Connecting You Autumn 2023

4 Gospel and gaming in Durham Cathedral

10

Ian Kent joined SU last September as a Revealing Jesus pioneer. Fast forward 12 months and 2,500 Year 6 children are playing Guardians of Ancora in Durham Cathedral!

Josh sees young lives being transformed

Can you believe it’s three years since the first Faith Guides signed up?

We catch up with one of them – Joel Barwick – to see what’s happened since we last spoke to him.

16 22

Revealing Jesus 24/7!

Mission in person or online in 2023? SU’s Sarah Davison believes that hybrid mission could give churches – and young people – the best of both worlds.

Sport: The language helping the 95 to discover Jesus

Did you know that thanks to the generous gifts of our supporters, we are able to provide free mission support to churches. This autumn, our teams will be visiting churches across England and Wales on the Mission Impossible tour, providing inspiration and encouragement for their outreach to children and young people, and demonstrating firsthand the support available to them. To book your free place at a venue near you, visit su.org.uk/tour

More about Scripture Union

Scripture Union is a Christian charity, providing opportunities for children and young people to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith. With an estimated 95% of under-18s in England and Wales not part of a church, we help churches to step out and take the good news to them in exciting and culturally relevant ways. Visit www. scriptureunion.org.uk to find out more.

how

What a feast!

Dear friends,

In Luke’s Parable of the Wedding Banquet, the master (known to us as God) prepares an amazing feast and then sends servants out to where ordinary people are, inviting them to sit at his table and enjoy the best food there is to offer. The feast at God’s table is open to all!

At SU, we want every young person to know that God loves and values them, and to invite them to enjoy the incredible feast he wants to bless them with! That’s why from this autumn, thanks to your support, we’re able to offer mission support to even more churches, widening the use of our Revealing Jesus mission framework and, ultimately, providing even more children and young people with meaningful opportunities to partake in God’s amazing feast!

It’s always encouraging to hear stories of how God is revealing himself to children and young people through Jesus, and this edition of Connecting You is full of such stories. I hope that as you read, you’ll hear God inviting you to that feast all over again, and perhaps also calling you to get involved in sharing that invitation with young people too?

For me personally, I am nearing the end of my time as National Director at Scripture Union England and Wales and the search has begun to find my successor. Over my five years on staff, it has been an immense privilege to be part of God’s mission here at SU, working alongside a dedicated and passionate team of staff, volunteers and supporters. I’m excited to see what God has in store for me and for SU in this next season. Please do pray that the right person would respond to God’s call to take up the role.

Myles MacBean, National Director

PS Don’t forget to look at the Mission Report in the centre pages, to see the difference your support has made!

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Luke 14:5

Gospel and gaming in Durham Cathedral

This time last year, we asked for your support to help us appoint Revealing Jesus pioneers across England and Wales. Ian Kent was the man God had for one of the roles. But how and why did this result in 2,500 Year 6 children playing Guardians of Ancora in Durham Cathedral this June? Read on to find out!

We have long had an association with the Diocese of Durham, not least because its Bishop, Rt Revd Paul Butler, has had links with SU since his own childhood. But when we launched the Revealing Jesus mission framework in 2020, it fitted so well with the Diocese’s own priorities that we all felt it was time for a more formalised partnership.

We also agreed we needed someone on the ground dedicated to helping churches with identifying, training and resourcing Faith Guides. With your generous help, we recruited Ian, who lives in Chester-le-Street and is also a part-time outdoor activity instructor, as our Durham Revealing Jesus pioneer.

Ian says, ‘God had been leading me to do more to connect with young people not in church and tell them about Jesus, and to enable other churches to do the same. SU had already made lots of good contacts across the Diocese which I’ve been following up. Now we have ten Faith Guides and more are signing up all the time.’

An invitation we couldn’t turn down

‘Durham Diocese then invited us to have a “prayer space” at their annual Durham Cathedral event. Over three days they hold a series of services for all their Year 6 primary school pupils ahead of their move to secondary school. With around 2,500 children there from 80 schools, it was a great opportunity for us.

‘At the request of the Diocese, we offered the children a ten-minute taster playing SU’s digital Bible game, Guardians of Ancora. They were queuing up to take part! The biggest challenge was setting up the 100 tablets each time with such a fast turnover of children. Fortunately, we had help from lots of wonderful volunteers, including some of my Faith Guides!

Ian kent

‘The school staff accompanying the children could see footage of Guardians of Ancora being played up on a big screen. They could also see how much the kids loved it! I suggested they consider offering a Guardians of Ancora club to their pupils and lots were really excited by the prospect, so I’ll follow up with them.

‘I’ll also follow up with the churches associated with those schools, encouraging them to become Faith Guide churches and start using the Revealing Jesus mission framework. Running a Guardians of Ancora club in their local school (especially when that school is already primed and keen) offers them a great opportunity to connect with pupils and help them to explore faith. A club like this is also easy to manage and doesn’t need much resource – the game is so intuitive to

Get Guardians of Ancora at su.org.uk/guardians

play that the children barely need any instruction. SU can help get the clubs going and even lend them the tablets.’

Sharon Pritchard, the Diocese of Durham’s Children’s Ministry Adviser, organised the cathedral event. She said, ‘I’ve had really positive feedback so far from teachers who could see this prayer space was a huge hit with the children. And we’ve spoken with the schools about downloading the app on their tablets once they get back to school. A lot of our schools are now excited about the possibilities of working with Scripture Union and having a Guardians of Ancora club. It’s been such a blessing for all of us.’

Pray for our Mission Pioneers

Ian is not the only Mission Pioneer you enabled us to employ last year. Please thank God for all six Revealing Jesus/Sports Mission pioneers, and pray they will be able to effectively inspire and equip churches in their work to reach the 95.

Prayers

Please pray for all those involved in sharing the good news of Jesus with children and young people in and around Durham. event and heard the message of Jesus, perhaps for the first time. Ask God to inspire them to continue exploring the game at home, so that they can grow in their understanding of him.

Sunday 27

Praise God for the partnership between SU and the Diocese of Durham and the fruit that has come out of that partnership, including the event in Durham Cathedral.

Monday 28

Give thanks to God for Ian Kent (SU Revealing Jesus pioneer), Andy Harris (Diocesan Leader of Youth Mission and Ministry) and Sharon Pritchard (Children’s Ministry Adviser). Ask God to bless and inspire them as they support churches across the Diocese of Durham to reach out and connect with children and young people not in church.

Tuesday 29

Please pray that God will open doors for Ian and the team to connect with many of the primary schools that were at the cathedral event and help them to set up Guardians of Ancora clubs.

Wednesday 30

Please pray for all those Year 6 children who discovered Guardians of Ancora at the Durham Cathedral

Thursday 31

Please pray for the Faith Guides who have already signed up in Durham, that they will be encouraged as they reach out to connect with children and young people beyond the church walls and share the good news of Jesus with them.

Friday 1

Please pray for more people to be inspired to become Faith Guides so that the next generation will discover Jesus for themselves and the hope and joy that he offers each one of them.

Saturday 2

Praise God for releasing the resources needed to help the Diocese of Durham and SU to respond to his calling to enable young people to connect, explore, respond and grow in faith.

Prayers

Sunday 3

SU Slovakia gives thanks for the printing and distribution of resources for Sunday school teachers during the summer in time for the new school year. Please pray that these resources will equip the users and enable children to grow in faith.

Monday 4

Pray for the SU Cymru/Wales team as Sian Ifan settles into her role as Support Worker and the team learn to work together. This month they will be having a team retreat day to pray and plan for the year ahead.

Tuesday 5

Pray for Dom Conidi, Central Region Team Leader, as he seeks to develop partnerships with churches and organisations in the region to support the church in its mission to the emerging generation.

Wednesday 6

Give thanks for the volunteers who enabled our holidays and missions to happen and who had such an impact on children and young people this summer. Pray that they will have been inspired by their experiences to continue sharing Jesus with others as they return to their ‘normal’ lives.

Thursday 7

Pray for the members of the Development Hub as they seek to create content for Faith Guides and volunteers who deliver the Revealing Jesus mission framework. Pray that the resources are true to the Bible, user-friendly, appropriate for children and young people in the 95, and exciting and inspirational.

Friday 8

Pray that as Local Mission Partner Future Vision in Sudbury start with new teams and a new leader they will be able to return to schools with Open the Book. Pray that the chaplaincy offered by Ian and Liz in high school will bring effective support to students.

Saturday 9

Please pray for South West Regional Team Leader Margaret Lilley as she and Ben Poch work with SU South Africa helping them to do more through volunteers. Pray that as six staff from South Africa visit in October relationships will grow, and for Margaret and Ben as they deliver training in South Africa in November.

Prayers

Sunday 10

Pray for the SU New Zealand AGM on Zoom this Thursday asking for a good online attendance and fruitful outcomes. Pray that God will continue to guide and empower the team.

Monday 11

Pray for Local Mission Partner

Brighton and Hove City Mission. Their Head of Mission died early this year and their Schools Team Leader, Lloyd, has taken over. Pray for God’s wisdom for him as he steps into this new role.

Tuesday 12

Pray for Myles

MacBean as he prepares to finish as National Director next year and looks ahead to what God has in store for his next season. Pray too for the Board of trustees as they search for a successor.

Wednesday 13

Pray for Faith Guide Carol who works with Shammah International Ministries in Milton Keynes reaching out to schools and inviting them to their monthly Community Connect Mission Through Sport event. Give thanks for the committed team they have as the whole congregation gets behind the event and pray that it will continue to grow and see families come to Jesus.

Thursday 14

Give thanks for SU supporters, who faithfully pray, give and get involved in reaching out to the 95. Pray for God’s blessing, provision and peace in their lives.

Friday 15

Pray that Christian sixth form students in National Mission Partner Festive’s network would be bold and radical in living for and sharing Jesus where they study. Pray for new CUs and missions to be set up and for those who have taken on CU leadership.

