Generosity in Action: A Year of Giving at William Carey

If you’re like me, your email inbox has likely been overflowing with promotions for ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ sales. One message caught my eye as I worked my way through a rapid-fire ‘deletathon’ to clean up my mailbox. It highlighted a lesser-known day (at least in Australia): Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a movement aimed at unleashing the power of radical generosity worldwide. It serves as an antithesis to consumer culture, encouraging people to give back. Its origins are not unlike the original intent of Boxing Day in Europe. Since its inception in 2012, Giving Tuesday has grown exponentially. In 2021 alone, it facilitated $2.7 billion in donations across the US to help others.

While this movement highlights generosity through monetary donations, generosity comes in many forms—food, clothing, materials, effort, skills, knowledge, blood, organ donations, and what some now value most: time.

I’m grateful to be part of a school community that demonstrates generosity in so many ways, both visibly and quietly.

Over the past two years, our community has partnered with Tearfund Australia. They challenged us to raise $25,000 to build safe water wells and toilet facilities for some of the poorest schools in Zambia. Thanks to the organisational efforts of our student leadership teams and the financial generosity of our community, we smashed that goal, raising $40,000.

Our next two-year project, selected by our students, focuses on providing a preschool literacy and numeracy program for rural Ethiopian schools. I look forward to seeing our community surpass the previous total.

Last week, we celebrated Christmas with our Carey Carols. The fireworks display was a spectacular conclusion to our 40th Anniversary year and was fully funded by generous donations from our community—thank you!

As the year winds down, we also prepare Christmas hampers, filled with donations from Primary students, for school families in need. Meanwhile, our Year 6 students have been partnering with Operation Christmas Child to spread joy and generosity to others.

These are just a few examples of the generosity displayed by our school community. In my current reading, Flourishing Together, the author highlights that widespread and diverse forms of generosity are consistent indicators of flourishing schools. This resonates deeply as I reflect on the countless ways our students, staff, and families give and receive generously.

Radical generosity is a challenge because it often requires sacrifice. When we give our money or time, we forgo opportunities to use those resources for ourselves. True generosity always comes at a cost.

As we wrap up the year and Christmas decorations fill stores, our minds turn to finding gifts and planning celebrations. Amidst the tinsel and busyness, we can pause to marvel at God’s radical generosity in giving us His only Son. Christmas is fundamentally a celebration of giving. It celebrates Jesus’ birth and reflects the ultimate act of generosity—Christ entering the world, living among us, and sacrificing Himself to pay for our rejection of God.

The Bible beautifully illustrates God’s radical generosity. The Creator of the universe gave Himself so we could have new life. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Christmas is a celebration of generosity. It’s a time to gather with loved ones, enjoy delicious meals, and exchange gifts to show our love for one another. These expressions of generosity are wonderful but remain a shadow of the greatest and most radical generosity—the love of God for us.

2025 Staffing Updates:

As the school year ends, we bid farewell to valued staff members who will not be returning to William Carey in 2025. On behalf of the school community, I want to thank Mrs Matthews, Mrs Wright, Mrs Shaw, Mrs Belling, Mrs Katzburg, Mrs De Feyter, Mr Nightingale, Mrs Thompson, Mr Athavle, Miss Russillo, Mrs Lambert, Miss Tofilau, Mrs Lewis, Mrs James, Mrs McClenaghan, and Mrs Margetson. Whether they are retiring, relocating, or starting new adventures, we wish them all the best.

I’m also grateful that, even during a time of staffing shortages, we’ve successfully recruited excellent staff to join us in 2025. I’m excited to work alongside them as we continue to grow our school community.

I pray that this holiday break will be a blessed and safe time for your families, bringing rest and refreshment as we prepare for another great year at William Carey Christian School.