’s a phrase I have always loved.

We all want to be considered a blessing. As SRE teachers and helpers, we want to be a blessing to the children in our classes and the school community. We want to be a blessing within our church community too.

And quite frankly, you are. Every believer is a valuable part of the church family, whether they are capable of serving in big ways, small ways or not ‘officially’ at all (1 Corinthians 12:27). As an SRE teacher or helper, you are a blessing and an answer to prayer. You are bringing God’s life-giving word to students who might otherwise never hear it. Thank you for your valuable service.

In every Anglican church, there is someone responsible for overseeing SRE. It is ultimately the rector (senior minister) although he may have delegated the role to an SRE Coordinator, or the role is shared by several people. These people serve us in a multitude of often hidden ways to keep SRE happening in local schools.

Here are three ways to be a blessing to your SRE Coordinator:

1. Share the stories, encouragements and joys of SRE with your team and beyond.

We all have good weeks and bad weeks in SRE and sometimes it’s the good news stories that help us keep going. SRE can also be something of a forgotten ministry within a church because it doesn’t happen on a Sunday or a Friday night. If you’re not involved, and no one is talking about it, you might forget it even happens. Sharing the stories is a great way to encourage other SRE teachers and helpers, encourage your SRE Coordinator and inspire others to join the team.

Your SRE Coordinator would certainly be hugely encouraged if others stepped up to become SRE teachers or helpers because you’ve been faithfully sharing about it with the church community. There is a regular, ongoing need for more SRE teachers in both primary and high schools across Sydney and beyond. If the schools in the area have enough SRE teachers, there are certainly neighbouring ones who would love more help.

2. Stay up to date with authorisation requirements

I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about the various requirements of SRE authorisation. Once you get through all the initial paperwork and training to get into the classroom, there is also the ongoing requirements of annual Development training and observations. Plus you need to ensure your Safe Ministry training is kept up to date (every three years) and your WWCC is valid (every five years).

Your SRE Coordinator also has the added joy of overseeing all this data and making sure it’s recorded in the right places. It is hugely helpful to them if you keep yourself up to date and send them the relevant information ahead of time.

Right now, our SRE Coordinators are getting all the SRE data in order so that we all get new authorisation cards in May (current green ones expire at the end of May 2026). Forwarding certificates, offering to observe a fellow SRE teacher, or making sure you’ve been observed without needing to be reminded will take a load off your Coordinator.

3. Pray

Prayer is the secret work of the believer. It may feel like nothing is being achieved, but bringing our prayers and petitions to our heavenly Father is powerful (James 5:16). Only God can give the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Pray for your SRE Coordinator, pray for your SRE team, pray for new SRE teachers and helpers to be raised up. Pray for our schools, the students who are in our classes and those who aren’t, and the teachers, office staff and leadership who see us come in week after week.

Don’t pray small things either. Pray that God would use SRE in NSW in mighty and amazing ways. He can do more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I don’t know about you, but I can imagine some pretty excellent stuff!

These are three simple ways you can be a blessing to your SRE Coordinator. I hope you’re already doing all of them and maybe this is just a reminder that it does really help. You are already a blessing.

Let’s keep encouraging each other along the way.