In writing the report on the Melbourne breakfast there are two main points I will highlight.

• The presence of the Lord at the breakfast was described by one teacher as precious and personal.
• The Lord doesn’t rely on scripture verses to draw children to Himself.

Stephen Leslie the guest speaker at the Melbourne breakfast shared a true account of a young boy in a state primary school who came to know the Lord through a ‘random’ comment that an adult made.  This story is particularly encouraging for teachers in government schools.

Stephen is the principal of Northside Christian College and has been teaching since 1975.

The small but select group was indeed blessed by his talk.

The theme for all the breakfasts this year is Isaiah 61:1-3, which begins with “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me.”

Stephen said that in reading this verse in the first person an outrageous claim seems to be made.

Teachers may not feel like they are world changers but with the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon them there is the potential for it.

Stephen said Christian teachers in state schools should not consider themselves restricted in any way from helping their students because “they are the gospel”.

• It is their life that makes the difference.

Francis of Assisi said, Preach the gospel at all times and use words only when necessary.

Stephen then went onto share a remarkable true story of a young boy in a state school who found the Lord.

The young boy was born to a 16yr old drug addict who did not want him.

After giving the boy to her mother to look after, the young woman left, never to return.

The grandmother used finances from the social benefits she received for looking after her grandson to support her addictions.

She had rules.  The young boy was never allowed in the house during day light hours, she never prepared a meal for him.  He only ate her leftovers.

By the time he was in grade 3 he weighed 28kg and was 2 or 3 yrs smaller than the average size for his age.

When it was discovered that he had been beaten from his buttocks through to his shoulders with a brass curtain rod, he was removed from the grandmother’s custody and subsequently went through a number of foster homes.

He was eventually taken in by a wonderful woman whom he called Nan.

He put on weight and grew about 8 inches in two years and quickly caught up.

Nan called Stephen Leslie when he was the principal at Plenty Valley and asked if she could enrol this foster boy mid year.

Stephen admitted that he was reluctant to accept the boy.  (Middle of the year, foster kid, does he need this at this time?)

Nan insisted that they meet.  Nan got the boy to tell Stephen his story.

The boy said……  When I was at a school in Carlton we had a lot of Greek kids so we had a lady who came to tell us about Greek myths and Greek gods.

One day this lady said “these gods are not like the God you can pray to:  the One you can pray to hears and answers prayer.”

So he went home and started praying.

He asked God to find him a family who would love him.

And he found Nan.

While living with Nan he was picked on at the local primary school because some of the other kids said his mum, (Nan) looked like a granny.

The young boy learned of the existence of a local Christian school and so he prayed and asked to go to a Christian school so he could learn more about God.

After listening to the boy’s story Stephen had a change of heart and said that the boy was most welcome.

The point is:  one sentence can impact a life.

For many children the Christian teacher is the only reflection they will have of God’s love.

The way Christian teachers treat kids, the way they smile, brings light into their lives.

Christian teachers may be one link in the chain but it is a vital link.

Christian teachers should demonstrate unconditional love.

Stephen urged teachers to do what is right not what is convenient.