Ventures Update Summer 2014
Prayer and praise www.ventures.org.uk
As a child, the highlight of my summers was staying on my grandad’s farm and, from there, heading to Bible camp. So taking a bull and a few goats along to a Venture would have been a possible, though expensive, way to try and win God’s favour!
In truth, it is us who need his offering. At Ventures, we teach children and young people in our care that only by the sacrifice of his own Son, can we become his ‘blameless’ and liberated people.
On a recent Venture, I enjoyed activities in the ‘great outdoors’ amongst the young people. I watched them develop new skills, grow in confidence, beam with delight with each achievement, and bond with their peers and leaders. This provided a fantastic context for the real highlight of the day, when later that evening many of them responded to Christ’s sacrifice with empty hands. What a joy to see God’s salvation! What an honour to offer back something of ourselves in thanks.
It’s little wonder that this discovery drives us to respond generously by giving of ourselves!
Huge thanks to all of you who are contributing to the life-changing ministry of Ventures,
But the ‘cattle on a thousand hills’ belong to him already, so what can we really give?
I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Those who sacrifice thank offerings honour me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation. Psalm 50:9-10, 23
Having seen his salvation for ourselves, we now have the privilege of seeing him open the eyes of the young.
Thousands of us are getting ready to serve on a Venture this summer, and many more are supporting the events through prayer, finances and talking about the holidays with others. I have been hugely encouraged to learn that many Venture leaders are serving on the same Ventures that they attended as young people. They have discovered and grown in their walk with Christ, and are now pouring their time, money and energy into giving others the same opportunity for such a life-changing holiday.
Tim Friend Ventures and Falcon Camps Principal PS: To help you tell more people about how great Ventures are, there‘s a new video which you’ll find at www.ventures.org.uk/new.
Bishop Nick at Barnstaple How did you get involved with Ventures? Last summer, Bishop Nick McKinnel went on the Barnstaple 2 Venture as chaplain to the leaders. We talked to him about his experiences of supporting and encouraging the leaders and seeing young people grow in faith.
‘I was a leader myself in the 1980s and 1990s, and my own children all enjoyed going on Pathfinder and CYFA holidays (which are now known as Ventures). The church I was minister of before I became Bishop of Crediton has strong links with the Barnstaple and Sparkford Ventures, and so I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend as chaplain to the leaders, many of whom I know both through my time as a vicar and in my diocese as a bishop.’
What does the role of chaplain involve? ‘My role was to encourage the leaders and young people in a variety of ways. I spoke on 2 Timothy at the leaders’ prayer meeting each evening. We looked at Paul’s description of Christ-centred leadership, and thought about how we could apply this. Beyond this, I didn’t have any “official” responsibilities which left me free to spend time with the young people, leaders and their families. I also joined in some of the (less energetic!) games.’
What were the highlights for you?
‘It was wonderful to see young people respond to the gospel as it was clearly explained to them evening by evening. I think a great strength of Ventures is the time and space they allow to really invest in young people as individuals. Many come for a holiday, and find they are cared for, listened to, and given the chance to hear the Christian message, have their questions answered and ultimately grow in faith. ‘It was a real encouragement to see those I had known as youngsters now leading, and doing it really well. Ventures were an important part of my own development as a leader, and it’s good to see others growing in their leadership at Barnstaple.’
Will you be back again this year?
‘Hopefully, yes! It’s a privilege to be able to support leaders and draw alongside young people on a Venture, helping them one by one to get to know Jesus better. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in investing in the future through discipling young people to lead on a Venture. Who knows how many lives we will change when we invest in one young person?’
‘I want to tell people how amazing Jesus is!’ 19 year-old Jess Corcoran shares how she discovered Jesus’ love on a Venture aged 12, and hasn’t looked back.
‘I was twelve when I attended the Bakewell Venture for the first time. I’d heard about it through the local church youth group I was attending with some school friends and we decided to ask our parents if we could all go along. I didn’t know it then, but the holiday was going to totally shake my world. ‘I’d been baptised as a baby and attended a Church of England primary school but that was as far as it went. I knew some of the basic stories and was pretty content with it staying that way. The moment I decided I wanted that to change, is the one I’ll always look back upon as the start of both my faith and passion for Christian residentials. ‘I’d spent the week listening to some really cool, lovely, funny leaders talk about this amazing man called Jesus. I’d heard about him, but I guess I’d never really understood he had any relation to my life. Then one
night during worship in the evening meeting I felt Jesus’s presence. Not in a big, loud, moment often talked about when people come to faith but more just a simple but undeniable feeling of love and amazement. It was a total ‘wow moment’ for a shy, chubby twelve year old ... Jesus loves ME! And he wants to be in MY life! I didn’t tell another member or leader but I sang along to “God of the impossible” with all my heart and soul, fully understanding for the first time what it meant. Jesus was real, relevant, and wanted a relationship with me. ‘The culmination of everything a Christian residential offers helped me gain understanding of this, but also gave me a really, really good week away. Great teaching and leaders were mixed with fun activities and new friends and I went home with loads of fab memories and stories to share.
