Welcome to a new year at Whitley College! We hope your year has begun with peace and hope and that it will be filled with meaningful moments, milestones, and experiences that inspire and enrich your journey.
We started the year with our annual staff retreat at the Anglican Community of the Holy Name in Cheltenham. It was a precious time for the Whitley staff to come together, away from our usual work environment, to reflect, collaborate, and plan for the year ahead. The most rewarding part of the retreat was simply the opportunity to enjoy one another’s company. Moments like these remind us of the incredible gifts, dedication, and camaraderie within our team.
This semester we joyfully welcome an enthusiastic group of new and returning students to Whitley for the start of another year. It’s exciting to see our student numbers grow and to feel the energy of bustling classrooms and common areas.
At our Commencement Chapel Service, Principal Rev Associate Professor Darrell Jackson presented a powerful sermon drawn from the passage in Matthew 3:1-17. Darrell called us to recognise the wild, untamable nature of God—a God who meets us not only in the safety of familiar places but also in the wilderness, where vulnerability, trust, and surrender are necessary postures. Just as John the Baptist’s wilderness ministry was an unsettling but transformative act, we are reminded that our faith, too, must be lived boldly and with abandon. The sermon left us with a compelling invitation to step into the unknown with faith, knowing that in every wild place, God is already there, leading us forward. Read Darrell’s sermon here.
As we lead into 2025, we remind ourselves of our purpose: ‘To educate and equip students to think, live, and serve by engaging faith, church, God, and the world with confidence and humility.’ We ask that you pray with us, that God’s Holy Spirit will expand our vision, deepen our impact, and empower us to equip future Christian leaders with faith, wisdom, and integrity.
We’re excited for the year ahead—stay tuned for what’s to come!
Blessings from the Whitley team.