About SWISH

The combined protestant churches in the Springwood Winmalee area created SWISH to deliver scripture (Special Religious Education) in:

  • Springwood High School

  • Winmalee High School

  • Faulconbridge Public School

  • Springwood Public School

  • Ellison Public School

  • Winmalee Public School

SWISH employs staff and coordinates a team of volunteers from the protestant churches of the district.

SWISH is a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and is authorised to receive tax deductible gifts for the purpose of providing special religious education in government schools.

Our People

  • Conor Clarke

    STAFF

    Conor Clarke was appointed in 2010 as a paid Christian Educator, working initially at Springwood and Winmalee High schools 2 days per week. He is a trained teacher with years of classroom experience and a wide experience in Christian youth work. He is married to Sam and has two sons.

    Currently he works full time coordinating a team of volunteer teachers who are teaching Scripture to school students in Springwood, Faulconbridge and Winmalee primary and high schools while teaching several classes himself.

Our Board

  • Bob Johnston

    CHAIR
    Springwood–Winmalee Presbyterian

  • Bill Tucker

    DEPUTY CHAIR
    Springwood Baptist

  • Melissa Hill

    SECRETARY
    Springwood-Winmalee Presbyterian

  • Ian Fuller

    TREASURER
    Springwood Baptist

  • Phill Birtles

    Anglican Churches Springwood

  • Liz Roediger

    Anglican Churches Springwood

  • Moira Green

    SpringwoodWinmalee Presbyterian

The NSW Education Act 1990 makes provision for the teaching of Special Religious Education (SRE) in both Primary and Secondary Government schools by approved Providers. SRE is the opportunity for local (approved) churches to nominate representatives (SRE teachers) to go into their local state school and teach about their distinctive beliefs and practices. All students are welcome to attend SRE classes.

SWISH CEA Inc. welcomes the opportunity to deliver quality SRE to students in Springwood – Winmalee district state schools. It acknowledges that the purpose for which access is provided is to deliver Bible-based educational programs using contemporary teaching methods and suited to the appropriate stage of students’ faith development.

The Department of Education & Communities (DEC) now requires all SRE Providers to have a copy of their curriculum, or a curriculum summary, publicly available online.

  • Primary schools: "Connect" Curriculum

  • Secondary schools: "Think Faith" Curriculum

Find more information about these curricula on the Youthworks website.

Curriculum

Church Partnerships

Statement of Christian Faith

Adopted by Springwood and Winmalee Interdenominational Scripture in Schools Christian Education Association Incorporated [SWISH CEA Inc.] from Scripture Union NSW

God and the human race

We hold that the Lord our God is one Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that he fulfils his sovereign purposes – in creation, revelation, redemption, judgement, and the coming of his kingdom – by calling out from the world a people united to himself and to each other in love.

We acknowledge that though God made us in his own likeness and image, conferring on us dignity and worth and enabling us to respond to himself, we now are members of a fallen race; we have sinned and come short of his glory.

We believe that the Father has shown us his holy love in giving Jesus Christ, his only Son, for us, while through our sinfulness and guilt, we were subject to his wrath and condemnation; and has shown his grace by putting sinners right with himself when they place their trust in his Son.

We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God; as truly human, born of the virgin Mary; as Servant, sinless, full of grace and truth; as our only Mediator and Saviour, dying on the cross in our place, representing us to God, redeeming us from the grip, guilt and punishment of sin; as Victor over Satan and all his forces, rising from death with a glorious body, being taken up to be with his Father, one day returning personally in glory and judgement to establish his kingdom.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgement; who makes the death of Christ effective to sinners, declaring that they must now turn to Christ in repentance, and directing their trust towards the Lord Jesus Christ; who through the new birth makes us partake in the life of the risen Christ, and who is present within all believers, illuminating their minds to grasp the truth of Scripture, producing in them his fruit, granting to them his gifts, and empowering them for service in the world.

The Scriptures

We believe that the Old and New Testament Scriptures are God-breathed, since their writers spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; hence are fully trustworthy in all that they affirm; and are our highest authority for faith and life.

The Church and its Mission

We recognise the Church as the body of Christ held together and growing up in him; both as a total fellowship throughout the world, and as the local congregation in which believers gather.

We acknowledge the commission of Christ to proclaim the Good News to all people, making them disciples, and teaching them to obey him.

We acknowledge the command of Christ to love our neighbours, resulting in service to the church and society, in seeking reconciliation for all with God and their fellows, in proclaiming liberty from every kind of oppression; and in spreading Christ’s justice in an unjust world ...until he comes again.