Connecting You | September – November 2016

connecting you in prayer and action with Scripture Union

September – November 2016

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See how your support has impacted the lives of thousands of children

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Inside this e

A royal subject How the Queen helped Anna take assemblies

Light in the darkness Our Christian alternative to Halloween returns

Diary of a disciple Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it

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Welcome from National Director Tim Hastie-Smith In our schools, the good news spreads What have the Queen and two pineapples got in common?

SU supporter, Anna, enjoyed helping children to find out.

Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it!

The Bible is just as relevant today but children can still struggle to access it. Your support has helped us bring Luke’s Gospel alive for the younger generation.

Pull-out mission report

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Helping churches share the good news all year round o -y u r c e a e m aT e r i a L r-o lds

Thanks to your support, we’re able to help churches with their children’s and youth work throughout the year, providing top-quality resources, excellent training opportunities, practical support and much more.

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(8 to 11s) Two specially designed activity books including all the Bible you’ll need text for together with PoLar ExPLorers puzzles, activities and opportunities to respond the stories. to Use in the club souvenir to and as a take home.

Join the community

Go to www.scriptureunion.org.uk/holidayclubs to find downloads and extra material, artwork. Join logos and the discussions and get ideas on of how to reach the bulletin boards even more eye level is the children!

Scripture Union challenges initiative that churches to catch up with young people children and who have not and responded yet caught sight of Jesus level. resources, training and networks.

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Use with the PoLar ExPLorers DVD presented by CBeebies presenter Gemma Hunt

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PoLar ExPLorers

Contains five storytelling episodes, one for each of the five Bible from PoLar stories ExPLorers.

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Includes additional resources and team training a feature.

1,938 copies of our most recent holiday club resource books were ordered during the year.

Just think how many children may have benefited from the exciting holidays clubs that were run as a result!

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s re 1 Ho Lid aY cLuB to 1 for 5 Join Sir Random and Bare Feet Finds on an expedition into the polar wilderness, and follow in the footsteps of some New Testament amazing characters.

Learn that no one is too anything to be part of God’s big expedition – that is, to be a friend of Jesus and go out and help other people be friends of Jesus too.

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Light Parties

8,000 Light Party Packs were sent to churches to help them plan and run exciting Light Parties as a Christian alternative

There are approximately 10,746 Sunday school groups registered on LightLive. That’s an estimated 112,098 children benefiting from excellent Bible-based sessions. Thank you for helping us to provide this invaluable service for free!

Building relationships

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Our SU Church and Community Development Workers have relationships with nearly 600 churches across England and Wales.

Around 70 new relationships were made this year alone!

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Mission report Wow, what an impact! See what your support made possible last year in our pull-out mission report.

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Reclaiming the Light at Halloween Our Light Party Pack is back and better than ever. Our National Director, Tim HastieSmith, recounts the success he’s had with his own church’s Light Parties.

Stamps for cash Got any old stamps? Don’t throw them away! We show you how your used stamps could raise money to support our mission.

Encouraging words We’re so thankful for your support and prayers, and we really appreciate your words of encouragement. Find out how a church in Derby recently made our day.

Luke’s Gospel - but not as you know it

19/07/2016 13:31

Connecting You is the supporter and prayer magazine of Scripture Union England and Wales produced four times a year, bringing together news, features and comments from key volunteers and staff. We aim to keep you in touch with what God is doing through the work you support.

connecting you in prayer and action with Scripture Union

Design and print by Yeomans yeomansmarketing.co.uk For general enquiries Tel: 01908 856000 Fax: 01908 856111 info@scriptureunion.org.uk www.scriptureunion.org.uk report p on

© Scripture Union 2016 Registered Charity 213422 Limited Company 39828 Registered in England and Wales

See how your support has impacted on the lives of thousands of children n:

Inside this editio

A royal subject How the Queen helped Anna take assemblies

26362 Connecting You SON stg3.indd 1

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September – November 2016

Contents | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Connecting You magazine is also available online at: www.scriptureunion.org.uk/ connectingyou. If you have a story for Connecting You, or a suggestion on how we could improve our service to you, please contact the editor at the address to the right.

Published by Scripture Union 207–209 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2EB.

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Contents

Light in the darkness Our Christian alternative to Halloween returns

Diary of a disciple Luke’s Gospel - but not as you know it

19/07/2016 13:24

Building a bridge to every child

Welcome to the autumn edition of Connecting You

Tim Hastie-Smith

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10: 13,14

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nly around five per cent of children and young people have significant links to a church, which will tend to focus its often limited resources on helping them to deepen their faith. Many churches also recognise the importance of sharing the gospel but often their outreach events only draw in the children and young people who already have a secondary connection with them – for example, they may attend the local church school, or have a friend who goes to the church.

