Connectingyou IN THIS EDITION Grow Communities – Helping fledgling faith to flourish “I never saw that coming” –Becoming a Faith Guide Daring to dream in Durham Inside: Your missionpull-outreport Autumn2022
Daring to dream the exciting vision of the local churches and why having a Revealing Jesus Pioneer will make such a big difference. restores from brokenness latest which help churches important young people.
in Durham Carol Lines shares
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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. MissionReport Year ended 31 2022march “Let each generation tell its children of yourmighty acts; let them proclaim your power”Psalm 145:4 (NLT)
Faith McConnell shares the impact a Grow Community is having in Southampton, helping children explore and grow in their faith. to surprise, last Beck has not only become a Families Worker a Faith Guide,
too!
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Jesus
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.
Contents 4 Helping fledgling faith to flourish
unpack this
Read about our
Guide Charis
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2216 Connecting You is Scripture Union’s supporter and prayer magazine, keeping you up to date with what God is doing through the work you support. Connecting You magazine is also available online at: www.su.org.uk/connectingyou. If you have a © Scripture Union 2022 Registered Charity 213422 Limited Company 00039828 Registered in England and Wales story for Connecting You, or a suggestion on how we could improve our service to you, please contact the editor: eddien@scriptureunion.org.uk For general enquiries Tel: 01908 856000 Fax: 01908 856111 Email: info@scriptureunion.org.uk www.scriptureunion.org.uk Published by Scripture Union, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 ODF Did you know? As a charity, Scripture Union relies on the prayers, gifts and time of thousands of supporters to help bring God’s plans to life. We hope you’ll enjoy reading this year’s Mission Report (centre pages), outlining just some of the things you’ve helped make possible over the past year. Thank you!
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10 ‘I never saw that coming!’ Much
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“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” Ephesians 2:10
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Dear friends, Can you believe it’s now almost two years since we launched the Revealing Jesus mission framework? It gives me such joy to hear about the volunteers across England and Wales who are being stirred by the Holy Spirit to become Faith Guides in their community. The stories you’ll read in this issue of Connecting You are another glimpse into this amazing work. I’m amazed and inspired by the way God has called Carol, Charis, Ellie and Fiona to this. It’s so clear that he is using them to draw close to the 95, communicating his love for them as they begin their faith journey. It’s wonderful to see how God has so clearly prepared the way and provided for them as they obediently follow. Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve been able to expand our team of Mission Enablers and Mission Pioneers. This term we’ll be welcoming eight new faces to the team, increasing our capacity to train and support Faith Guides in Durham, Birmingham and other areas. Please do pray for them as they start, and that more people would respond to God’s prompting to serve as Faith Guides to reach the 95 in their We’recommunities.soawarethat these are challenging times economically. Here at Scripture Union, we’re continuing to pray and trust God to provide for the work he has called us to do. Similarly, we’re praying that each of you will see his provision in your own lives. If things are particularly difficult and you’d like to discuss your giving, please contact our fundraising team who would be more than happy to talk to you. Whether you support us in prayer, financially, as a volunteer or all three, we’re so grateful for you and all your support. Thank you!
Myles MacBean, National Director
Helping fledgling faith to flourish
Charis McConnell, a volunteer with SU Local Mission Partner Southampton City Mission, has started a ‘Grow Community’ at a local non-faith primary school. She shares what it looks like, why she’s so passionate about it – and why patience is a great virtue!
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Faith’doCitySouthamptonwithMissionto‘Questionofdayslinked to the curriculum. ‘We are limited in what we can say in class,’ Charis says, ‘But the children often have lots of questions and I have little time on the day to help them find the answers. I longed to be able to do more to bring God’s love into their lives.
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The Grow Community started with six children in autumn 2021 and word soon spread. ‘Now we have 21 children and a waiting list!’ says Charis. ‘So far as I know, only one child is from a Christian home and the others know very little about Christianity so you’re starting from a very low understanding!
So when I went to SU’s Faith Guide training, it felt like an answer to prayer
‘How do you explain prayer, for example? I said you think a thought in your head and send it to God and say “Amen”. The children thought you always had to pray for others, so we reassured them it was OK to pray for yourself too. They didn’t want to pray out loud; instead, they say a prayer in their head and stick a coloured dot on a “prayer tray”. Now the prayer dots are layers
Charis already visits the school several times a year
‘So when I went to SU’s Faith Guide training, it felt like an answer to prayer. I asked the school if I could start a group to help children explore faith and the Bible in a fun and relaxed setting. The school was really enthusiastic! I even dropped to working a four-day week so I had time to run it. The vicar and curate from the nearest church are supportive and sometimes come in to help.’
CHARIS McCONNELL
‘The children themselves named the club “Believe Club” and refer to themselves as The Believers. We’ve been learning about Jesus for nearly More about Grow Communities Grow Communities are all about helping children and young people flourish in their faith in ways that work for them. They are peer-shaped and adult-guided groups with the children and young people setting the agenda along with their Faith Guides. Each and every Grow Community will be different, as they’re built with and around the children or young people they’re serving. Find out more at su.org.uk/growcommunities a year – they know he loves them, is always there for them, and wants to have a relationship with them. In the next few weeks, I plan to explain that they might already think of themselves as being Christians, but if they want to be sure, they can choose to pray a prayer saying that they want to follow Jesus.’
‘God did warn me it would be baby steps, much smaller than I even imagined. I asked God if I was going too slow, but today it was like he was saying “See?”
