The entire stadium erupted with cheers and shouts of youthful excitement as the lights dimmed. Dr. Ken, a trauma specialist from Westmead Hospital (and member of St Phils), declared, "It's never a car accident; it's always a car crash!" Suddenly, the 10,000 senior high students fell silent and remained that way for the next 90 minutes, experiencing what might be the most impactful lesson of their lives. They were participating in the bstreetsmart program, which provided a crash course in road safety.
During the session, Dr. Ken narrated in real-time the events that unfolded immediately following a crash involving a car driven by a young, inexperienced driver driving friends home from a party. He described the call to 000, the arrival of shocked friends, ambulances, police, fire trucks, and accident investigators, right through to the driver's arrest and sentencing to prison. The presentation was compelling and captivating, and it has been proven to change the behaviour of young drivers.
There is no doubt about the positive impact that bstreetsmart has achieved over the past 21 years (the 300,000th student attended on Thursday). It highlights the power of words to combat ignorance, remind us of life's fragility, and serve as a strong warning about the serious consequences of ignoring these messages. Similarly, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ addresses our ignorance regarding the right relationship with God. It reminds us that we have only one fleeting life and warns us of the grave eternal consequences of being disconnected from God. Personally, I have been challenged to become a better communicator of God's word, and I am committed to prayerfully growing in my passion and dedication to sharing God's message with as much clarity and conviction as possible.
Thank you, Dr. Ken, for exemplifying how we and our ministry team can rise to meet the standards God expects from His preachers.
The week in photos:
