Back to school with a mission

It was in a small student room late one night at Reading University in 1974 that the Holy Spirit whispered to me: 'You must become like a child' (Matthew 18.3).

As I asked God to be my Father, my searchings for truth and reality were finally over, I was born again, I realised that the Lord had died to save me and my life as a true Christian started. I was 18 and in my first year studying Psychology and Linguistics.

By my final year I knew that the Lord was calling me to enter the teaching profession as, I thought, a 'stepping stone' to other work. A year later I was astounded to be offered a job in an excellent mixed comprehensive school in Reading to teach French, initially only to CSE level (low GCSE level). The following year Rachel and I were married at Carey Baptist Church, Reading, where we had first met.

The 'stepping stone' of teaching turned out to be more of a large 'island' where I was to stay for the next 22 years. After a year in France and a few years at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, I arrived at Glyn Technology School, Epsom, as head of modern languages. This involved heading a team of eight other teachers responsible for the teaching of French, German and Spanish throughout the school. This was not the path I had planned, but the Lord's leading was clear and his blessings followed. At each school there were tremendous opportunities to help out with Christian Unions, witness to other staff and parents and occasionally take a school assembly.

A new island!

After eight years at Glyn I began to wonder if the Lord was finally asking me to leave the 'island'. I had a growing desire to preach and teach the Word that had brought me into the kingdom. The rapid national collapse of the family (with its huge impact on teachers, doctors, social workers and police officers) alarmed me.

At this point I came across Day One books and John Roberts, General Secretary of the Lord's Day Observance Society. A few months later John announced that they were looking for a full time youth worker. This door was to open wide and two years ago I was appointed Director of Youth Ministries for LDOS. This was a brand new area of ministry for them and an exciting new 'island' for me to explore.

Young people adrift

The job description was ideal! Going into primary schools, secondary schools and colleges to take assemblies, RE/PSHE/General Studies lessons; organising conferences; preaching in churches and youth rallies/camps; developing publications and materials for young people; advising youth workers/parents/teachers; keeping an eye on the media; campaigning on vital national issues (such as teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, Clause 28, etc.). Many schools asked me to help with the teaching of topics such as 'worship', 'relationships', 'creation', the cults', etc. But in many other schools there has been fierce opposition to any biblical teaching.

One head of RE, who is an ordained minister, interviewed me about my work before allowing me to work with his pupils. At the end of the conversation he candidly admitted that he would not allow me anywhere near them, as I would 'undermine all his teaching' as a liberal cleric. Other schools have not even allowed me to speak to the head teacher or head of RE. The letters of introduction, phone calls and visits all end in disappointment. The impression you have in going round schools today is that, spiritually, the children are drifting further and further from biblical foundations and further and further into whirlpools of error and depravity. A minority of schoolchildren now have any idea what Easter is about; few know anything of the traditional Bible accounts of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah. At the same time most of the young people reject the notion that they are nothing but material skin and bone. They know they are spiritual beings but, instead of turning to the Christian faith for guidance, they are throwing themselves into other avenues of 'spiritual' experience. For some this will be sexual experimentation and premature parenthood; for others it will be in drug use and abuse; for increasing numbers new age teaching is irresistible.

I come across more and more pupils who are heavily involved in paganism, witchcraft and the occult. At one school where I was just about to take the second of my lessons on Science and Christianity, I noticed that one of these 13 year-olds had put in front of him a little sign for me to read, 'I am a pagan and I hate you!' I know of other RE teachers who are badgered by pupils who want teaching on their religion ... witchcraft! What sort of society will such children build as they get older? 'When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?' (Psalm 11.3).

Back to the Bible

My aim is to counter such corrupting influences and promote good, biblical teaching wherever and however I can (be it in state schools, independent schools, Christian schools or with Christian parents home-schooling). Currently I am working in about 20 schools in Surrey, London, Essex, Sussex and Hampshire. In schools where only the head of RE is a Christian there are still great opportunities to talk about the Bible and its teaching or to put forward the Christian view on contemporary topics. It is very rare for many of these school children to hear someone talk about their faith and what it means to live as a Christian in today's world. It still amazes me how many of them have never heard the gospel at all.

And now for the good news!

In other schools, where the senior staff are also Christians, the door is wide open for the gospel. At a girls' school in London they asked me to take an assembly on the theme 'Now for the Good News!' I was able to preach the gospel to these 600 girls unhindered for ten minutes and then almost all the girls took one of our new gospel booklets (How can God accept me? by Gerard Chrispin, Day One Publications) to read later. The 40 booklets I had left over they placed in their school library!

At another school, the Christian Union I was helping wanted to organise a CU 'Awareness Week'. So, with the help of a local evangelical church, we set up a 'Good News Bus' (provided by Associated Bus Ministries Trust, 47 Merthyr Avenue, Drayton, Portsmouth PO6 2AR, tel. 023 9221 9490) in the school playground for a week. During that time about 300 pupils heard a gospel talk on the bus in their lunch break, many others took Bible literature or gospel tracts and quite a few sixth formers came on board during their free periods to talk about the Christian faith.

If my maths is correct (and it probably isn't!) I estimate that I have talked to over 11,000 students this last academic year! Many of these would have just heard an eight-minute assembly, others would have had a series of lessons. To stand before so many and declare vital Christian truths is an awesome responsibility and yet a great privilege and joy.

If you think that I might be able to help in the Christian teaching in your area, please let me know.

David Henderson, LDOS, 3 Epsom Business Park, Kiln Lane, Epsom, Surrey KT17 1JF (01372 728300, email david@dayone.co.uk).