Maintaining and growing faith at varsity

Maintaining and growing faith at varsity is a great challenge faced by many Christian students countrywide. This is what Prof David Mosoma, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Principal: Learner Support and Student Affairs, said to chaplains from independent schools throughout South Africa at the Protea Restaurant on the Muckleneuk Campus on 29 July 2009.

The chaplains, who were in Gauteng for the annual National Independent Schools Chaplains Conference, were invited to lunch at Unisa and were addressed by Prof Mosoma on Maintaining and growing faith in varsity. At university, Christian students are exposed to multiple ideas and ideologies and therefore some Christian students who enter university life with their faith intact manage to hold onto to it, but there are those lose their faith. “Maintaining and growing faith at varsity can only happen if Christian students have a sound Christian foundation on which their faith is anchored.” Prof Mosoma said Management at Unisa viewed Christian values such as integrity and honesty, social justice and fairness, and excellence as important and have, therefore, woven it into the University’s institutional life and culture.

Chairperson of the National Independent Schools Chaplains, Rev. Gill Padoa from St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls, Kloof, in KwaZulu-Natal, said one of the major challenges facing chaplains at schools was trying to make faithful Christianity relevant in all aspects of life. “We are living in a world where the family has handed over the spiritual responsibility to the school, and chaplains are there to bring the living truth to learners and not just say, but walk the talk as well.” The annual conference gives chaplains the opportunity to share and discuss ideas as well as the various challenges they face on a daily basis.