One lad – the one I’d least expect – came up and asked if he could say a prayer out loud
www.scriptureunion.org.uk6 deep. Each week we pick it up and say “These are all the things you’ve talked to God about” and they get really excited!
‘I normally do say a prayer out loud at the end of the session. Today, we had a massive breakthrough: One lad – the one I’d least expect – came up and asked if he could say a prayer out loud! He told us all to close our eyes, and he put his hands together and prayed this moving prayer about memory loss, something I guess must be affecting someone he loves. He said to God, “Can you step in and make people better like you do in the Bible?” and then he listed three of the recent stories we’d explored about healing. And he said, “If they can’t remember me, can they please at least remember God?” Oh my!
Wednesday 31 Please pray that the children in these Grow Communities will continue to grow in their understanding of the Christian faith and that God will protect them from anything taking that faith away.
Give thanks to God for Faith Guides
Monday 29 Praise God for opening the hearts of the children at Believe Club and Worship Wonders, most of whom are not from Christian homes, to receive Jesus’ message of hope and love.
Thursday 1 Faith Guide Charis is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is grateful to God that he has kept her strong enough to continue Believe Club. Please ask God to continue to strengthen her, to bring her healing, and to bless her in all that she is and does.
Saturday 3
Please pray for Grow Communities
Give thanks too that the school in which Believe Club is based is so open to having this community in their midst, even though they are not faith-based.
Ellie, Charis, Jill and other staff and volunteers linked to Southampton City Mission who share Jesus in over 50 schools and have developed two Grow Communities (Believe Club and Worship Wonders)!
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Friday 2 Across the country, there are several other Faith Guide-led groups of children from nonChristian homes who are almost at the point of becoming Grow Communities – please ask God to protect and bless them and for their faith to develop and flourish.
Sunday 28
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Prayers
Please pray for Faith Guides to have real wisdom and patience in sharing faith with children who have no knowledge at all of the gospel. It really does take ‘baby steps’ – but all those baby steps are progress on the journey towards faith!
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Friday 9 Local Mission Partner Future Vision is praying for wisdom about how to move forward in the schools of Sudbury, Suffolk after the pandemic. Pray with them for a clear vision from God. The fields are white – pray for workers for the harvest.
Monday 5 Local Mission Partner ACTIOS thank God for the relationships they built during the last academic year in the schools in St Neots. Pray that these will lead to opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. Pray for wisdom for the Trustees as they look for an additional worker and Trustee.
Tuesday 6 Pray for upkeepingtheteamandCommunicationstheMarketingwhohavedifficulttaskofsupporterstodatewithall that God is doing through Scripture Union. Pray particularly for Eddie Nock who leads the small team, especially for wisdom and direction as he seeks ways to connect with younger supporters.
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THE STATION
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Prayers
A Scripture Union holiday clubprogramme. Great new ideas,inspired by experience. Includes FREE photocopiableresourcesandextrasonlinewww.scriptureunion.org.uk 1785 069 ISBN 978 78506
THE STATION
Sunday 4 SU Scotland has some new gap year students starting this month. Pray that those leaving home for the first time will quickly settle, and that God will do a work of grace in and through them as they serve him over the coming year.
Wednesday 7 Give thanks for the all the holidays and missions that took place this summer and for the volunteers who made them happen. Please pray refreshmentfor themencouragementandforastheygoback to work and study again.
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This exciting new holiday club fromScripture Union is designed to help youreach out to the 95% of children andyoung people in your community whoaren’t in church. At The Restoration Station children will beintroduced to Jesus as a restorer. Using keystories from John’s Gospel, the children willdiscover how Jesus is the master craftsmanwho heals and restores. Each day they will begiven the opportunity to explore who Jesus isand respond to him in appropriate ways. Including three half-day session outlines (withan additional two sessions of material online),The Restoration Station also covers themesof fear, feeling broken on the inside and howGod can be both a rock and a shelter.
Saturday 10 theyhaveFinanceusAccountant,Okwara,MaureenAssistantaskstopraythattheteamwillwisdomasprocessincome and expenses, and communicate with suppliers and international movements, and that they will be able to show God’s love in their work.
Thursday 8 Please pray for the new holiday club resource for churches to use in 2023, Restoration Station which is due to be released in mid-October. Pray that the material will help the 95 learn about how Jesus is the Great Restorer.
Sunday 11 SU Italy asks us to pray for the young people in Italy who struggle to find jobs. Many have had to emigrate or accept low-paid jobs. Pray too for an increase in the numbers using SU Bible notes.
Monday 12 Pray for the harvest assembly tour being undertaken by Local Mission Partner Brighton and Hove City Mission. Workers Lloyd, Helen and Lauren will be collecting food from 30 schools across the city for Brighton Food Bank. Pray that schools will be receptive and will benefit.
Thursday 15 Some of our supporters have been in touch, apologising for their reduction in giving due to the economic climate. Thank God for their faithfulness. Pray for God’s peace and provision as they long to give to the work and feel sad that they are unable to do so to the same degree.
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Tuesday 13 Pray for the Faith Guides who are attending SU regional gatherings. Pray that they will leave them feeling refreshed and energised for the work God has called them to do.
Wednesday 14 Today Local Mission Partner Mustard Seed Trust who work in Morpeth will be meeting with partners to review this year’s Brinkburn Lifepath. Give
Friday 16 Please pray for National Mission Partner Festive as they support Christian students starting or returning to college and sixth form this month. Pray for CUs to be started, to continue and to grow in their mission and for Scattered, Festive’s online student training event.