Saturday 16

Jo Morley, Head of Mission Event Operations, would value prayer for the team – that they will be able to work together effectively and help parents, volunteers and staff to navigate all the processes that have to be in place for the holidays and missions to run safely and well.

Joel sees young lives being transformed

Can you believe it’s three years since your support enabled us to sign up the first Faith Guides? They included Joel Barwick who we featured in the summer 2021 edition of Connecting You. We caught up with him to get an update on what’s happened since.

Joel Barwick

When we first introduced Joel, youth worker at St Thomas’ church in Newcastle, pandemic restrictions were still in place and he was doing detached youthwork at a park in Newcastle’s East End. That’s how he met 10-year-old Spencer*, who wouldn’t eat the packet of crisps Joel gave him because he wanted to take them home for his mum who had no food. The church arranged for the family to receive food parcels from a foodbank – and continued to stay in touch.

Joel says, ‘Last September we started a youth group on Tuesday evenings – we regularly get around 15 young people and Spencer is one of them. They’ve told us it’s a space where they feel comfortable to share their lives and what’s going on, and to express themselves, and they come to meet with Jesus as well.

Creating safe spaces

‘Then last February we ran a residential and Spencer came to that too. One session was on the verse “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:9) and we said, “If anybody wants to draw nearer to God this week, then close your eyes and put your hands out in front of you,” and Spencer put his hands out. I don’t know that he would say he’s a Christian, but he’s listening and exploring and growing in understanding which is great to see! He even comes to church on a Sunday morning; he gets the bus down by himself.’

Toby*, another boy who came on the residential, had a remarkable encounter with God. Joel says, ‘We were telling the story of David and Goliath. The kids each held a stone to represent the pebble that David used to kill Goliath. Toby said that, when he put his stone down, it felt like all his sins were being washed away with it. And then when he went to sleep that night, in his dreams he saw a glowing cross with angel wings coming out of it. He heard a voice say, “Jesus is here with you always, never forget he is coming. Be prepared.” Later Toby told me, “Before this residential, I wasn’t really the believing type. But now I know that God’s real. And I feel like before the residential, my brain was backwards, but now it’s the right way

Now I know that God’s real

round.” What a great description of how God transforms us!

‘Being a Faith Guide and having SU’s support and care has been brilliant – the training they’ve given and coming along to help out with our groups. And also, just being there to listen and offer advice and expertise in what to do going forward. Recently I went on an SU Faith Guide retreat and it was great to meet with other youth workers who are doing similar work. In my youth group I can see God doing

something every week but outreach to the 95 is a lot more difficult and takes a lot of time and patience, so it’s good for Faith Guides to be able to encourage one another.

‘But when that patience and persistence pays off and you see children like Spencer and Toby really connecting with God, that’s the greatest encouragement of all!’

Mission Support

This autumn, three years after launching the Revealing Jesus mission framework, we are hoping to widen its reach and impact by providing a level of Mission Support to those who are not quite ready to become Faith Guides. Look out for more information on that as it becomes available on our website –su.org.uk/missionsupport

Being a Faith Guide and having SU’s support and care has been brilliant

Prayers

Sunday 17

Pray for SU Northern Ireland as they prepare for their annual Making Your Mark training event for 11- to 14-year-olds involved in Christian groups in schools. Pray that this will encourage young people and equip them to serve more effectively.

Monday 18

Pray for the North team as they plan for the Mission Impossible training tour around various towns in the north of England. Pray that those who come will be inspired to reach out to the 95 in their own contexts and equipped to do so confidently and boldly.

Tuesday 19

Local Mission Partner Christian Links in Keighley Schools has been without a worker for some time. Please pray for God’s direction in appointing an effective and committed worker to work in the schools of Keighley.

Wednesday 20

Pray for the team working on improvements to the Scripture Union website. Pray that they’ll find the best ways to powerfully communicate that SU can help churches in their mission to children and young people.

Thursday 21

Pray for Sports Ministry Consultant Mark Oliver as he develops and rolls out an accredited sports ministry and coaching course, asking that this will help many to use sports as a way of sharing the love of Jesus.

Friday 22

Please pray for the children who went on our holidays and missions this summer as they settle back into the routine of school and home –that they will continue to explore for themselves the difference that Jesus can make to their lives.

Saturday 23

Please pray for Adelaide Nketsia, Human Resources Officer, as she provides advice and support across the full range of the HR function, ensuring statutory compliance and best practice.

Prayers

Sunday 24

Pray for the SU International Global Team and Board as they meet in the USA this week – pray that God will direct all the discussions and planning.

Monday 25

Local Mission Partner Doncaster Schools Worker Trust gives thanks for the opportunities to share the gospel in schools since 1995. Pray for the recruitment of a second part-time primary school worker, and for new volunteers to share Open the Book assemblies and to grow the local church support base.

Tuesday 26

Please pray for Scripture Union’s work with national mission partner Artless Theatre Company. Together they have produced The Grumpy Owl and the Joy of Christmas, a new booklet to accompany a play from Artless to introduce children from the 95 to the true story of Christmas.

