NewsShorts

> For the past two years, Canberra Christian School (CCS), ACT, has participated in the “Shop For Your School” program, conducted in Westfield shopping centres. The program encourages people to have the value of their shopping dockets tallied and registered for a school. The major prize is a school makeover, this year valued at $A150,000, from the TV program Better Homes and Gardens. Both years, CCS has just missed the makeover but has won a number of valuable prizes. This year, the school won over $A12,000 in technology, plus a $A10,000 upgrade of its library. The school appreciates the support of members in sister churches throughout Australia who have helped in the program. “As a small school of less than 40 pupils, it would take a lot of fundraising to purchase these items,” says school principal, Jenny Coutts. “Thank you to everyone who registered for Canberra Christian School.”—Jenny Coutts

> A number of university students who attended the recent youth conference in Melbourne have taken up the call to share the Word of God with other students on university campuses. Adventist students from Monash University are conducting a series called the “Elijah project,” which shares their belief in Jesus, His values and the message of His soon return. In the lead up to this series, students busily conducted surveys, doorknocked surrounding areas, handed out leaflets and commenced a Bible-study group on campus. On the opening night, while the young presenters said they were “nervous,“ 30 people attended and shared in both the message and meal.—Wayne Boehm

> Mountain View Adventist College students (Sydney, NSW) raised about $A7000 for literacy programs, walking and running against each other in the school’s late August walkathon. “We had about 200 children sponsored for the walkathon,’’ says Mountain View’s head of primary, Megan Sketchley. ”It was also a fitness program we linked to Book Week, since the money raised will go to the school’s literacy resources.’’ Some students were in casual dress while many came as their favourite fictional characters, in keeping with the Book Week theme. Teachers also promoted reading by choosing a book and working on it with their students.—Roderick Shaw/Blacktown Sun