Saturday 17 SU’s Sport
withand,willMissionprayOliverConsultant,MinistryMarkasksustothattheSportsPioneerssettleinwellinpartnershipchurchesandFaith Guides, will enable sports ministry activities in some of the poorest communities, sharing the good news of Jesus through sport.
Prayers thanks for all the andwhochildrenattendedpraythat the team will know God’s direction for the future.
‘I never saw that coming!’ Through your support, in just under a year Fiona Beck has become a Children’s and Families Worker and Faith Guide and has established an incredibly popular after-schools club. She has her sights and her prayers set on it becoming a Grow Community and the first green shoots are already appearing.
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FIONABECK
‘Over a number of years, the church had lost the few families it had. So keen were they to reach out to children and young people in the wider community that over half of them – 35 people – volunteered to help Fiona. ‘I only work 20 hourswww.scriptureunion.org.ukaweek,’Fiona
Fiona has a long history with SU; she became a Christian on an SU camp and later regularlyvolunteeringstartedatPort St Mary Beach Mission, which is where she met her husband.
‘God of course knew differently! On my way home, I felt led to look at a Christian jobs website and saw that a church near my home was looking for a children’s worker. I’d been working in a supermarket, although it was my volunteering with SU that defined me. So I applied – and, to my amazement, I got the job. I never saw that coming! Now I had every reason to be a Faith Guide, so I signed up, did my training and began planning what to do next.
Now I had every reason to become a Faith Guide!
says, ‘so they’ve been an absolute blessing.’ Fiona took on the running of the mums and tots group. ‘It was a great way to start getting to know local families,’ says Fiona. ‘We planned to launch an after-schools club, K@STA (Kasta, or Kids@St Andrews), in the January. Meanwhile, we worked hard to build up those connections and invite children along. We put on some events, connected with local schools and promoted K@STA on Facebook. We prayed and we left it in God’s hands.
‘I was astonished when 29 children arrived for the first K@STA session! Word must have gone around the playground because the next week 51 turned up and soon we had to start a waiting list. Not all the kids come to every session, so although we have 120 in the club, the majority of them from non-Christian homes, on average we see 50 each week. God’s been so good to us – we’ve never had an unmanageable number.’
What is a Faith Guide? Faith Guides are passionate volunteers, rooted in (and championed by) their own church, who’ve committed to journeying alongside children and young people as they find and grow in faith. Faith Guides are supported by SU Mission Enablers and resources. su.org.uk/faithguides
While at the beach mission in the summer of 2021, she heard about our Revealing Jesus mission framework and being a Faith Guide. ‘I thought it was a great idea’, Fiona says, ‘but at the time I felt it wasn’t for me.
One mum from the mums and tots group now sends four of her other children to K@STA. When Fiona and SU Mission enabler Sarah Davison ran a Diary of a Disciple Holiday Club, the kids came to that too. Then the oldest three went to SU’s Edale holiday with Fiona. ‘Initially they bickered,’ she recalls, ‘but we really began to see a positive change in their behaviour. Their mum has started putting prayer requests into our prayer box at church, so I hope she is on the journey towards faith too!’
Perhaps the most exciting development is one five-year-old saying to her mum that she wanted to become a Christian after just a few weeks at K@STA. ‘The mum came to me and said, “What does that even mean?” So I told her more about what we believe and prayed with her daughter, who now wants to be baptised. I can’t say I saw that coming, either!’
Could you be a Faith Guide like Fiona? Whatever your experience, if you’re passionate about journeying into faith with children and young people from the 95 then you could be a Faith Guide like Fiona. Find out more about what being a Faith Guide entails, and start the conversation with your local SU Mission Enabler at su.org.uk/becomeafaithguide
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The next week 51 turned up and soon we had to start a waiting list www.scriptureunion.org.uk
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The highlight of SU Hong Kong’s 60th anniversary celebration will be a thanksgiving service and Bible conference following the AGM next Saturday. Pray that these will be times of praise and joy, giving glory to God.
Wednesday 21
Friday 23 Please pray for all the children and young people who attended holidays and missions this summer. Pray that they will reflect on all that they heard and experienced as they go back to school and that they will continue to explore faith and respond to Jesus.
Tuesday 20 Pray for Local Mission Partner, Doncaster Schools Worker Trust, for Linda and Dan as they meet with local churches to encourage more support for schools and young people. Pray too for Open the Book teams as they return to schools in person to lead Prayersassemblies.
Monday 19 Pray for the new Revealing Jesus Sports Pioneers who have recently started working in the north as they seek to encourage and resource churches to make Revealing Jesus a key part of their strategy for reaching children and young people.
Sunday 18
Saturday 24 A year ago Local Mission Partner Missional Generation started supporting five churches and two schools. Pray that as they enter a new term and start conversations with further churches, they will have the funding to increase the team and see the fulfilment of their vision to build children’s and youth work across the cities of Leeds and Bradford.
Thursday 22 Please pray for Tanya Pencheva, asking for wisdom and strength as she continues to DevelopmentsupportadministrativeprovidetotheHubteam.
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We are making some improvements to the search function on our website, which is key to users of our materials. Pray for the final tests and checks before deployment. Pray that users will find that this proves a real improvement.
Prayers
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Friday 30 Sarah Davison has a new role looking into what a hybrid model of mission might look like (involving journeying with children and young people both face to face and in digital spaces). Please pray for wisdom, creativity and insight as she helps us explore how to connect with some of the hardest to reach.
