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Latest News from the Hunter Team Again, we are in the midst of change. As many of you are already aware, the Brooks family has been invited by YFC International (Asia Pacific office) to take on a huge pioneering opportunity in Asia (for more information please see the “East Asia Opportunity section”). This means however that YFC Hunter Region will again be looking for a new Regional Director. As I (Jasen) have been contemplating this fact, I have found myself torn between knowing that God knows what He is doing vs the insecurity within me and the words of discouragement that the Devil loves to plant (through various means). On the one hand, I have seen 3 Directors come and go before me, and heard many people ask “what’s wrong with YFC to change leaders so often?”. The interesting thing to note is that each time a leader has left the branch, we have always ‘taken stock’ and changed direction based on where we felt God lead and seen tremendous fruit. Now to be the next one to move on, I am now on the outside looking in, I can now see that God has been moving the chess pieces in preparation for this change. I honestly can not tell you what God will make it turn out like in the future, as I am no longer the person to take it forward. He has the next stage of the plan and that’s all He asks me to trust in, so that’s all I need to know (and trying not to stress over it, knowing my personality). One thing that is abundantly clear though. This is God ALMIGHTY’s ministry, not mine, not even our International Directors, its owned by the “Creator of the Heavens and Earth”, the “Alpha and Omega”, and the “Father to the Nations”. Thankfully He does not expect me to have blind faith. Over and over again He has proven His faithfulness to this branch that I hold dear to my heart. In Phillippians 4:4-8 it reads... Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 4
Has He got it all under control? You better believe it! I for one will be watching this closely as I am sure that God has amazing things in store for YFC Hunter Region. We believe He gave us a BIG vision for this area, and only He, in His time will make it come to pass.
every young person
Branch Information
2013 Hunter Region Important Dates Shift Values program (weekly): Belmont High: Boys Girls Toronto High: Boys Newcastle High: Boys Girls Auslife: Merriwa Glendale Port Macquarie & Hastings Schools
Term 2 Term 2 Term 2 Term 4? Term 4? 3rd May Term 3? Term 3?
Cardiff Lunch Time Group (weekly) All year Asia training trip 2nd - 15th Aug Thornleigh Baptist Youth Camp 20th - 22nd Sept BlackStump 4th - 7th Oct
Prayer Partners I continue to give thanks to God for all those who continue to prayerfully support YFC so faithfully. We would welcome the opportunity to expand our list of those who receive our weekly prayer letter. To do this please email chris.bullock@yfc.org.au Our weekly staff meetings give us a chance to discuss the business at hand; and to do it in a devotional setting. I am most grateful to all the staff for the degree to which they share their activities in prayer. My prayer is that YFC will continue to be open to God’s leading as it responds to the call to minister with young people here in the Hunter. Warmest greetings in Jesus’ name.
Finances Since the book keeping was transferred to the YFC National Resource Center, we have had some adjustments to the way we have performed our financial management. As you would expect there have been a few teething problems here and there, but all in all, the funds that our AMAZING supporters send us have all been accounted for and its allowed us to continue with ministry as we have always done. We have had a bit of financial bad news this year, as we were unsuccessful in securing our internship scholarship(s) for ourselves and YFC Central Coast. This has put both branches at a shortfall of approx $30,000. This has meant that our interns for this year have had to raise funds to help cover these costs. We have made some headway between us, but we have still a fair way to go to cover this financial loss. In general though our branch income has been fairly steady, and we want those of you who faithfully give to the vision of YFC an ENORMOUS thank you. We have to raise approx $5,000 to $10,000 to cover operating costs (this year the costs have gone up significantly due to the many changes that have occurred in 2013) but we are not hamstrung at the ministry level, and your gifts and regular support is changing lives in the Hunter Region!
www.yfc.org.au
Branch Information
Schools Ministries Hunter Region has been a bit slow to start this year, as we’ve been focussing on a range of ‘new ministry’ opportunities which are something that Hunter Region hasn’t done before. At the start of the year, we sat down as a team and took a look at different ways we can work with young people both inside and outside of schools. A few suggestions that our branch came up with were: “Jam Club”, “Soccer Ministry”, “AFX clubs”, “Skate Lunch”, “LAN’s” to name a few. We’ve been working on a few of these ideas and what they look like within our area, as well as within Newcastle and the Hunter Region. We’ve also been continuing on with our Auslife and Shift programs. We started the year with our Merriwa Auslife in early May, which was a huge success. We went out to Merriwa with a brand new team consisting of Central Coast and Hunter Region staff. This was a great experience with 2 staff members never actually seeing an Auslife before! If you have been watching our Facebook page, you would have seen some feedback we received from this program. One piece of feedback was from a parent of a student who didn’t want to be a part of the program. A snippet from the letter reads... “My child didn’t want to go because they thought it would be boring, irrelevant and run by “old fuddy duddy’s”. Afterwards though the student said that they had “enjoyed the day and had an old, bald headed group leader and he was great”. We’re also in the process of running 3 Shift programs, 2 of these programs at Belmont (Boys & Girls) and another program at Toronto (Boys). These programs have been fantastic. Last week we had a student who had been bullied for the last 5-6 years at a school be comfortable enough to open up to the group and have the group encourage the student to overcome their fear and give something a go. This is something we strive as group to achieve and we are really happy with the progress so far.