But where does that leave the other ninety five per cent – the millions of other children and young people who have no links with a church at all? How are they to hear the amazing news of what Jesus has done for them?

At Scripture Union, we want every child and young person to have an opportunity to meet with Jesus including those who may never have set foot in a church. And, thanks to your support, we’re able to help churches identify opportunities to engage with them, find common ground on which to stand with them, and inspire ways in which to share the gospel with them.

For example, every child knows who the queen is! Her 90th birthday provided a great opportunity to talk about how and why she has devoted her life to serving

God, which we did through a booklet The Servant Queen. SU supporter Anna felt God prompting her to use the booklet as the basis for running a series of assemblies in local schools – and she did, with great success! Read more on page 4.

Halloween is perhaps a more controversial opportunity – but many young people just see it as an excuse to have fun. Our free Light Party Pack helps churches to keep the fun, but make the focus God rather than ghosts. Read on page 19 how a Light Party held by my own rural church brought new children to faith.

And if you thought that today’s children and young people find the Bible boring, read on page 10 how our new Diary of a Disciple is helping the Facebook generation to love the Gospel of Luke.

Young people desperately want their lives to have purpose and value. And we know that in Jesus every life has purpose and value. So – what are we waiting for?

Together, let’s go and share that exciting, life-changing news with them!

Yours in his service

Tim Hastie-Smith National Director, Scripture Union England and Wales

Building a bridge to every child | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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In our schools, the good news spreads

Contrary to popular belief, there are still many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with school children. Thanks to our faithful God, and with your support, the message is spreading – both outside in, and inside out!

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cripture Union staff and mission partners work directly in schools, running, among many other things, assemblies and Christian groups. But we also resource church volunteers and young people themselves to share the good news of Jesus with pupils.

‘A gentle but persistent voice’ is how Anna Davis describes God’s call to her to run assemblies in local Lincolnshire schools. It came at a time when she faced great challenges.

Anna Davis

For several years, she had juggled running her own business, supporting her husband’s music ministry and home schooling their daughter Lucy. But suddenly, her husband 4

died. Anna decided to put Lucy into school so that she would have more opportunities to socialise. They tried out several schools in the area. Eventually Lucy settled into one with fewer than a hundred pupils.

Happily, Anna found love and married again. Life became more settled. And then she felt God prompting her to hold some assemblies in the schools she and Lucy had visited.

Anna says, ‘I’d run assemblies as part of my theological degree 15 years ago, but had done little youth work since and was out of practice.’ But the idea simply wouldn’t go away, so Anna asked God to give her an opportunity. She sounded out the schools on the idea – and five agreed.

It was a good start!

Next, she needed a topic that was relevant to all children, whether or not they had a

In our schools, the good news spreads | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

church background. Anna says, ‘I came across The Servant Queen, a booklet that Scripture Union had produced in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday and aimed at Year 6 children. It was perfect – everyone knows who she is and was talking about her birthday. It had lots of interesting facts about the Queen’s life and reign, but it also talked naturally about how she has devoted her life to serving God. ‘Then I asked for support from the churches we were involved with. Several mums volunteered, and a pastor said he would come to each assembly. That was important – it showed the church was backing the assemblies, and enabled the church to build relationships for the future.’

Using The Servant Queen booklet as inspiration, Anna prepared assembly activities. She says, ‘For example, the Queen’s crown is the weight of two

pineapples, so I bought two for the children to pass around, and feel how heavy the crown is! Then they designed a ‘throne’ using a chair and decorations, and took it in turns to dress as the Queen with golden robe, crown, sceptre and a Bible to hold. So then we talked about the importance of the Bible to her, and what it meant for her to be ‘Head of the Church’. We also discussed ‘servanthood’ and who is serving them in their lives – it was encouraging that children in four of the schools mentioned God in that respect!

Finally, each child was given a slice of cake to take home and a copy of The Servant Queen booklet.’

Anna’s step of faith led to over three hundred and fifty schoolchildren learning more about Jesus – isn’t that amazing?

In our schools, the good news spreads | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Let it SHINE

Opportunities to share the gospel can come from within schools as well and in the case of SHINE involve the young people sharing the good news themselves. SHINE, which launches across England and Wales this November, aims to help young Christians in secondary schools to share the good news of Jesus with their non-Christian friends.

Developed by Scripture Union Northern Ireland and partner organisations, SHINE has been running in Northern Ireland since 2010. Last year 60 schools there took part, and this year, we hope that many schools in England & Wales will join the action.

SU schools worker Geoff Brown is co-ordinating SHINE across England and Wales. He says, ‘We hope SHINE will help to revitalise Christian groups in schools by giving them a focus for prayer and action – and Geoff Brown also be a catalyst for new Christian groups to start.’