Wednesday 28 Pray for Ben Poch as he heads up the Regional Mission team as they continue to grow SU’s mission across England and Wales. Pray especially that the new staff who have started in Regional Mission over the past six intowouldmonthssettletheirroles.
Sunday 25 In Africa, national Scripture Union movements meet in community groups for encouragement, support and training. Pray for the group who will be meeting and training together in N’Djamena, Chad from Wednesday until Sunday.
Saturday 1 Please pray for discernment as we reflect on the early experience of our new Revealing Jesus and Sports Mission Pioneers, and as we continue to refine our Revealing Jesus framework to help local churches journey alongside the 95 more effectively.
Thursday 29 Pray that the Grow Communities ‘Worship Wonders’ and ‘Believe Club’ in Southampton will continue to have an impact in their schools (see page 4).
Monday 26 Pray for the Trustees of Local Mission Partner Christian Links in Keighley Schools as they work behind the scenes seeking God’s direction for the work, especially as they look for a new worker who will deliver the vision.
Tuesday 27 The Be More Micah collection is for Faith Guides to use with young people who are passionate about current-day issues but who do not yet know Jesus. Please pray for Content Innovator Maggie Barfield as she brings together expert consultants and contributors to create two new resources on the environment and racial justice.
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MissionReport Year ended 31 2022march “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power” Psalm 145:4 (NLT)
Your support during the year has enabled us to recruit new Mission Pioneers to fire up churches to mission, and coach and support Faith Guides in their vital role. Join us in praying that this amazing work will see such growth over the next year and
Thank you so much for your unwavering support across this season. Your constant readiness to be involved through faithful prayer, volunteering and giving means we can continue to move forward, proclaiming louder the good news of the gospel to the coming generations.
By the end of the year, 218 people had registered to be Faith Guides – that’s double the number at the same point in 2021!
Over the next few pages, I hope you will be as encouraged as I am to discover just some of the amazing work that God has done over the past year, and the huge strides that we were able to make together towards reaching more of the 95% of children and young people who aren’t in church (‘the 95’).
These Faith Guides come from 160 churches across England and Wales.
Reaching the 95 is a challenging but vital task. Your support has enabled us to continue to support churches who say ‘yes!’ to stepping out… We are excited to see more and more churches partnering with us in our Revealing Jesus mission framework. It’s such a privilege to be able to support them as they reach out, make connections and journey into faith with the 95 in their communities.
Find out more at su.org.uk/RevealingJesus
Onbeyond!the ground
As we continue to adapt to a new sense of normality this year, I am reminded of how God can use our ordinary lives to fulfil his extraordinary plan. We are so privileged to be able to play our part in this together.
Myles MacBean, National Director, Scripture Union England and Wales
During the year, we launched 3 new multi-media resource collections, exclusively available to Faith Guides in the online Faith Guide Hub:
Excitingly, this year we also embarked on a new kind of partnership, joining forces with the Church of England’s Diocese of Durham and Southampton City Mission on Revealing Jesus. These partnerships will make it possible for even more churches to benefit from the support of the Revealing Jesus mission framework.
Helping Faith Guides Reveal Jesus to the 95 through the creative arts Helping the 95 andforGod’sdiscoverheartmercyjustice
This great resource has been helping children take the daunting step to secondary school for over 20 years now, impacting the life of millions of young people! This year we sold 13,688 copies to just under 2,000 individuals, churches and mission partners. Resources
I DON’T GO TO CHURCH BUT...
Each of these collections is designed to support Faith Guides as they walk with children and young people through all 4 stages of the Faith journey (Connect, Explore, Respond and Grow).
Our teams of Mission Enablers went out on a tour of churches, helping them explore the opportunity they have to reach a generation who are increasingly open to faith. We hosted 50 events with 500+ people joining us at venues across England and Wales from MISSION PARTNERS
We work alongside like-minded organisations to help multiply mission opportunities and ensure even more children and young people have the opportunity to discover Jesus. We have 66 Mission Partners, employing 125 workers (and many volunteers) between them.
don’tBUT…go to
The Faith Guide Hub Designed to help children find bigplacetheirinGod’sstory
over 140 churches. After the events, we had 99 follow-up conversations about future mission support opportunities. it’s your move
Seasonal resources
Halloween: Jesus is The Light? 26,230 copies were ordered by 607 people. The accompanying animation was viewed 1,055 times.
BBC Songs of Praise also featured the resource in an episode.
Our amazing Bible game app continues to enable children to meet with Jesus in exciting ways. This year, we estimate that over 280,000 new players downloaded the app and a new Spanish language version was also released (Guardianes de Ancora), making the game potentially available to over 0.5 billion Spanish speakers worldwide!
Easter: Jesus Died For Me?
Christmas: God Became Like Me? 318 individuals, churches and mission partners ordered 18,910 copies between them.
HOLIDAYS AND EVENTS
After a year of not being able to hold any in-person events due to Covid-19, we were able to run a mixed programme featuring online and in-person holidays and missions. This included 22 covid-secure in-person holidays, day camps and missions and 16 online events.Welove our amazing volunteers! This year there were 1,316 known opportunities for people to volunteer, which is equivalent to 2,287 working weeks or 49 full-time staff. Without them, much of what was achieved would not have been possible.
Over 9,000 copies were ordered for use at Easter events. The animated version was viewed nearly 2,500 times.
GuardiansVOLUNTEERINGofAncora
During the year we ran 7 online training sessions to encourage and equip churches to reach out to children and young people in their communities. Over 450 people attended these sessions.