Wednesday 27

Pray for SU’s Communications and Marketing Manager, Eddie Nock, as he seeks to inform and encourage you, our supporters. Pray particularly for creativity and wisdom

for him and his team as they look to reach and inspire new and younger audiences – the supporters of the future.

Thursday 28

Please pray for STEAP, a Grow Community in the central region, focusing on equipping children and young people to use their gifts in the life of the church. Pray that they will continue to find engaging ways to connect with the 95 whilst discipling those at the Grow stage of the Revealing Jesus framework.

Friday 29

Pray for Local Mission Partner Ignite in Alnwick, a Growing Faith hub for the Church of England, as they develop new and innovative ways to connect with children, young people and their families. Pray for strengthening relationships, wisdom and more hands to deliver the work.

Saturday 30

Give thanks for God’s gifting and direction as over the summer we have re-envisioned aspects of our Revealing Jesus offering. Pray that, through this development, we will be able to support a wider number of local churches in using our mission framework to journey alongside the 95 in their communities.

Mission Report

Year ended 31 march 2023

“Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

Jeremiah 42:3 (NIV)

It’s not all about looking backwards, though. We can also move forward knowing that God will continue to guide us as we continue to reach the youngest generations with the gospel! As we reach out further to these children and young people that are hungry for Jesus, we continue to be blessed beyond measure by your invaluable support. I thank God for the committed and faithful volunteers, staff and supporters like you who open doors of possibility and forge lasting relationships as together we reach out to the 95.

While you pause in these pages for a while, I hope that you will be just as encouraged by God’s goodness and grace as we grow into all that he is calling us to do together. I am so thankful for this incredible journey and look forward to stepping out in faith with you as we stride into all that God has prepared for us to do in the coming year.

Myles MacBean, National Director

On the ground

Revealing Jesus

Supporting churches in mission is the main thrust of our work at Scripture Union England and Wales. It has been so encouraging to see such an increase in the number of Faith Guides using the Revealing Jesus mission framework to help them journey into faith with children and young people.

Faith Guides

98 Faith Guides signed up during the year.

(taking the total to 316 Faith Guides)

77 new churches came on board to support Faith Guides.

(taking the total to 237 churches)

Mission pioneers

We engaged 7 new part-time Pioneers, working within major cities, to help even more churches get on board with the vision.

We also saw the launch of:

5 Revealing Jesus pilots within an urban, ethnic minority church context.

3 pilots with Local Mission Partners.

As I pause and take stock of all that has happened through Scripture Union’s ministry this past year, I give glory to God for all that he has made possible.

MISSION PARTNERS

The benefits of working together are huge! That’s why we work with 59 Local Mission Partners (separate local charitable trusts who share our heart and vision) and 1 National Partner. 120 workers are employed between them. 2 new Local Mission Partners came on board during the year.

Resources

Providing high-quality tried-and-tested resources for mission remains a big part of what we offer at Scripture Union. Here are just some of the resources making an impact this year…

it’s your move

This much-loved resource continued to help children take the daunting step to secondary school, impacting the lives of thousands. 134,804 copies were ordered, along with 1,814 copies of its Welsh counterpart, Y Cam Nesaf.

Growing in faith

During the year, groups led by Faith Guides regularly connected with over 33,000 children and young people in the connect-explore-respond phases of the Revealing Jesus mission framework, with 225 under-18s part of 20 separate Grow Communities.

Faith Guide Clusters

We introduced Faith Guide Learning Clusters (hour-long, online sessions run by SU staff on a topic to equip Faith Guides in their work). 78 Faith Guides took part.

The faith Guide hub

The online Faith Guide Hub continued to equip Faith Guides with dedicated resources to help them develop in their role and to create the best faith journey with the 95.

We continued to develop our existing resource collections while preparing 2 new ones for launch in summer 2023. Our existing collections – SeeKing Jesus, SHOWTIME! and Be More Micah – were downloaded, at least 674 times.

Find out more at su.org.uk/RevealingJesus

Seasonal resources

Halloween: Jesus is The Light?

20,830 books were ordered for alternative Halloween events, with 1,229 people downloading the accompanying animation. 620 copies of the Welsh translation (Lesu Yw’r Goleuni) were also ordered.

Christmas: God Became Like Me?

24,230 books were purchased to give away to children at Christmas plus 160 copies of the Welsh translation (Ac Fe Ddaeth Duw Fel Fi?). 416 people downloaded the accompanying animation.

Easter: Jesus Died for Me?

23,320 copies were ordered along with 170 of the Welsh translation (Bu Farw Iesu Drosof Fi?), with 826 downloads of the animated version.

This means a potential 69,330 received a seasonal, gospel-sharing gift!

The Restoration Station

192 copies of the leaders’ guide for our latest resource to help churches run a holiday club were sold, along with 1,800 accompanying children’s activity books and 1,061 accompanying digital resources.

Rooted

Our Rooted resources to help create safe spaces for children and young people to explore and grow in faith remained popular. Just over 1,000 Rooted resources were bought or downloaded during the year.