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Using a series of videos and support materials, SHINE will run over three weeks in November. This year’s theme will be ‘Do Something’. In week one, the students will consider ‘Why do something?’. In week two, ‘What shall we do?’, they will come up with ideas for an event that will help show God’s love in word and deed. In the third week, they ‘Do something!’ by running the event itself.

Take action Tell the young Christians whom you know about SHINE. If they don’t already have a Christian group at their school, SHINE could be a great excuse for them to start one.

There’s advice on the SHINE website www.shineinschools.com and also the ‘Starting a group’ guide and meeting outlines on www.schoolslive.org.uk.

Pray for them and offer any practical support they need.

Order The Servant Q ueen Booklets (£1 fo r 10) at www.scriptu reunion. org.uk/queen or call 01908 85600 6

In our schools, the good news spreads | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Please pray for all those involve d in ministries in schools

Prayers: Week beginning August 28 Sunday 28

As we approach the new school year, give thanks for God’s goodness and the faithfulness of Scripture Union’s supporters, which enable many children and young people with no other church links to hear the good news of Jesus in their schools.

Monday 29

Praise God for Anna and for the many other volunteers that follow God’s calling to share Jesus in schools, that he will bless their faithfulness and willingness to serve him.

Tuesday 30

Please pray for God’s blessing on those Scripture Union staff and local mission partners who work with schools, that God will open the doors of many more schools to them this year and enable his message of hope to spread.

Wednesday 31

Please pray for every single young Christian, that God will give them the strength, wisdom and courage to shine for him in their school.

Thursday 1

Give thanks to God for the success of SHINE in Northern Ireland, and pray for all the young people who have heard about Jesus as a result, that God will draw him closer to himself and that they will come to have a personal relationship with him.

Friday 2

Please pray that God will create many new opportunities for students in schools to share their faith with their peers as SHINE launches across England and Wales this November. Pray particularly for the young people in your church or community, that God will use SHINE to draw them closer to him.

Saturday 3

Praise God for inspiring Scripture Union staff and local mission partners to develop new schools initiatives that really help young people to hear and understand what the good news of Jesus means for them.

In our schools, the good news spreads | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Prayers – week beginning September 4 Sunday 4

Bridgebuilder Trust, our local mission partner in Milton Keynes, ask us to pray for three primary schools and one secondary school opening in their area this month.

Pray that they will develop a relationship with these schools, for the new secondary worker who has just started and for growth of the secondary work.

Monday 5

Thursday 8

Today the South West Regional Team are meeting with local mission partners, volunteers and SU workers from South Africa with whom the region partners.

Ask God to show them more ways in which they can support and encourage each other.

Guardians of Ancora had its first birthday in July. Please pray that more and more people will hear about the game, download and play it, and that as they do so they will discover the truth about Jesus.

Pray for wisdom for the Guardians of Ancora Steering Group which meets tomorrow.

Tuesday 6 A number of new field staff have recently started work with Scripture Union in areas where we do not currently have workers including Manchester, London, and Derby/Nottingham. Pray that they will settle in quickly and that their work will bring children and young people to Jesus.

Wednesday 7 Geoff Brown has been involved in training several new Open the Book teams in Tyneside and Northumberland who will be doing their first assemblies this month. Pray that God will give them confidence, that they will communicate clearly and that children will be engaged.

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Friday 9 The North East and Yorkshire team meet today. Pray that they will be encouraged by what God is doing and that he will lead as they consider how to make the most of the opportunities for the future.

Saturday 10 Emmanuel Todjo, training consultant for the SU Africa movements, has been training trainers who will train Bible Guide writers in several movements.

Pray that they will have understood ways to write relevant Bible Guides and be able to train writers to write with these guidelines in mind.

Prayers – week beginning September 4 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning September 11 Sunday 11

Thursday 15

Cathy Williams of SU mission partner, Festive, is busy advising students who have attended Christian activities over the summer and want to start a Christian group in their college or school. Pray they get permission and find fellow students who want to join and find out more about Jesus.

The South West Region enjoy an active partnership with South West Youth Ministries.

September sees a new intake of schools ministry trainees and SU is involved in shaping the training they receive. Pray that the right programme will be in place and that the trainees will develop in ministry.

Monday 12 SU, Peterborough Diocese, Urban Saints, Hope and a number of local Christian agencies are working towards a weeklong mission in 2018 which is being launched today. Pray that churches and young people will catch the vision.

Tuesday 13 Scripture Union in Armenia ask us to pray for a Youth Training Event this month, which will be a follow-up for those who attended the summer Youth Camp for the first time.

Friday 16 Wigan X:site takes place tomorrow.

Give thanks for the team and for being a part of the larger Transforming Wigan initiative. Pray that all the children may encounter God in a real way as they have fun together. Pray too for X:site Gloucester next Saturday, asking that many campers from our Lagger holiday will come.

