Building a culture of trust through transparency anchored in
biblical truth to foster a Christlike heart for well-being and outreach.

We are a church school for girls[1] and hereby set in place our statement of faith as a declaration of our beliefs. We clarify the foundation our church school is built upon, which is the Bible as God-breathed and the authoritative Word of God, fully trustworthy for faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:16).

Our statement of faith is based on the traditional Nicene, Athanasian and Apostle’s Christian Creeds and the 39 Articles of Religion.

We hold these truths to be inviolable:

1. We believe in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) and that God the Father is the creator of heaven and earth.
2. Jesus Christ is God’s only Son and is our Lord and is the Word of the Father, which contains everything we need to be saved.
   1. We believe in the virgin birth and that Jesus Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
   2. We believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and performed miracles.
   3. We believe that Jesus Christ conquered death on the cross through His death and resurrection.
   4. We believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father.
   5. We believe that Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.
   6. We believe in the forgiveness of sins and the redemptive power of prayer and confession (John 3:16-19, John 5:24, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 3:5).
3. We believe that salvation is a free gift of the Holy Spirit because of man’s sinful nature and that we are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ and God’s grace alone (John 3:16-19).
4. God created man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27) and thus we teach students to live Godly lives, honouring the dignity and character of each individual irrespective of their religion and

We believe we have a duty as a church school to preach the Word of God, to administer the Anglican sacraments and to bless anyone who approaches the Lord’s table.

[1] We define girls as biological girls.

CHAPEL

St John’s D.S.G. is an Anglican Diocesan School for girls founded by Anglican nuns in 1897. These nuns had a vision to educate girls and teach them to put God first. Although nuns are no longer involved with the girls, Christian worship, values and principles are the foundation of the school life.

Confirmation preparation, Divinity, Bible studies and the Student Christian Association enhance the Spiritual life of the school. Sunday evening Chapel services are open to all girls, their parents and visitors.

The school chaplain is Rev. Diane Pickford and is available to the girls for pastoral guidance, counselling and support.

“It is a very comforting thought to all the girls at St John’s to know that we have our own Chapel, where we can go for peace and for comfort from God at any time. We all feel the urgent necessity, at some time or another, to go somewhere where we can be completely alone, and can meditate in peace.

It would be symbolic if the Chapel were built in the very centre of the school grounds, for the whole school is centred on the Chapel, while our lives rotate around it. Even our school motto: “Laborare est Orare,” shows this: To work is to pray… I do not think we all realize how true this is, for it is only through prayer that we obtain the strength to work and also to play.

The Chapel also provides our strongest link with the Sisters, for, although they are not still at St John’s, we still keep in close contact with them, and appreciate any visits from them.

The Chapel has a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere, and, although it is built simply, great beauty lies in the simplicity.

Girls will continue to work and to pray at St John’s for many years yet, and I am sure they will all appreciate as much as we do now, the great part the Chapel plays in our life.”

Evelyn Gray, 1956