Holidays and Events

We ran 46 holidays and 11 missions, with 7 of the holidays being brand new for this season. We also ran 5 Faith Guide holidays, designed for groups of children and young people to attend with their Faith Guide(s). Around 1,600 children attended a residential event and, although things had become more normal after a few Covid-affected years, we ran 3 online events.

We love our volunteers!

Our amazing volunteers are the lifeblood behind our events programme, and we couldn’t do it without them! There were 1,383 known volunteer opportunities. This is equivalent to 2,612 working weeks or 56 full-time staff !

Mission through Sport

There are now 5 people in the SU Sports Team, helping churches make the most of the amazing opportunity sport presents for making connections and sharing the gospel. The team’s sports sessions, including residential sports camps, reached over 300 children.

Building community

The 95 campaign

233 people signed up to The 95 Campaign during the year, showing their support for the vital task of reaching the 95. This takes the total number of campaign members to 15,250!

Social Media

THE

We continued to engage current and potential supporters on social channels, with a combined follower count (on Facebook and Instagram) of over 10,000 and a reach of 500,000+ .

We posted over 400 times during the year with 2,158 interactions (likes, comments, shares).

Local gatherings

Local gatherings were held in 5 locations across England and Wales, which brought together over 100 Faith Guides, Local Mission Partners and staff for days of reconnection, worship, teaching and equipping.

Our quarterly news and prayer magazine, Connecting You, was sent to more than 16,000 supporters during the year, with some getting it by post and others choosing email.

Bible reading guides

We love helping our supporters engage with God’s Word daily, and our Bible reading guides continue to be enjoyed by thousands. Almost 12,000 people are subscribed to our printed notes with around 7,000 people receiving the daily Word Live email.

Giving thanks Tuesday

On top of the regular thank you messages we send to our wonderful supporters, we dedicated a whole day to saying thank you in November. While we couldn’t thank everyone on that day, 7,000 supporters were thanked by post, email or over the phone.

Going Global

Scripture Union England and Wales is just one of over 130 independent Scripture Union movements operating in around 120 countries around the world. Although each movement is autonomous, each Scripture Union Movement is committed to the same aims, beliefs and working principles. To find out more about our joint mission, visit www.scriptureunion.global.

Committing to the future

Supporters of the future

We hired a communications assistant to help us introduce a younger generation of potential supporters to SU. Look out for more on that project soon!

Research

We partnered with national youth charity Youthscape on a new piece of research – ‘Translating God: Making sense of Christianity with Gen Z’. The results will be published later in 2023 and will help shape our ongoing mission.

Hybrid mission

Should mission be face to face or online in this day and age? Or perhaps both?

To help us answer this question, 2 hybrid mission pilots (relating to sports and online games) were started. A practical guidelines documents is in the process of being published, and a research study in partnership with Liverpool Hope University is underway.

Finances

Your gifts, time and prayers all make a huge difference, and ensure that many more children and young people receive relevant and engaging opportunities to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Here’s an overview of the money we received during the 2022/23 financial year, including your gifts, and the ways in which it was spent:

publishing

of raising funds

None of the activity outlined in this report would have been possible without the generosity of our supporters. If you helped financially, prayed for the work or volunteered – THANK YOU! This success is yours too.

Could you give a gift to ensure even more is possible next year?

This is a summary of Scripture Union’s financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2023, extracted from the full Trustee’s Report and Financial Statements which have been audited. A full statement of our financial activities can be found in our Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements, a copy of which can be obtained by contacting us on 01908 856135.

activities

Thank you!

We know it’s a cliché, but it really is only thanks to you, our wonderful supporters, that much of what you’ve read about here is actually possible. While we have a staff team working behind the scenes, it’s you – the volunteers, faithful prayer warriors and generous givers – who are the real heroes of the piece.

Your generosity in giving of your finances and time continues to ensure we can support hundreds of churches in mission and, in turn, enable thousands of children and young people to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith.

Thank you

so much for everything you do!

Prayers

Sunday 1

Madagascar is preparing to welcome the Island Games and SU Madagascar hopes to take this opportunity to share the gospel. Please pray for their preparations and that many will be reached.

Monday 2

The South West team give thanks for increasing numbers of Faith Guides in their region. Some, however, are having to step back because of financial pressure in their churches. Pray for staff who have been working with them. Pray that churches will make working with children and young people a priority.

Tuesday 3

Pray that Mission Enabler Jordana Smith and the Faith Guides and LMPs she works alongside will have wisdom and courage as they seek to reach more young people for Jesus in London. Pray that there will be ongoing benefit from the London Faith Guide week in August.

Wednesday 4

Pray for Tabz, Hettie and other youth workers with Local Mission Partner SASW Trust in schools and the community in Southport. Pray that, in the face of the many young people who come to them, they can seize the opportunity to develop

meaningful relationships, revealing Jesus.

Thursday 5

The Mission Events team are working to get everything in place for the 2024 holidays season. Give thanks for the schools, outdoor centres and other sites that welcome us each year and pray that we will be able to have great venues for our holidays and missions for the coming year.

Friday 6

Pray for Mission Enabler Sarah Davison as she explores the potential of a hybrid model of mission using both face-to-face and online elements (see page 16). Pray that this will support churches and Faith Guides as they share the good news of Jesus with children and young people.