Wednesday 14 Health and safety reports from summer activities are being analysed with a view to improving procedures so that volunteers and guests are as safe as possible. Please pray for Ian Gooding as he leads this work and for members of the holidays team.

Saturday 17 Today Geoff Brown is doing the keynote talk and seminars at the Resourcing Churches to Engage with Primary Schools Conference in Leeds. Pray that the event will inspire and inform those in attendance.

Prayers – week beginning September 11 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it!

Lots of children learn the stories from the Bible, but very few actually read the scripture behind the stories, perhaps perceiving the Bible to be boring and outdated. Thankfully, your gifts have enabled us to give them a brand new and exciting way to read the Bible and access its life-changing wisdom for themselves.

‘I

t’s factual, up-to-date and funny’, is the verdict of Amy, aged nine. Would it surprise you to know that she’s referring to Luke’s Gospel?

Well, almost. Diary of a Disciple is actually a retelling of Luke for children aged 8–11.

It was written by Scripture Union’s Gemma Willis – but she had quite a bit of help from Amy and her friends.

Gemma Willis

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Gemma explains, ‘We wanted to really understand

how children felt about the Bible, so we did some research in Worcestershire with children from different church denominations. Some of the things we discovered were really interesting.

‘A recurring theme was that they struggle to understand the more obscure concepts the Bible uses. What is a prophet, for example?

“So we set out to make the Bible exciting and accessible, and something that children will read because they want to, not because somebody makes them.”

Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it! | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

And they find it dull and difficult to read.

The message excites them, but there are too many tiny words crammed onto a page. Often those pages are thin and delicate, and the children are afraid they’ll damage them. So they stick to reading the Bible in church, or at home when Mum or Dad is there, which doesn’t really give them the chance to wrestle with the deeper meanings.

‘They know the stories, but they’ve been missing out on the rich depths of scripture, which is very sad, because that’s the really powerful stuff with the most relevance to their lives.

‘So we set out to make the Bible exciting and accessible, and something that children will read because they want to, not because somebody makes them. Our

aim was not to replace the Bible, but to bring scripture to life, so that children can understand just how relevant it is to their lives in twenty-first century Britain.

‘We started with Luke’s Gospel because the gospel message is so important. Then we had to decide what medium to use.

Because the Bible is most often read in printed form, we decided that Diary of a Disciple should also be a book.

‘We’ve used a graphic style of typeface, similar to that seen in some of the most popular children’s books available at the moment, to help children grasp the gist of a passage, even if they don’t understand

“It will make people want to read the Bible more”

and a very warm welcome to my

My name is Luke.

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And I have been carefully a series of mysterious events. And because I’m a bit of a

, I’ve decided to write all

of my investigations down, just for you.

Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it! | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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every word. We wanted to stay true to the Bible, so Diary of a Disciple has the same 24 chapters as Luke, and we’ve kept in all the hard to understand passages, but added text boxes to help unpack the meanings.

‘The acid test was to show the children what we’d done, and see what they thought. They loved it – and when one of

the children said, ‘It will make people want to read the Bible more’, we knew we’d got it right!’

Diary of a Disciple is published in hardback in September 2016, with the paperback edition following in March 2017. It’s the first in a new series of books, with additional titles to be published every 9 to 12 months.

God has done it again!

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Order Diary of a Disciple from our online shop at www.scriptureunion.org.uk/shop, by calling us on 01908 856006 or from your local Christian retailer.

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Luke’s Gospel – but not as you know it! | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning September 18 Sunday 18

Wednesday 21

During the autumn all SU staff have their annual work reviews and set their objectives for the next year. Please pray for constructive and useful discussions between staff and their managers and for outcomes that will move forward the ministry of each team and individual.

Today and tomorrow Tim Hastie-Smith will be attending the inaugural meeting of the new Evangelical Alliance Council. Pray for them as they start working together, asking God to make them a powerful force for uniting Christians and influencing society.

Monday 19 Please pray for Rob Steward (NW staff team) and Geoff Brown (NE team) as they lead the Training in Schools Work course this week in Sheffield.

Pray for all those who come, that they will go away with greater enthusiasm, renewed trust in God and fresh ideas.

Tuesday 20 This evening there is a Sticky Faith event in Frome, run with Urban Saints, aiming to equip the church to work more effectively with young people, and helping them keep their Christian faith in a hostile world. Pray that this will lead to a lasting impact in the lives of young people.

Thank you for your prayers

Thursday 22 Please pray for the North East Sports Ministry Network, a new project being developed in the Chester-le-Street area to connect with children and young people using sport. Pray especially for a pilot event which will hopefully be run either this autumn or next spring.

Friday 23 Thrive, our local mission partner in Leamington Spa, thank God for the appointment of Fiona Stutton. Pray that she will be able to help churches develop their children’s work and so give children more opportunities to grow as disciples of Jesus.