Mission through sport
The 95 Campaign During the year, 3,232 signed up to the 95 Campaign, to say ‘yes!’ to playing their part in reaching the 95. That takes the total campaign members to 15,009!
Social Media Social media continued to be a great way to engage people in Scripture Union’s mission. By the end of the year, we had 7,182 people following our Facebook page and 2,114 Instagram followers. Across both platforms we shared 657 different posts and received 18,796 interactions. Part of something bigger Scripture Union is a movement made up of supporters, volunteers, sta , mission partners and many more –all passionate about reaching the 95 with the good news of Jesus… THE
Training Sports continues to be an amazing way of connecting with the 95. Looking ahead, we hope to appoint 3 new Sports Mission Pioneers to help churches make the most of the opportunities sports provide. This year we launched our FREE Back of the Net resource to help churches run a football-flavoured, faith-filled event. Our sports mission cards also proved popular again. 111 packs of Created2play cards were sold, along with 98 packs of Sweaty Church Club Cards.
We love helping people read the Bible every day through 12,915 active subscriptions to our Bible reading guides – Daily Bread and Encounter with God. Around 7,000 people receive Word Live by email each day.
Getting into God’s Word
Committing to the future Faith formation in Gen Z
Revealing Jesus: The Conference Over 200 Faith Guides, mission partners, volunteers and staff attended our Revealing Jesus conference in November, coming together to be encouraged and equipped in reaching the 95.
Scripture Union England and Wales is one of over 130 SU International movements active in around 120 countries – helping to share God’s love right around the globe!
Connecting You More than 19,000 people receive our supporter and prayer magazine each quarter – some in print, some by email. We are so thankful for everyone who prays for the work of Scripture Union!
We partnered with other mission agencies in an important piece of qualitative research looking into faith formation in Gen Z (with additional quantitative research planned for this autumn). The results will help us shape future opportunities for young people to explore the Christian faith.
Winter IN THIS EDITION
Influencers We were also partners in a joint piece of research exploring the importance of peer-to-peer evangelism in under-18s finding faith. The results were published in June 2022 and will help us further shape the Revealing Jesus mission framework.
Helping churches in Wales reconnect with their communities Catching the Bible bug Celebrating a return to the beach – stories from the summer
Learning and growing After workshops with church leaders from ethnic minority churches in key cities, we have launched projects with 6 groups of partners to test the Revealing Jesus framework, understand the effectiveness of our resources, and build new relationships in these relatively new contexts for SU. Your support also helps us plan for the future, ensuring we remain relevant and keep our finger on the pulse…
Global connections
Connectingyou
£727,000 publishingCommercial £318,000 activitiesInternational £209,000 Advocacy This is a summary of Scripture Union’s financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2022, 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. None of the impact outlined in this report would have been possible without the generosity of our supporters. If you helped financially or covered SU’s work in prayer, THANK YOU – this success is yours too. Could you give a gift to ensure even more is possible next year? We are so thankful to you for your gifts, time and prayers that make a huge difference, helping us provide many more children and young people with 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 2021/22 financial year, and the ways in which it was spent: To su.org.uk/donateonline,Donatevisit Finances £3,483,000 Donations and legacies £791,000 Publishing sales and royalties £57,000 Holidays and missions £69,000 Other, investmentsincluding £2,470,000 Face-to-face mission (including holidays and missions) £353,000 Content creation £456,000 Cost of raising funds Total £4,400,000income Total£4,533,000Expenditure
Scripture Union is a registered charity (no. 213422) and a limited company (registered no. 00039828). Registered office: Trinity House Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF. Registered in England and Wales. With 95% of all under-18s not in church, the task of reaching them is huge. But so too is the opportunity! www.scriptureunion.org.uk Thank you! Your prayers, financial support and volunteer hours make the work of Scripture Union possible. You are equipping hundreds of churches to introduce children and young people to Jesus, opening channels that will encourage them to flourish and grow into all that God has planned for Wethem.honour the impact that you are making, and we are so thankful for all that you do.
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Tuesday 4 Mission Events Coordinator Susannah Quinn asks us to pray for the children and young people who attended the summer holiday and mission events as they start the autumn term. Pray that the memories stay with them and the seeds continue to grow within them.
Friday 7 Central Region Support Worker Karen Quinney thanks God that she is able to provide administrative support for face-to-face workers thus enabling them to achieve more. Pray for her as the team adjust to having a new team leader.
Monday 3 Give thanks for the Faith Guides across the south west. Pray for the Faith Guide Focus Group meetings where they and the team supporting them can meet online to share what they are doing, and explore ways of sharing Jesus with children and young people.
Sunday 2
Saturday 8 Pray for Local Mission Partner Artless as they take their production of ‘If Prison Walls Could Speak’ to 100 churches in 2022–23. The presentation contains a message that is inspiring and challenging for both Christian and non-Christian audiences.
efficient andtheeffective,andlearnprocessessystemofwork quickly, and above all that God will bless and further the work that is being done in Wales.
Wednesday 5 Pray for Gareth Davies, PrayersPraywithasWorkerappointednewlySupportinWales,hegetstogripshisnewrole.thathewillbe
Pray that the SU Singapore Children’s Ministry team will know God’s wisdom as they prepare for the SUPA Camps for primary age children which will take place in November–December.
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Pray that the Lord will provide volunteers, campsites, partnerships with churches, and finances.
Thursday 6 Every summer, a small team of staff provide safeguarding support to the holidays and missions. They will meet this month to debrief, reflect and pray for those who have needed help. Pray for children and young people who face all sorts of challenges in their lives.