Saturday 7

Pray for Local Mission Partner Artless Theatre Trust as they face a busy October touring If Prison Walls Could Speak, from London to Manchester from the 13th–21st. Pray for safe travels and for God to work powerfully through the performances.

Revealing Jesus 24/7!

Remember those far-off days of lockdowns where we had to swiftly learn how to do mission online? We might have been delighted to get back to sharing Jesus in person, but SU’s Sarah Davison believes that hybrid mission could give churches – and young people – the best of both worlds.

‘Back in 2020, using online platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp and Facebook in mission was new to many of us,’ says Sarah. ‘It had its challenges, not least around safeguarding. But we saw young people who hadn’t engaged face to face suddenly opening up and taking part online. I think there could be other benefits too, such as helping us to be more inclusive of children isolated by geography or health issues.’

So, Sarah is leading an SU pilot project to explore Hybrid Mission and how we might weave together the best elements of in-person and digital mission. It includes a focus on three particular areas, one of which is holidays.

Staying connected throughout the year

‘We run an annual Rooted Retreat, bringing together Rooted groups – young people, led by a Faith Guide, who already meet regularly in their own communities to explore faith using SU Rooted resources. They love feeling part of something bigger, so through our Hybrid Mission project we’ve been exploring how to keep those groups connected during the year and continue building those relationships. We also want to add a different dimension to what local Rooted groups can offer in terms of helping those young people on their journey of faith.

‘So we’ve all met up on Zoom and in person and we’ve sent out postcards with QR codes on them to link young people to online content including videos. Now we’ve launched an Instagram group for them, featuring scripture, quotes, video. They can help create content with their Faith Guide for us to include too – for example, videos of themselves asking a question from a Rooted Card.’

One of the Retreat’s young leaders thinks it has been valuable. ‘Every year after the retreat, the kids say “I wish we could do this every week.” Now we can still connect from afar.

Sarah Davison

We got to know each other more; it was really good

We got to know each other more; it was really good.’ They also felt it will encourage more of the young people to return to the Retreat each year – ‘it gives them more to look forward to’.

Hybrid sports and gaming

That flexibility and accessibility of online content also has potential to work with the second focus area for the Hybrid Mission pilot: Mission through sport. Sarah says, ‘We’ve produced videos for leaders to share with kids during a halftime break, using a smartphone or tablet. We’re also developing other videos that the young people can use between sessions, helping them to explore faith at a deeper level.’

The final focus area is gaming. ‘We know mission means going to

where young people are, and they’re always online, playing games like Minecraft,’ says Sarah. ‘How might we go about bringing the message of Jesus into that space in a way that feels natural and not forced for the young people, and makes it simple, safe and straightforward for churches?’

So where to from here? Sarah says, ‘Using what we’ve learned, we plan to produce some guidelines to help anyone wanting to share Jesus with children and young people on how to interweave digital and face-to-face mission effectively, easily and safely. Hybrid Mission has the potential to offer a whole extra dimension and richness to mission, enabling young people to meet with God and make sense of the Christian message in exciting new ways!’

We would value your prayers!

Please pray for the Hybrid Mission pilots using the feature prayers opposite.

Prayers

Please pray for SU’s Sarah Davison and all those involved in the Hybrid Mission pilot. It has the potential to take mission into whole new dimensions, but it’s also essential that we ensure this can be done safely and simply.

Sunday 8

Praise God that out of the challenges of the pandemic he has brought forth the exciting concept of Hybrid Mission and its potential to share Jesus more effectively with children and young people.

Monday 9

Praise God for inspiring and equipping SU’s Sarah Davison to explore the opportunities that Hybrid Mission presents, and enabling her to collaborate on it with experts around the world.

Tuesday 10

Please pray for effective collaboration between all involved in the Hybrid Mission pilot – the team includes experts in digital and faceto-face mission from the UK and across the world.

Wednesday 11

Please pray for Sarah and a team at Liverpool’s Hope University as this

month they enter the first stage of some groundbreaking research into Hybrid Mission, interviewing young people without church connections.

Thursday 12

Please pray as the research team present their initial findings at an international youth conference early in 2024. Pray that it will help to inspire Christians from many cultures in how to share Jesus in new ways.

Friday 13

Ask God to give wisdom and discernment to all those involved in the Hybrid Mission pilot and research, so they are able to clearly identify the key lessons coming out of it.

Saturday 14

Please pray that God leads Sarah and the team in how best to communicate the Hybrid Mission learnings to churches in ways that are simple to put into action and effective in bearing spiritual fruit.

Prayers

Sunday 15

Join SU South Sudan in giving thanks for the training of 200 pastors, women leaders and youth leaders in May and for a crusade attended by 2000 when God worked powerfully, and many gave their lives to Christ and where there were miracles of healing and deliverance.

Monday 16

Mission Enabler

Janine Parkinson asks us to pray for the central region Faith Guide holiday (November 1–3). Pray that as Faith Guides bring their unchurched young people along to experience a fun and faithfilled weekend, the young people will discover Jesus for themselves.

