Introducing Adam Wood, Director of Faith Formation and Wellbeing

Emmaus Christian College has a unique Christian perspective to education; we are not a ‘church school’, but one where there is multi denominational representation of Christian expression. That’s a fancy way of saying there are lots of churches represented at our school. However the key threads of belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and the saving work of His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection is what binds us together. It is that very diversity of Christian expression that makes our College so strong. There are numerous traditions, perspectives and cultures that emerge from the staff and students, that allows for a greater depth of discussion and expression of the distinctive nature of our Christian faith.

A little about me

I am married to Christianne of 12 years and have three beautiful children. I have a passionate faith in Jesus Christ, and eagerly desire to live my life such that Jesus is glorified, so that others would encounter the saving grace of Father God. I hope to bring my desire that we would all have a deep faith in Jesus Christ, combined with a love for people and good fun, to shape a space at Emmaus Christian College that engenders passionate faith in God, and a genuine love for others.

Upon completion of Year 12, I continued my passion for the outdoors and the desire to be creative with my hands, and pursed a career in landscape design. After 12.5 years in the horticultural industry I made the transition into pastoral ministry undertaking theological studies and employment in a pastoral role at Blackwood Hills Baptist Church, where I was employed for 8.5 years. Concurrent to this I started as a school chaplain (then called Christian Pastoral Support Worker) at Hawthorndene Primary and Blackwood Primary, a role in which I continued for over 6 years. In my time at Blackwood Hills I fulfilled many positions from youth worker through to Campus Pastor of a church plant our congregation began in 2011.

The experiences I have had in my life; joy and heartache, good times and bad, have shaped my attitude and perspective on how we ought to live. They motivate me to view each individual as uniquely created by Father God. I firmly believe that people matter. Whether they be young or old, intellectual or not, highly paid or just scraping by; people matter. And as such they are deserving of dignity, respect and honour. They bear the fingerprints of God.

Chaplaincy Team

Adam Wood 2023

Adam Wood

Director of Faith Formation and Wellbeing

Joel Overweel

Joel Overweel

Chaplain

Prayer

Prayer is a passion of mine, how can spending time in reflection and communion with God be a bad thing? I have a great desire to see our school community engaged in prayer. Over many years, Emmaus Christian College has cultivated a prayer attitude. This has seen the development of initiatives that foster school wide engagement with prayer. Most recently we have started running ‘Prayer Spaces’, interactive immersive prayer stations, and student led lunchtime prayer groups, in particular the Secondary School Prayer and Worship.

Prayer Spaces

This is a series of interactive immersive prayer stations, set up in a dedicated space within the school for a set period of time. Usually over the course of a week, classes book a time to visit the Prayer Space and engage with the activities.

Prayer Email

Out of discussion with students has come a prayer email, prayer@emmauscc.sa.edu.au which is a whole school community initiative. Students, staff and families are encouraged to email any prayer requests that they desire prayer for. Serious confidentiality is taken with any prayer requests, which are then prayed for at any number of the school prayer meetings. These prayer requests also aid on providing pastoral care for those concerned.

Prayer Groups

We have parent prayer meetings on Thursday mornings, and student led lunchtime prayer groups on Thursdays and Fridays.