If you donated to our recent appeal, thank you! Your generosity will fund SU Mission Pioneers at key locations nationwide, including in the Diocese of Durham. Carol Lines lives and worships in Seaham on the Durham coast. She shares the exciting vision of the local churches there and why having an SU Revealing Jesus Pioneer will make such a big difference.
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Daring to Dream in Durham
Safe Harbour Seaham is one of these Communities of Hope. Seaham is a former mining town on the coast south of Sunderland. You may know it as the location for Billy’s home in the film Billy Elliott. There is high unemployment and few things for children and young people to do.
We can’t assume they’ll come into our church buildings to seek God coming to get the help they needed – somewhere more accessible than a church building but involving the church community.
Hope project is planning to invest in low-income communities to bring spiritual and physical hope and transformation to all, including children and young people.
The project was born after Father Paul, who leads three local AngloCatholic churches, had an encounter with a distressed mother who was contemplating suicide. He wanted to create a safe and welcoming place where anyone in difficulty, as she had been, would feel comfortable
CommunityEveryoneneedshope,particularlyinthesechallengingtimes.DurhamDiocese’sof
Carol Lines, Project Lead for Safe Harbour Seaham, says, ‘Currently we’re renovating a building in the High Street to be our Centre. Behind it there is open space where youngsters gather, which could be a good place to hold outdoor events and BBQs. We’re about to hold a consultation day to find out what the community would like – maybe a café where people can meet, a homework club, skills training to help them get work, or a holiday hunger programme. Then we’ll work with the local people to create it.
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CAROLLINES
‘We also want this to be a safe space for reflection, somewhere that children and young people can
It’s not too late to help! In our recent appeal, we asked if you would donate to fund eight new SU staff – five Revealing Jesus Pioneers and three Sports Mission Pioneers – in key locations across the country. Working alongside SU Mission Enablers, they will give extra support to churches like Carol’s, as they seek to engage with children and young people and help them discover faith. If you’ve not yet given, you can still donate at su.org.uk/misisonpioneers explore and develop on a journey towards faith. We can’t assume they’ll come into our church buildings to seek God – it can be unfamiliar territory for them, and unnerving for them to enter. However, it can be just as uncomfortable for us as church to go out to them, especially if we have been previously knocked back.
‘I think it will also really help to be in relationship with the new SU Revealing Jesus Pioneer and to be We’re hoping to bring together volunteers from churches of all denominations part of a wider network of Faith Guides. Hopefully, it will give us more courage and the tools we need to succeed and enable us to learn from what is working well for Faith Guides elsewhere. We’re really excited about it! We want to strengthen our connections with local schools, maybe even hold a beach church. It would be lovely to think that through Safe Harbour Seaham, children and young people could come to know the Lord for themselves.’
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‘We’re hoping to bring together volunteers from churches of all denominations around the common purpose of sharing our faith. Finding ways to connect and journey with our children and young people is going to be key but is quite new to us, so I’m about to train as a Faith Guide and would like most of our volunteers to do the same.
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Praise God for releasing the funds needed for these vital new strategic SU roles, which will be so key in supporting churches in outreach to children and young people not in church.
Monday 10 Please pray for the people taking up these new mission Pioneer roles, that they will be able to quickly get to grips with the opportunities and the challenges and be a real blessing to the churches they will be serving.
Thursday 13 Please pray that God will make Safe Haven Seaham a beacon in the community that draws children and young people to his light and love. Pray that they will find sanctuary and be open to learning about the hope that only Jesus can offer.
Sunday 9
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Friday 14 Please pray for our partnership with the Diocese of Durham, that it will bear much fruit and that we can learn and grow together in understanding how best to share the good news of Jesus with the next generation.
Saturday 15 Ask God to help Faith Guides to make time to share with and learn from one another, as it can make such a difference to be part of a wider team with a shared passion and vision – particularly for smaller churches like Carol’s.
Please pray for our passionate pioneers!
Wednesday 12 Ask God to guide and bless Father Paul, Carol and all involved in Safe Haven Seaham, particularly in their work with children and young people not in church.
Prayers
Give thanks for all Faith Guides – particularly Fiona, Charis and Carol who feature in this issue – for their enormous enthusiasm and commitment in journeying with children and young people as they explore and respond to Jesus and grow in faith.
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Friday 21 Pray for increasing engagement across the Faith Guide Community, for the family of Faith Guides to grow and continue to support each other.
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Monday 17 Last month, the south east region hosted a asksLeaderMissionPartners.GuidesgatheringregionalforFaithandMissionRegionalTeamJoshBoothustopraythat as they move forward the regional team will continue to be valuable partners and provide support in mission across the region.
Saturday 22 Mission Enabler Lucy Pearson asks us to pray for all her Faith Guides across the north. Pray that as they step into a new season they will feel refreshed and ready for all that God has planned for their ministry.
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Thursday 20 This year we piloted resources for the holidays and missions to use to equip children and young people for mission. Please pray for the team of staff and volunteers working on these resources as they evaluate their use over the summer and seek to develop them further for the future.
Tuesday 18 Please pray for Content Developer Leanne Sheppard and the rest of the Development Hub team as they put the finishing touches to a new resource for Christmas. Pray that this resource will provide an opportunity for Faith Guides, churches and children’s and youth workers to build relationships and share Jesus.
Sunday 16 In Ethiopia the political, economic, and social crisis is worsening making it impossible for SU Ethiopia to work effectively. Pray that God will bring peace and that the government will look with favour on the movement’s request for some land.