In other important news... We have a new venue! By the beginning of July we aim to be in our new office space in the Liberty Baptist Church building in Cardiff. Please note our new postal details are:
PO Box 360 Cardiff NSW 2285
Unfortunately we currently do not know what our phone number will be as Telstra can’t confirm until the new line has been reactivated in the new office. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page!!
www.yfc.org.au
Branch Information
Internships This is the first chance I have had to introduce the amazing young people that YFC NSW have the privilege to work with this year. They are such a talented group who have so much to offer to the world. John Mason is working out of the Hunter Region Branch and the other 5 at either Port Macquarie or Central Coast Branches. We are so blessed to be able to work alongside them this year and see God work in their lives. They have been learning, growing and making a great impact on the youth of the Hunter and Beyond. In the first half of the year the interns took part in training, and YFC induction. They have also been involved in a number of programs already. Including; Auslife, Shift, Lunchtime groups, Coaching, Mentoring and more. I want to ask if you would commit to pray for our interns this year as they embark on this journey. They have and will continue to have exciting times as well as difficult times. Please join with them as they seek what God is calling them to for this year and for years to come. I also want to ask that you pray for finances as we have not received as many National YFC scholarships as we did last year and so things are going to be tighter. Please pray with us as we seek God to hear from him where these funds can be found. If you or someone you know feels led to give, please feel free to contact me.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES... We are looking for two key positions to be filled for the second half of 2013 and beyond. Firstly, we are looking for a Regional Director (branch leader) to take over from Jasen, someone of Godly character, who is passionate about the youth of the Hunter Region and building into the lives and skills of young leaders in YFC. Secondly, we are looking for a person/people who have a heart to reach and love the youth in our region, who can work within a team and partner with the local churches to reach every young person with the love of Jesus. All positions within YFC are faith funded. Youth For Christ - Hunter Region PO Box 444, Mayfield NSW 2304 (02) 4961 1535
www.yfc.org.au
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Staff Stories
ALEX DIBLEY There has been a lot of work with YFC so far this year. I’ve been organising 3 shift programs (Belmont Boys & Girls, Toronto Boys) which involves a few program content adjustments, organising mentors, staff (from HR and CC), times, busses, rooms, adventure days and much more. With that I’ve also been a part of the team for the boys program at Belmont, working with 12 boys from all walks of life. This has been a great experience for me, as I’ve seen the script we’ve re-written in play and I know it works (see, programs section for more details)! I was also a part of the Auslife team that went out to Merriwa in May. The program was stressful but amazing! I was very nervous before the day started, as I didn’t really know what to expect but the day was great and we received some great feedback. Outside of YFC, Blythe and I have found a nice little unit in a quiet block of flats. It’s small, but cosy! Blythe is still working at Dominos, and has been looking at work in retail, which is where she wants to work (until she becomes a nurse). We’re still struggling with finances as Blythe is only working 4-5 hours a week at Dominos and I only have enough supporters for 4 hours a week. This is putting a strain on us and our savings (as you can imagine!)… If you would like to begin to support me financially please fill in the support slip in this newsletter and remember all donations over $2 are tax deductible. If you and unable to support me financial I would ask that you help by praying specifically that God will release funds and individuals to give so I can continue to what I have been doing.
REBECCA PFENNIGWERTH Hi! I came on staff one day a week at the beginning of the year, before that I had had the privilege of looking after Ezekiel on Wednesdays. It was great to start in a new role already knowing the environment and the people I would be working with. I have been involved in running programs this year and have had the joy of being involved with the Belmont High Shift program. Each week I get to hang out with 12 girls in year 9 and talk to them about living a balanced life and reaching their full potential. This has been a really rewarding experience and I have learned a lot. I’m really looking forward to the adventure day next week and tackling some team activities and the giant swing! I am currently looking for supporters both in prayer and in finances. If you are able to support me in either of these ways please contact me. I’m looking forward to what God has in store over the next 6 months!
www.yfc.org.au
Staff Stories
CHRIS BULLOCK A prison experience with a difference... In the first week of June this year, I was privileged to be part of the team for Kairos #7 (“Short Course in Christian Living”) at St Heliers Corrective Centre in Muswellbrook. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. The community for the program breaks into family groups. My group had 6 men from St Heliers. At the end of the program, we asked the men to help put a summary of their impressions for the week. One of them said “At the beginning of the week we were all strangers – you visitors and us inside. But now we are family.” God’s gracious intervention was ever so apparent over the week. It was a real privilege to be part of the developing trust and open sharing. Many of the men made significant faith commitments. Thank you for your prayers.