Tuesday 17

The brand-new Deep Sea Divers holiday club is published this week. Pray for all churches and other groups beginning to plan a holiday club for next year, asking that, through the stories from Matthew’s Gospel, many children will meet Jesus for the first time.

Wednesday 18

The Board of Scripture Union England and Wales meets today. Thank God for the combined wisdom, expertise and experience

which they bring to crucial issues of strategy, governance and compliance and pray that they might know God’s guidance.

Thursday 19

Pray for Tanya Pencheva as she supports the Development Hub team, uploading published resources, helping users to make the most effective use of them and looking after Word Live. She asks us to pray that she may be able to prioritise and cover everything that is required.

Friday 20

Next week, from Monday to Friday, a group of SU retirees will be holding their annual conference at which they will enjoy fellowship, receive input from SU staff and pray for the work. Give thanks for their faithful service as staff and volunteers and pray that the time will be profitable.

Saturday 21

Pray for Mission Enabler Lucy Pearson as she continues conversations with churches about revealing Jesus and supports Faith Guides and communities across the north, developing relationships with supporting churches and Faith Guides through Rooted.

Prayers

Sunday 22

Pray for the youth leader and Sunday School teacher training run by SU Laos. Give thanks for the Bible Reading Ministry training they have completed with local church leaders in two provinces.

Monday 23

The South East team are encouraged by all God is doing as they embark on a new school year, with the first half term now complete. Please continue to pray for the team as they support Faith Guides working to build stronger connections with their local schools.

Tuesday 24

Pray for the secondary schools in Havering, as Local Mission Partner Graceworks sets up more afterschool clubs. Pray that students will be drawn to them with open hearts and questions about who Jesus is and how he can be a part of their lives.

Wednesday 25

Earlier this year, a Local Mission Partner told of how a child attending

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OCT 22

a school-based Guardians of Ancora club had become a Christian, is now going to church (with their family too) and is soon to be baptised. Thank God and pray that many more young people will be transformed through this ministry.

Thursday 26

Pray for Ben Poch as he leads Regional Mission at Scripture Union, asking for God’s guidance and blessing. Pray especially for the impact of the Faith Guides supported by Regional Mission as they reach out to the 95 and share the message of Jesus.

Friday 27

Xplore is a new holiday for Faith Guide groups in the central region that takes place for the first time this half term. Please pray that the children who attend will have a fantastic time together and be excited as they take the next steps in their faith journeys.

Saturday 28

Pray for Local Mission Partner Christian Schools Workers Hastings, as they seek God’s plan for the future with one of their workers leaving at the end of the year and as they wrestle with financial challenges.

Sport: The language helping the 95 to discover Jesus

Sport has huge appeal among young people and provides unique opportunities to connect with them, build relationships and share Jesus. Thanks to your support, we’re able to help more churches than ever before to use this amazing medium for mission!

SU Sports Mission Team

Mark Oliver

Leader Mark Oliver and his team – Sarah, Ruth and Holly – want every church in England and Wales to be able to make the most of the mission opportunities that sport can offer, whether that’s just kicking a football round the local park or running a sports-themed camp.

Mark says, ‘Mission through sport is about more than competitive, organised things like football. It includes simple and fun physical games and activities too, so it appeals to most young people and can be adapted to most church contexts. We’re training Mission Enablers to help Faith Guides run

sports mission easily and effectively, and we’re creating new off-the-shelf resources they can use (such as halftime Bible-based video talks).

‘For those Faith Guides who want to go a step further and specialise in mission through sport, we’re developing an accredited training programme so they can construct their own programmes tailored to the needs of the young people they work with.’

Mark and his team also help churches use sport in low-income communities where it can literally be a missional game-changer! Mark says, ‘It can help address the poverty of health and hope faced by young people in such places. In Sheffield, for example, we helped a church in Fir Vale to run a short non-residential sports camp at Easter and they were delighted that over 30 young people came. Among them was Josh*, whose behaviour was challenging. But after I’d shared more about Jesus, Josh told me “I think I need Jesus to change me!” Sports mission has given him that hope.’

Help other young people like Josh to discover Jesus through sport!

Give to our appeal and you’ll equip more churches to do mission through sport and speak a language the 95 can understand. Visit su.org.uk/sport, where you can also read more about Josh’s story!

I think I need Jesus to change me!

Prayers WEEK BEGINNING OCT 29

Sunday 29

SU in English-speaking Canada gives thanks for the launch of The Dad and Lad Podcast which features two of SU Canada’s trainers discussing children’s and family ministry. Pray that this will help listeners to put their faith into practice.

Monday 30

Please pray that the Shine Your Light at Halloween resource will enable Faith Guides and youth leaders to engage with children and young people at this time, helping them to discover that Jesus is the true Light.

Tuesday 31

Join Mission Assistant Accountant Susannah Quinn in thanking God for the summer programme and all the children and young people who heard the good news of Jesus. Please pray that the seeds sown would continue to grow in them and for continued connections to church or Christian influence in their lives.