Wednesday 19 The Scripture Union Board has overall oversight of the mission strategy and finances and ensures that the movement is compliant with current legislation. Pray that as it meets today members will have God’s wisdom and will know his direction.
Prayers
Tuesday 25 Pray for Brad, Jay and Alfie of Local Mission Partner Graceworks as they deliver activities in the schools in Havering. Pray that this would be the beginning of many more exciting opportunities to work within the schools.
Timor-Leste thanks God for their new weekly devotion, God’s Word for Today, and for those who have signed up to receive it via WhatsApp. Please pray for the team as they produce it and ask that it may help quench the thirst of those who seek the living water from Christ and his Word.
Thursday 27 Please pray for DevelopmentasMichelleAdministrator,ContentNewstead,sheservestheHub team and continues to update various digital platforms, keeping people informed of the products Scripture Union has available.
Monday 24 Pray for all the churches and Faith Guides running Light Parties and other events in the south east region during October. Pray that they would be beacons of light and hope as winter approaches.
Sunday 23 SU
others days.clubsrunningareholidayandfunPleasepray for happy players and positive relationships.
Friday 28 Please pray for the onandbookteamandHolidaysMissionsastheysitesworkbudgets, website, booking systems and the holiday brochure in preparation for the programme in 2023.
Saturday 29 This month Local Mission Partner Christian Schools Workers Hastings will be using the resource GSUS Live in secondary academies. Please pray that doors will be open, strong relationships will be formed and that the young people will be stimulated to think about Jesus and all that he has done for them.
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Wednesday 26 Give thanks for the many opportunities to use the Guardians of Ancora app in face-to-face mission.
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Faith Guides have exclusive access to materials that follow the Revealing Jesus framework; group leaders are using the Clubs Kit and goody bags in schools, churches and Prayerscommunities;
Jesus restores us from our brokenness
That’s the key message of our latest holiday club, The Restoration Station, which will launch this autumn thanks to your support. SU Content Innovator Leanne Sheppard explains how she wanted to create something to meet the deepest needs of children who have faced so much upheaval in the last couple of years and who are vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media.
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THE STATION Use with The RestorationStation holiday club.
The idea for The Restoration Station came to Leanne when she watched a popular TV show where they repair damaged objects. ‘I set out to show children that they are like a treasured heirloom that Jesus loves. He wants to take care of them, and has the power to make them as good as new.’
‘The powerful message of The Restoration Station is one that many children so need to hear, particularly at the moment.’
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THE STATION Come and join with us as wehave fun, play games, discoversome fantastic stories andfind out about Jesus thehealer and ultimate restorer. Don’t forget to take your Logbookhome after your holiday club. You canuse it to remind you of all the peopleyou met, and all the incredible storiesyou heard about Jesus. Logbook is designed to help olderchildren make the most of theirholiday club experience. Use withThe Restoration Station holiday club. www.scriptureunion.org.uk 7 8 17 85 069 978 1 78506 919 LOGBOOK
Leanne, formerly a schools worker with a Scripture Union Local Mission partner, says, ‘Children today are being exposed to negativity so much more than we were. They’ve had the upheaval of the pandemic and don’t know how to relate to peers in the way previous generations did.
This exciting new holiday club from Scripture Union is designed to help you reach out to the 95% of children and young people in your community who aren’t in church. At The Restoration Station children will be introduced to Jesus as a restorer. Using key stories from John’s Gospel, the children will discover how Jesus is the master craftsman who heals and restores. Each day they will be given the opportunity to explore who Jesus is and respond to him in appropriate ways. Including three half-day session outlines (with an additional two sessions of material online), The Restoration Station also covers themes of fear, feeling broken on the inside and how God can be both a rock and a shelter.
A Scripture Union programme. Great new ideas, inspired by experience. www.scriptureunion.org.uk 9 7 8 17 85 069 1 5 4 ISBN 978 1 78506 915 4
23www.scriptureunion.org.uk Get your copy of The Restoration Station ! You can purchase The Restoration Station in PDF or print versions from October at www.su.org.uk/therestorationstation. THE STATION 01/07/2022 10:50
Social media presents them with a filtered reality that they end up believing and can also expose them to relentless bullying. They feel inadequate, even broken.
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The printed pack provides teaching, animations, dramas and activities for three days with materials for two further days online. Sessions are based on healings and miracles in John’s Gospel. Workshop 1 introduces Jesus and how he can heal people without even being with them. In Workshop 2 the children learn how Jesus can fix and restore people who are seemingly broken – both inside and outside. Using the story of Peter, Workshop 3 explores the concepts of forgiveness and being made whole again. In accompanying dramas, the children become crafters in the workshop of Chris the repairman. Each day, they get to “meet” Bible characters who drop by to share how they have been restored by Jesus. Daily animated videos help the children explore how Jesus can be present in the brokenness of their own lives.
I set out to show children that they are like a treasured heirloom that Jesus loves
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Tuesday 1 Pray for 18withinjoinedwhoaasLeaderNationalSettatree,JohnMissioninWales,heleadsnewteamhaveallthestaffthelastmonths.Pray that he will have the wisdom to help them grow into their roles and gel as a team.
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Monday 31 Please pray for those using Scripture Union’s resources this Halloween. Pray that children and young people will encounter Jesus as the Light of the World at a time when so many are focused on darkness.
Sunday 30 SU Slovakia give thanks for all the Ukrainian resources they have been able to distribute to help churches and other organisations. Pray that the Ukrainian and Slovak language handouts for children will be put to good use.