Saturday 24 The Scripture Union International Executive meet next week. Pray for wisdom for them as they lead the transition to the new SU global structure.

Pray for Colin Sinclair as he chairs this meeting. Pray also as they start the process to appoint a new International Director.

Prayers – week beginning September 18 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Prayers – week beginning September 25 Sunday 25

Thursday 29

In November the North East Region will be running SHINE In Schools (see page 6), designed to help Christian groups in schools explore how they might share their faith and make an impact in the school.

Pray for the preparations for this key event and that groups will want to be involved.

Saturday’s Transforming Our Thinking training event in Middlesbrough – a partnership between Scripture Union, Frontier Youth Trust/Streetscape, Youth For Christ and the Diocese of York – aims to develop a missional and transformational outlook in youth and children’s workers and to equip young people to be missional in their own contexts.

Monday 26 Please pray for autumn events in churches in Estonia, focusing on Bible reading and children. Pray for sufficient volunteers, open relationships between the different denominations and especially that many parents will catch a new vision for discovering the Bible together with their children.

Tuesday 27

Lifepath has enabled hundreds of children to explore ways in which Christians and Christian movements in the past can impact the way they see God. Pray that God will guide the team of the Brinkburn Lifepath today as they review this year’s event and look to the future.

Pray that as Lisa Jones and Ben Poch lead the southern Training in Schools Work course over the next three days, and look at sports ministry and collective worship, participants will discover fresh opportunities for ministry.

Saturday 1

Wednesday 28 As the Board of Scripture Union England and Wales meet today, pray that they will hear clearly from God – the meeting will be preceded by a regional, residential and international review. Ask God to clarify the key issues.

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Friday 30

Today sees a training day in Chippenham hosted by our local mission partner, Synergy, involving a number of SU workers alongside keynote speaker Bob Hartman. Pray that the aim of equipping and inspiring those working with children and young people in a Christian context will be fully realised.

Prayers – week beginning September 25 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Mission report

Highlights from the year ended 31 March 2016

See how your support has impacted the lives of thousands of children and young people

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s I look back over the last year, I am so thankful for all God has done through Scripture Union and for all that has been achieved (thanks largely to the selfless and generous support from many of you) in the name of sharing the good news with the next generation.

This mission report (looking back on the 2015/16 financial year) provides a snapshot of the amazing work that your support has enabled. Through many different ministries, some new and groundbreaking and some more tried and tested, Scripture Union continues to make an impact on the lives of so many children and young people and I want to thank you for your part in that. As we move towards our 150th anniversary next year, I look forward with anticipation to what God has in store for us. If it’s anything like this year, we’re in for an exciting time!

Tim Hastie-Smith National Director, Scripture Union England and Wales

Together we’re better We’ve linked up with even more local mission partners this year, increasing the number of opportunities to share the good news:

72

We have 72 SU local mission partners

50

0

5

and 500 schools

0

40

working with around 400 local churches We’ve got 5 new partnerships in the pipeline too!

Volunteering We love our volunteers. They make so much possible!

There were 3,464 known opportunities for volunteer involvement

3,464

7,733

That’s equivalent to 7,733 working weeks

or 164 full-time staff 164

International mission Scripture Union’s work is worldwide, providing opportunities for children to experience God’s good news all over the globe: 13

0

There are over 130 Scripture Union movements

12

0

working in over

120

countries

£553,000 was given by and through SU England and Wales to support £553,000 other movements*

*In addition, £362,000 of multi-year grant commitments were made (which are payable in future years).

Helping churches share the good news all year round Thanks to your support, we’re able to help churches with their children’s and youth work throughout the year, providing top-quality resources, excellent training opportunities, practical support and much more.

Light Parties 8,000 Light Party

Packs were sent to churches to help them plan and run exciting Light Parties as a Christian alternative to Halloween.

There are 10,746 Sunday school groups registered on LightLive.

That’s an estimated 112,000 children benefiting from excellent Bible-based sessions. Thank you for helping us to provide this invaluable service for free!

Holiday clubs 1,938 copies of our

most recent holiday club resource books were ordered during the year.

Just think how many children may have benefited from the exciting holidays clubs that were run as a result!

Light Over 209,000

children’s activity magazines were distributed – putting the good news directly into the hands of thousands of children.

Building relationships Our 9 SU Church and Community Development Workers have relationships with nearly 600 churches across England and Wales.

Around 70 new relationships were made this year alone!

Sharing the good news Unfortunately, many children aren’t in our churches but, thanks to your support, we’ve been able to provide some amazing opportunities that go well beyond the church building…

Guardians of Ancora

Since its launch in July 2015, our groundbreaking digital Bible game has already made a huge impact!