Wednesday 1

Pray for Local Mission Partner Reach, as they focus on Christmas Unwrapped for Year 6s throughout Reading; pray that the children will rejoice in the birth of Jesus. Pray that the CU Student Leaders’ night will encourage young people running groups in their schools.

Thursday 2

Pray for the young people who attended the Rooted retreat in June and for those who encountered God through the well-being teepee at New Wine this summer, as they continue to journey with God. Pray too for Rooted hubs across the country.

Friday 3

Pray that as the central region Xplore Faith Guide Holiday finishes today Faith Guides and young people will leave having met with Jesus in lifechanging ways and with deepened relationships that will enable them to continue to explore. Pray that Faith Guides will have been encouraged.

Saturday 4

Mission Events Coordinator Karen Quinney asks us to pray for the mission events team as they prepare for the Holiday and Mission Leaders’ days coming up early in 2024. Pray that they will organise days which will prepare event leaders to run safe, enjoyable and effective holidays and missions.

Prayers

Sunday 5

Join SU India in praising God for the VBS Directors’ Training involving 400–500 people. Pray for the openings they have in churches and schools, and that the staff and the volunteer team will be able to help children to grow in their faith.

Monday 6

Pray for Local Mission Partner

Ouzel Valley Pioneer Mission Project working in the Leighton Buzzard area as they review the project and fundraise to replenish their funds before looking to recruit again.

Tuesday 7

Pray for South East Regional Team Leader

Josh Booth as he supports churches and Local Mission Partners as we head towards Christmas with all the opportunities it brings to share the Christmas story with children and young people.

Wednesday 8

Pray for the Development Hub team as they finalise the Bible Reading Guides for July to September 2024. Thank God that although the notes are prepared many months in advance he always speaks into the present.

Thursday 9

Praise God that the work of Local Mission Partner Impact in Bedford is going well. The team are visiting local primary and high schools doing assemblies. Pray for the new part-time worker Cara, who started in April, as she settles into the team.

Friday 10

Pray for John Settatree, National Team Leader in Wales, as he oversees a research project on Generation Alpha, looking to learn what they think about life and faith and to pioneer some bespoke models of mission with them.

Saturday 11

The SU Council provides a forum for discussing issues in ministry in the light of the contexts in which we work. Thank God for the volunteer members and pray that they may have wisdom and insight as they meet today. Pray too for new members to be found.

Prayers

Sunday 12

SU Honduras asks us to pray for the Bookstore El Encuentro and Camp Cerro de Luz, that they may continue to grow and that they will reach many more pastors, churches and ministries.

Monday 13

As we head closer to Christmas, please pray for Content Administrator Michelle Newstead as she keeps track of our stock and ensures smooth running of Christmas promotions so that users will be able to benefit from the resources we have produced.

Tuesday 14

Please pray for all our Grow Communities across England and Wales that support and encourage children and young people in their journey of faith. Pray that we can continue to support them effectively and that new Grow Communities will continue to emerge.

Wednesday 15

Pray with Local Mission Partner Actios as they look to appoint a second worker. Their worker Jen cannot serve

all the schools in St Neots on her own. They would love every primary school child in the area to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thursday 16

Pray for the Local Mission Partners across England and Wales as they prepare to take the Christmas message into schools and communities in the next month. Pray for openness to the amazing message that God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Friday 17

Please pray for south east region Support Worker Tsvetelina Smale as she supports the team with end-ofyear projects and activities. Pray specifically for wisdom, knowledge and new creative ways to help facilitate and build relationships with external partners.

Saturday 18

Pray for the Digital Solutions and Finance teams as they review the systems that underpin the effective management of the SU financial accounts. Pray for solutions that will make for smoother and more effective working.

Prayers

Sunday 19

Pray for the team of school chaplains across Australia and for the work which they do in schools. There are a number of vacancies. Pray that God will call people to fill these vacancies.

Monday 20

Give thanks for all that God has provided for SU ministry so far and will continue to provide. Please pray for an increase in financial support, as we look to increasing our reach to more of the 95% of children and young people who haven’t yet started their journey of faith.

Tuesday 21

With Christmas drawing ever closer, please pray for children playing the Guardians of Ancora game and encountering the stories of the birth of Jesus, perhaps for the first time. May they be intrigued and motivated to discover more about Jesus.

Wednesday 22

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ready on the website and booking systems, and that children will be excited as they start planning their holidays for the coming year.

Thursday 23

Pray for Local Mission Partner Cynllun EFE in Caernarfon, North Wales as they seek a Welsh-speaking Christian as their part-time youth worker to support local chapels, churches and schools. Pray that a suitably gifted person, chosen by the Lord, will come forward to fulfil this ministry.

Friday 24

Pray for Gifts Administrator

Esther Kuganja, asking for wisdom as she works within the Finance team who have been adapting to changes in the past year.

Saturday 25

Holiday bookings for 2024 will open soon. Please pray for the Mission Events team as they get everything

The Development Hub has been going through changes in recent months. Please pray for team leader Gemma Willis as she seeks to lead and build a healthy and effective team – and for the members of the team as they adjust and establish new, positive working relationships.