2013
‘My experience didn’t end there however. It took me a whole year and another weeklong Venture but then I finally plucked up the courage to go to church and call myself a Christian. For a good while this was very difficult as I hadn’t realised my family’s stance on faith. At 13, I was standing tall for Jesus despite a huge backlash from my strongly atheist family who were armed with the standard “Bible basher” and “God squad” comments. I guess they assumed that it was just a phase. But the Venture got me involved with the local church and soon enough I was attending all of the youth activities they could offer.
‘My faith and confidence grew so much and soon enough I was the loud Christian girl who was super proud about it and would openly talk about Jesus and my faith. I gave assemblies, talked at youth groups and even went back as a leader myself. I can’t even explain how utterly life-changing that initial one week on camp was for me except to say my whole life has been moulded by the experience. I’m not yet 19 but this summer I’ll be leading on a Venture for the fourth time, loving every single minute of it. ‘What keeps me passionate about Christian residentials is knowing just how easily I could have never really known Jesus. I’ve jokingly referred to myself as the biggest “Efriday success” (the name of the church youth group) in the past because I was the totally “unchurched” kid with the atheist family. I didn’t grow up with VeggieTales nor learn the classic songs to help you know the order of the books in the Bible but I gave my life to God and gained so much in the process. I lead on camp, tell people about my faith and write this because I want to tell people how amazing Jesus is. See once upon a time I was just a girl who was captivated on camp by Jesus’s love and since then life has never been the same.’
‘What keeps me passionate about Christian residentials is knowing just how easily I could have never really known Jesus.’
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Watch Jess tell her story at www.youtube.com/ventureholidays
thank you
Why not encourage your church family to fund a young person’s place on a Venture?
s Dea r Ventures suppor ter for I wanted to say tha nk you me bled the bursary whi ch ena
day. to go to on a Venture holi time t I had an absolutely bril lian frie nds. and mad e loads of great so The atm osp here was , I can inspirationa l and fra nkly nt hon estly say the days I spe my there were the best of h. life. So, tha nk you so muc
aga in Hopefu lly I’ll be able to go som etim e!
You rs sincerely
Dear Sir/Madam
Hi to all, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated money for me to be able to go to on a Venture. It was amazing and, apart from learning loads about the Bible, I learnt loads about myself. The friendships I made were priceless. Thank you so much Brandon, 17
Heather, 14
Read the full version of Heather’s letter and give to this year’s bursary fund at www.cpas.org.uk/bursary.
Brandon’s church family donated his Venture fees.
I wanted to express our deep appreciation for gr anting a bursary for two of our ch urch girls who ar e attending a Vent ure in a few wee ks ’ time. They both co me from single parent families w ho are on benefit s. Without this burs ary the parents would not have been able to send their children on this camp. We are therefore really grateful an d continue to pray that God would speak to these ch ildren and bring them into a savin g knowledge of Jes us. With thanks, Mark Mark is the pastor of a church in Blackpool.
We’d love to give as many young people as possible the chance to benefit from a Ventures bursary. Please consider donating online at www.cpas.org.uk/bursary.
Prayers for Ventures Prayers for the summer, from the profound to the practical.
planning and Almighty God, be in the leading up preparation in the weeks will be done. to Ventures. May your Lord, we pray both members and leaders gain a greater understandi ng of your love for them this summer .
tian We ask that good Chris Ventures, friendships develop on the summer. which last far beyond
Lord Jesus, we ask that you will provide leaders with energy, clear thinking and good sleep.
We pray for the partnerships between Ventures and local churches, and in particular for the relationships with churches who are sending members or leaders for the first time.
Father, we ask for increased awareness of Ventures within churches, schools and youth groups.
Father God, we ask for your hand to be over the safety and smooth running of every Venture.
As the gospel is presen ted to thousands of young people over Jul y and August, we pray that many wil l respond, and give their lives to Jesus Ch rist. Jesus, please give us good weather, great experiences and fantastic fun!
Ventures prayer poster available from early July! If you would like to receive a free poster with dates and details of all Ventures and Falcon Camps to aid your prayers, please contact the Ventures team on ventures@ cpas.org.uk or 0300 123 0780 (option 2). If you already subscribe to the CPAS Prayer Diary, you will receive one automatically.
Ventures is part of the ministry of CPAS
Scan to visit www.ventures.org.uk
CPAS, Sovereign Court One (Unit 3), Sir William Lyons Road, University of Warwick Science Park, COVENTRY CV4 7EZ T 0300 123 0780 (option 2) E ventures@cpas.org.uk W www.ventures.org.uk Church Pastoral Aid Society Registered charity no 1007820 A company limited by guarantee Registered in England no 2673220 Registered office at above address