By 31st March 2016 there were over 80,000 players

You helped us grow the game to include 9 playable Bible quests,

25 quizzes, 100+ videos, 9 songs and 30 audio stories 30% of the children playing are non-Christians After playing for 2 weeks...

52%

said the game made them more interested in learning about Jesus

40%

said the game made them want to be a friend of Jesus!

It’s being played in over 109 countries including Saudi Arabia, China and Iran

Sports ministry

The number of children and young people involved in mission through sports more than doubled last year!

7 new Mission through Sport projects employing (or seeking to employ) a sports minister were formally established with us Around 30 new grass roots projects were trialled and developed

Around 2,500 resources were given away through the partnership with the Engage2016 initiative to help churches connect with the Rugby Union World Cup

Around 500 volunteers were trained in Mission through Sport at various training events

beyond the church Schools work

Our 72 local mission partners estimate that their work has

reached over 200,000 children and young people in over

500 schools over the academic year 144,631 copies of It’s Your Move, the Scripture Union resource to help children take the difficult step to secondary school, were distributed this year

There are now over 7,000 registered groups on our SchoolsLive website. That equates

to an estimated 144,000 children engaging with the Bible thanks to this free resource

200

Around 200 presentations of the Christmas story took place in schools

48,000

Over 48,000 children took home their own copy of the Christmas Bible Comic

3,772 school children went on a Lifepath school

trip, learning about the difference the Christian faith made to the life of a famous Christian

Holidays and missions Scripture Union holidays are the perfect blend of fun and faith exploration. Thanks to your support, and the dedication of 984 volunteers, 59 holidays were run with 1,762 children and young people in attendance SU missions are not only great fun but brilliant gospel-sharing opportunities.

During the year, an estimated...

4,000 children

attended 15 missions

thanks to 800 volunteers

Financial review

We’d like to thank all of you who have supported the work of Scripture Union this year. We rely on the dedication of our volunteers, and the heartfelt prayers and generous gifts of supporters to make the most of the opportunities we have for sharing the good news.

Your gifts, and the income raised from selling some of our mission resources, make a huge difference to the work of the movement. Here’s an overview of the money we received in the 2015/16 financial year, and the ways in which it was spent.

Donations £3,298,000

Publishing sales £1,675,000

Face-to-face ministry £2,973,000

Total Income £8,456,000

Holidays and missions £601,000

Other

(including investments)

£170,000

Publishing digital £1,728, 000

Publishing

(conventional)

£1,728,000

Total Expenditure £7,938,000

Legacies £2,712,000

Costs of generating funds £454,000

For every £1 spent on the costs of fundraising, £13.24 was received from donations and legacies.

If you would like to support our mission with a regular gift, to allow us to plan ahead and do more to introduce children to Jesus, turn the page.

International activities £1,055,000

This is a summary of Scripture Union’s financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2016, extracted from the full Trustees’ 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 Scripture Union on 01908 856135.

Mission opportunities We’ve got some amazing ministry opportunities that we’d love to pursue in the coming year. Your gifts could help us to‌ grow our pioneering sports ministry, connecting with more children and young people beyond the church take Guardians of Ancora to the next level, bringing the Bible to life in amazing ways grow our face to face ministry, putting more workers in the mission field and much more!

Turn the page to make a gift help us reach even more children and young people with the good news of Jesus.

Help us share the good news with moreJesus children en for childreven to reach

Let’s do more

We hope you’ll have seen something of the impact of SU’s work in this mission ManyThat generations benefi ted from the ministry Scripture Union.

Will you help report. impacthave is only possible because of theof generosity of supporters like us to reach and young people by setting a regular donation? you.

Willmore you children help us to share the goodwith newsthe ofgospel Jesus with even up more children and young people by setting up a regular donation?

A regular gift enables SU to plan ahead as we share the good news of Jesus.

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Prayers – week beginning October 2 Sunday 2

Wednesday 5

In Ethiopia Government school policy does not allow SU to serve students in their schools. Please pray for God’s wisdom about how to serve them. Pray too for the provision of their own premises to avoid constantly rising rental costs.

Children are becoming friends of Jesus, through playing Guardians of Ancora.

Pray that more will hear about the game and ask God what you could do to spread the word through church, family, friends, schools and clubs to get more children playing.

Monday 3 Please pray for Fiona and Emily at Christians & Sheffield Schools (CaSS) as they work to encourage churches to connect with their local schools and plan for the second Joined Up Conference in March 2017 for those working with schools, youth, children and families.

Tuesday 4 For the next three days a number of former staff, committee members and volunteers will be meeting for the Prayer Fellowship Conference. Give thanks to God for the many years of service represented and ask God to encourage them as they pray for the work.

Playing Guardians of Ancora

Thursday 6 Please pray for Prayer Spaces at Edward Peake Middle School in Biggleswade, for years 6 and 8, run by local mission partner, Impact. Pray that this will create opportunities for the pupils to share what is on their hearts and that they and staff will experience something of God.

