School chaplains 'worked miracles'

GOD has cured at least one state school student of attention deficit disorder and another of asthma, according to interviews with chaplains employed in 2850 schools under a $165 million federal government program.

GOD has cured at least one state school student of attention deficit disorder and another of asthma, according to interviews with chaplains employed in 2850 schools under a $165 million federal government program.

The Lord has also made it stop raining at a state school assembly in Queensland and performed other miracles to bring state school children to Jesus.

One chaplain was able to "fix the head" of a disruptive student by placing his hands upon the boy's head, and praying for him.

These and other miraculous claims are included in a book about the national school chaplaincy program, which was introduced by the Howard government in October 2006.

It has led to 2850 chaplains being employed in state and non-government schools. According to new data, 72 per cent of these are working in state government primary and high schools.

In a statement to The Weekend Australian, the federal Education Department said yesterday 1430 were in primary schools and 670 in high schools. The remainder were in combined schools. The statement said one million students attended schools with a federal government-funded chaplain.

The chaplains have been funded at $20,000 a year until 2010, but the groups that employ them, including Scripture Union, hope Kevin Rudd will extend the program. Under the rules of the program, chaplains are not permitted to actively recruit students to their faith.

But a new book by former Queensland school chaplain Joelle Kabamba speaks openly of miracles in Australian schools.

In the book's foreword, Tim Mander, chief executive of Scripture Union, which has employed more than 700 chaplains for schools in Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT, says: "To have a full-time Christian presence in government schools in this ever-increasing secular world is an unbelievable privilege. Here is the church's opportunity to make a connection with the one place through which every young person must attend: our schools."

The book, The Chaplaincy Phenomena, is sold through the Scripture Union website.

Hugh Wilson, spokesman for The Fourth R, an organisation that supports secular education, said: "It's clear from the book that the schools are being used as recruiting grounds for Jesus. They organise prayer meetings at lunchtime. Students are being given time off sport to engage in evangelical Hillsong programs. At my son's high school, there are Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, Christians, and Christians that are Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran. But Scripture Union has 500 evangelical Christian chaplains. We don't need chaplains. We may well need skilled, qualified people in schools."

The Chaplaincy Phenomena describes one Queensland school assembly that took place in driving rain. As the chaplain approached the microphone, "he looked up to the roof and said, 'Could you give us a break, please, Lord?' Immediately the rain stopped and the chaplain went on to speak as if nothing had happened.

"The Year 11 students screamed out, 'No way!' As soon as assembly was over (a student) went running to the chaplain to seek an explanation for what had just happened. The chaplain responded, 'Shaun, mate, I don't know. To be really honest, I didn't expect it but it was worth asking and God came through."' The encounter resulted in Shaun studying Christianity "and leading him on a new journey, walking with God", the book says.

Another student, Trevor, "had endured violence and abuse at home and his behaviour at school was a by-product of some very disturbing home experiences as well as undiagnosed attention deficit disorder".

He went to see the school chaplain, who asked Trevor if he could pray for him.

"Trevor said 'Yes'," the book says. "The chaplain put his arm around his shoulders and prayed, asking God to reveal himself to Trevor."

Trevor's behaviour subsequently improved. He told his mother that a "nice man had put his hand on his head and his head was fixed".

After passages from the book were read to him yesterday, Mr Mander released a statement that said: "On review of the book The Chaplaincy Phenomena by former chaplain Joelle Kabamba, Scripture Union acknowledges that a small number of practices outlined in the book do not comply with these guidelines. SU therefore no longer endorses this book."

Mr Mander said Scripture Union was "very much an organisation that respects the guidelines, which is that you don't evangelise".

"We operate with integrity," he said. The book was a "personal reflection" by the author, who was not "involved with the organisation now".