Prayers
Thursday 3 Pray for the young people who attended the Rooted retreat in the summer and for the planning of an northacrossforRootedautumnretreatRootedhubsthewest.
Wednesday 2 Pray for Local Mission Partner Reach as they work across secondary schools in Reading offering lessons, assemblies and more. Pray for the work of their director Indy Nottage, their administrator Anne Wigmore and all of their volunteers.
Friday 4 Pray for the ministry of the Central Region – for the staff team, Faith Guides, Local Mission Partners and volunteers – as they connect with the 95 and help them to understand more of God’s love for them.
Saturday 5 Please pray for south east region Support Worker, Tsvetelina Smale. Pray for knowledge and wisdom to support the team to the best of her ability for God’s glory. Pray too for her to continue building strong relationships with colleagues and external partners.
Prayers trial that took place over the summer and seek to develop it further for the future.
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Saturday 12 The SU Council is meeting today. Give thanks for the volunteer members who represent different parts of the country, varied age groups and who bring specialist expertise to different elements of the movement’s work. Pray that God will direct their discussion.
Tuesday 8 Pray that Jordana Smith, andsheeast,EnablerappointednewlyMissioninthesouthwilllearnallthatneedsforherjobwillunderstand
Thursday 10 Please pray for the Development Hub as they finish working on resources for churches and Faith Guides to use with children and young people in the runup to Christmas.
Friday 11 Local Mission Partner Ouzel Valley Pioneer Ministry has appointed a Pioneer Missioner called Tom. The first year of his role will be community listening to ascertain the needs they can address in the new housing surrounding Leighton Buzzard. Please pray that they will listen well to the community and to God’s leading.
Monday 7
God’s vision for SU’s direction. Pray that she will be able to help churches and Faith Guides to reach the 95 and to impact their communities.
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The aim of Local Mission Partner Watford Schools Work Trust is to give every school child a clear understanding of the Christian faith. Workers Tricia and Johanna deliver lessons and assemblies in 60 primary schools. Pray for inspiration for new and creative ways of relating to children.
Please pray for SU Sri Lanka’s upcoming programme in the northern region amongst children who are affected by war and those with special needs. Shortage of fuel makes travel impossible and a shortage of essentials means they cannot provide meals for those who participate.
Wednesday 9 This year we piloted resources for the holidays and missions to use to develop and train our young leaders. Please pray for the team of staff and volunteers working on this programme as they evaluate the
Tuesday 15 Pray for emerging Grow Communities, that God will resource them and encourage them in the work that they are doing and draw the 95 to these
Prayerscommunities.
Monday 14 Local Mission Partner Southport & Area Schools Worker Trust thank God for the opportunities they have in local schools and the expansion of their work this year. Please pray for more volunteers to keep up with their growing ministry.
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Saturday 19 Work is being undertaken to improve the holiday booking systems; pray for clarity in understanding requirements and for good relationships and clear communication with suppliers so that we get the changes implemented in good time ahead of the new holiday season.
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The Impact Schools Team is a Local Mission Partner in North Powys. The two workers, Huw Ellis & Darren Mayor lead assemblies and lessons in the local primary and secondary schools in English and in Welsh. Pray for the work they continue to do both in and out of the schools in the area.
Friday 18 Please pray for Emma Price as she provides support for the reachGuidestohelpingMissionRegionalteam,theteamsupportFaithastheyouttothe95.
Wednesday 16 Pray that the team in Wales will be able to encourage more churches to make use of the Revealing Jesus mission framework, and to grow the reach and depth of churches already working with it.
Sunday 13 Scripture Union International are excited that they are able to deliver online children’s ministry training in restricted countries where there is no SU presence. Pray that through these sessions God will open the way for children and young people to be reached with the good news of Jesus.
Thursday 17
Monday 21 Thank God for his faithfulness to Scripture Union. Pray for the work on developing new income streams, and an increase in sustainable giving to enable the growth of the ministry.
Wednesday 23 During the autumn, the Holidays and Missions team run training sessions for those who will be Prayersstepping
Tuesday 22 Praise God for the reach of the mission of Guardians of Ancora around the world, especially in Central and South America where the Spanish and Portuguese versions are gathering players, despite the impact of the pandemic. Please pray for the national Scripture Union movements as they seek to grow ministry in these hard-pressed regions.
into intheleadershipoverallforfirsttimethecoming year. Please pray for the team as they plan and deliver the training, and for those who take part, that they will be inspired and equipped for their new roles.
Thursday 24 Local Mission Partner Cynllun Efe works with the schools in the Wyrfai and Peris valleys and the surrounding areas in the county of Gwynedd. Pray for all the work they do in the schools and with the local churches.
Friday 25 Pray for Claire Baines who has recently taken on the role of Marketing Officer. Pray that she will settle in quickly and will soon be able to make improvements to the ways we promote SU’s resources and events, ensuring even more children and young people can benefit from what SU has to offer.
Saturday 26 Please pray for the team as they put the finishing touches to the July–September 2023 edition of Daily Bread and Encounter with God. Pray that these publications will be helpful and will build up those who read them next year.
More than 200 schools across Australia are urgently requesting SU school chaplains. Pray that God would raise up the right people to fill these positions so that more young people can experience God’s love in their time of need.
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A lasting legacy A gift in your Will can help put the good news into the hands and hearts of children and young people who don’t go to church. yourWritingwill? Our FREE Will writing service can help! Findmore:out ‘...we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.’ Psalm 78:4 su.org.uk/legacy0190885612001908856120