Friday 7 The Council meets today and tomorrow to look at the development of SU ministry and ways of involving people in it. Pray that the combined wisdom and experience of this group, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and experience, will result in good discussion and clear direction.

Saturday 8 Steve Hutchinson is involved in the Big E training day, organised by Southwell Diocese and aimed at equipping all those involved in ministry to children and young people. Pray that God will use him to encourage many and to help them become more effective.

Prayers – week beginning October 2 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Prayers – week beginning October 9 Sunday 9

Wednesday 12

SU Scotland give thanks for Bible Alive – an exciting way to deliver the whole story of the Bible using storytelling and drama in primary age classrooms over a number of weeks. Pray that children will personally engage with the Bible as a result of what they hear.

Please pray for our local mission partner in Stockport, Christians in Schools Trust, as they lead their first anti-bullying project in a special school today and for further anti-bullying weeks in other primary schools throughout October and November.

Monday 10 Explore Together is designed to help people of all ages learn from the Bible together. Training events around the country help people make the most of the material. Today training takes place in Canterbury. Pray that participants will discover the benefits of the Explore Together model and are equipped to use it well.

Thursday 13 FACCTS, a local mission partner working in Fleet and Church Crookham, have a vision planning session coming soon.

Please pray that God will show them what he wants them to do in the next five years.

Friday 14 Tomorrow Steve Hutchinson will be representing SU at the Germinate Conference in Coventry. This aims to encourage and facilitate rural mission.

Pray for work in rural areas which can be hard and that there will be a renewal of children’s and young people’s work.

Saturday 15 Tuesday 11 The BOOST Conference organised by various agencies (including Scripture Union) takes place today. The theme is ‘Building emotional and spiritual wellbeing in children, young people and their workers’. Pray that participants will leave better able to help children and young people and also have an understanding of the importance of their own well-being.

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Our local mission partner in Cambridge, GenR8, will today be reconnecting with over twenty young people aged 10-13 who attended their Growing Young Leaders’ day in April. Give thanks for the opportunity to invest in these young lives and to encourage them in their faith.

Prayers – week beginning October 9 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning October 16 Sunday 16

Wednesday 19

This week the North West team will be working alongside SPLAT, our local mission partner in Preston, to run a ‘Pop Up’ Lifepath. Pray that as hundreds of children from local schools attend and learn about John Wesley, they will want to learn more about the God he served.

X:site Teesside is facing a season of change and are holding key discussions with local churches about how it will operate in the future. Please pray that God will guide these discussions and lead to the right format and leadership for the future.

Thursday 20 The South West Region work closely with South West Youth Ministries who ask us to join them in thanking God for their camps: Inside out Beauty for girls and Live Football for boys, which happened in spring, and for the SPREE weekend in July, which hosted well over one thousand young people.

Monday 17

Friday 21

Over the next two days, local mission partners from across the North meet together. Pray for a fresh encounter with God as they catch up with news, share and pray about successes and challenges and spend time together as part of the SU family.

Youth Net, an SU local mission partner in Stafford, have two groups running The Prince’s Trust courses aimed at young people who are becoming disaffected with education. Pray for all those working with such young people that they might see breakthroughs and transformed lives.

Tuesday 18 Scripture Union has close links with CYM (Institute for Children, Youth and Mission).

Today Tim Hastie-Smith is speaking at the graduation ceremony. Pray for graduating students that God will use them greatly in the areas to which he has called them.

Saturday 22 Praise God for the first Volunteer Fellowship gathering held recently in Hong Kong, at which volunteers and field staff shared and prayed together, building a more united and effective team. Pray for future meetings which are scheduled for every four months.

Prayers – week beginning October 16 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Reclaiming the Light at Halloween

Halloween has become a commercialised celebration of the ‘dark’ things in life. But thanks to your support, our Light Party Pack is helping even the smallest churches to reclaim it as a means of sharing God’s love with their communities.

‘H

alloween’ or ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ was once a Christian festival, a time to commemorate the lives of the saints. But these days, it’s better known for ghouls, ghosts and ‘trick or treat’.

Many churches already host ‘light parties’ as a more positive alternative, but few ready-made free resources are available to help them. So Scripture Union developed the Light Party Pack, full of ideas, tips and inspiration to make it easier for churches to host light-themed events at Halloween. Thousands of churches across the country have used it, with great success – including the small rural church led by Tim HastieSmith, Scripture Union’s National Director.

Tim Hastie-Smith

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Tim says, ‘The end of October coincides with half-term, so it’s an ideal time to run an event for children and families. It also helps churches to maintain the momentum in building relationships outside the church, by filling the gap between summer and Christmas outreach events.

‘My church had no children in the congregation and no obvious connections to children in the community although the village school was next door. We had never done an outreach event to children and families either, so it was all very new to us!