ESTHER BROOKS I have been amazed at seeing Romans chapter 8 outwork before my very eyes this year, since our last newsletter. It has been so obvious that God is working all things together for us showing he is strong over and over and over again. The big news is that The Brooks Family are relocating to East Asia in February 2014. We have been offered, and accepted, the position of team leaders of the pioneer team for one of the largest countries in the region. For more info check out the East Asia section. Back in Australia I am still working with the interns in NSW. We have 6 in the state and I am working closely with all of them. They are an amazing group of young people! We have not received as much funding this year as we did last year so there is quite a shortfall at the moment. Please pray with us as we continue in faith. Zeke continues to grow. He is a very tall 2 year old. We are so blessed by his presence in our lives. He brings such joy and laughter to us daily. He really is a Missionary Kid, he was made for connecting with people! I thank God for you our supporters and prayer warriors, you are the reason that we are able to continue. God is good and we look forward to the rest of the year and the future.
www.yfc.org.au
Staff Stories
JASEN BROOKS In September of 2012 we received a call from Conrad (the then National Director) with the biggest curve ball since finding out we were pregnant with Zeke, “Asia Pacific Director Neil wants you two to consider being part of a Pioneering position in Eastern Asia”. I was floored! I always planned on serving as Hunter Regional Director for a minimum of 5 years, and then seeing what was occurring in life and if God was calling us to do something else. We have been talking about this for years... But this, NOW?! Fast forward to February 2013 one week after training 44 young leaders in Asia, in the back of a ‘ute taxi thing’ in Changmai Thailand on our way to see Neil and discuss this opportunity. Esther asks “what are we going to say?” ...for a brief second I feel fear, then I remember a phrase from Erwin McManus, “if you want to make the maximum impact in your life you must position yourself in the place that allows you to do so”. That was it, do I take the easy option of staying in Australia or do I jump in and do something crazy that had Gods fingerprints all over, that the “normal” person would see as irresponsible? My response... “ok, let’s do it”. I leave my position after my long service leave ends in September. Crazy!
JOHN MASON My first few months with YFC have been quite productive. I have completed the first unit of study that is part of my Cert. IV in Christian Ministry and Theology. Earlier on in the year I participated in the Auslife training at Port Macquarie and the OnRamps training at Tahlee. I have nearly finished my first Chaplaincy unit which has been very engaging. A few weeks ago I completed the RUSH mentoring training at C3 Church at Charlestown and the mentoring should be underway soon. As far as the near future is concerned I’ve just completed CoachNet training at the Central Coast which means that I can now start coaching, and finally in mid June I shall be getting married, so there is a lot to look forward to. As far as active ministry with Youth For Christ I’ve been keeping very busy. Every week this year I’ve been helping out with a lunchtime group at Cardiff High, this has enabled me to begin to develop some meaningful relationships with the students. Earlier this year I was able to be a part of some scripture teaching in Wallsend High and the Hunter School of Performing Arts under the direction of Lysander Laurence who is now the overseer of all the Baptist Youth Pastors in the Hunter. Just last semester before the break Jasen and I completed the interviews for the shift program at Belmont and Toronto High. What’s more exciting is that now we are more than half way through the Shift program (Leadership Development Program) and the Year 9 boys in both school’s are making some incredible progress and discovering and using more and more of their potential.
www.yfc.org.au
NEWS FLASH
East Asia opportunity!! By Faith the Brooks Family is relocating to South East Asia in February 2014. The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11:1 (The Message) Faith has been such a large part of the Brooks world when it comes to YFC. The next chapter is no different. Next year the Brooks family will be moving to a small city (2.5 million people) near Hong Kong. We will be joining with two locals on the ground. Firstly a younger man in his thirties with a huge heart for young people so much so that he left a well-paid job to work alongside his wife who pastors a government church so that he could build a youth ministry. Secondly an older gentleman with a strong business background and a heart for teaching the Bible to young people. YFC has not had a presence in this country before and Jasen and Esther feel it an immense privilege to be asked to head up the team that starts the pioneering work of YFC. To begin with the work will be focused on advocating for young people, up skilling youth leaders in the government based churches of the area and coaching leaders in the area. The Brooks’ have signed on for 2 years and are hoping that this will be enough time to build up the local leadership and then move out of the leadership positions once mission, ministry and strong leadership is in place. If you would like to be on the Brooks prayer team please let Esther know via email (esther.brooks@yfc. org.au). Esther and Jasen will also be raising funds so if you are able to support in that way please let them know. We are very excited about this next step for the Brooks family. They would love to share their experiences, stories & vision with you and your churches. If you would like to catch up with them or there is an opening to speak at your Church please let them know!!
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www.yfc.org.au