‘But we used the Light Party Pack to guide us, and planned an event with a BBQ, fireworks and a range of games and activities – and lots of children and families from outside the church came along! It was social rather than evangelistic; our aim

Reclaiming the Light at Halloween | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

was to get to know people in the wider community and have some fun together.

‘If your church is new to running outreach events or you have limited resources, you can run a ‘light party’ or ‘light event’ as a one-off, to dip your toe in the water. Then, if it goes well, you can build up an annual calendar of outreach events around it – the Light Party Pack gives you ideas on that too.

At our church, our outreach events start with our ‘light party’ social but then become more gospel-focused, culminating in our four-day children’s holiday club in the summer.’

“If your church is new to running outreach events, you can run a ‘light party’ as a one-off, to dip your toe in the water.”

Among those who attended the Light Party at Tim’s church were two 11-year-old girls who went to the school next door. A few months later, they asked to be baptised.

The Bishop of Gloucester conducted the baptism which was held not at the church, but at the school – so she was able to share a gospel message with all of the children.

Since then, the relationship between the school and church has blossomed, with more children coming to church events such as a 7-year-old boy, whose mother approached Tim earlier this summer and said, ‘We would like to join your church.’

‘For you are all children of the light, children of the day’ 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Reclaiming the Light at Halloween | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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New and improved Light Party Pack for 2016

This year, thanks to your continued support, we’ve been able to produce a brand new Light Party Pack to help your church run a Light Party.

And it’s better than ever!

Based on feedback on previous editions, this year’s Light Party Pack now includes a flexible menu of themed activities, crafts and more, as well as tips on planning your ‘light event’. It also includes suggestions of other ways that Scripture Union can help you to continue to share the good news with children and young people after your event. Whatever sort of Light Party you want to run, as Tim’s story suggests, the Light Party Pack can give you all you need or be a great starting point to get the ball rolling.

Order your pack for FREE at www.lightparty.org.uk, or call us on 01908 856000 21

Reclaiming the Light at Halloween | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning October 23 Sunday 23

Wednesday 26

In Tonga Scripture Union praise God for the use of the High School Chaplain’s office as a temporary base, but ask for prayer for the provision of a permanent office and for the provision of a campsite which will further assist the ministry to the young people in Tonga.

Sue Clutterham of Archway, our local mission partner working in the Roade area of Northants, gives thanks for extra funding that has enabled her to increase her working hours. Pray for plans to start a Sunday evening event for young families called Pizza, Praise and Puppets.

Monday 24 Hope MK brings together over one hundred and fifty young people from twenty-five churches to work in various mission-based projects across Milton Keynes. Pray that many people will encounter the love of God and have an opportunity to respond through this initiative.

Tuesday 25 Please give thanks for the successful launch and warm reception of True Story, a booklet designed to introduce unchurched teenagers to Jesus. Pray that through it many will discover the love of God in Jesus and put their faith in him.

Thursday 27 King’s Cross Trust, an SU local mission partner, ask us to pray for open doors to work with schools in the Islington and Camden boroughs of London. They are at the stage where applications have been sent out to different funding bodies; pray that these will be viewed favourably.

Friday 28 With Halloween coming up please pray for all of the churches who are going to be shining God’s light into communities by running Light parties, asking that children who attend will see that there are other ways of celebrating and that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Saturday 29 Next year we celebrate 150 years of SU’s mission. Please pray for the team planning events and activities that will helps us to reach thousands of children and young people with the good news of Jesus in big and exciting ways.

Prayers – week beginning October 23 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Prayers – week beginning October 30 Sunday 30

Thursday 3

This week Alan Charter will be in Orlando for meetings of the Global Children’s Forum culminating in a vision day on Thursday involving new and existing partners. Pray that God will give clear direction for ministry in a world in which many children grow up without any knowledge of Jesus.

The Scripture Union and Urban Saints joint training evening, Inspire, consisting of bite-sized seminars on topics such as Guardians of Ancora, Christmas ideas, holiday clubs, Light, and residential activities, visits Cambridge tonight. Pray that the children’s and youth workers who attend will gain a wealth of new ideas.

Monday 31 Pray for the team putting together the programme of missions and residential activities for next summer. Pray for wisdom as they make decisions about how best to market the events so that we reach more unchurched children and young people. Pray especially for plans for a new holiday for young leaders.

Please pray for local mission partner, OASIS Youth Development Trust as they work with new schools in the St Helens’ area and for worker Sandra Morris as she tries to develop a schools ministry team among local churches.

Saturday 5

Tuesday 1 Thank God for all those who faithfully support the work of Scripture Union in prayer and through their giving. Pray that God will continue to meet the needs of the movement as we go forward.

Wednesday 2 In Nepal, Scripture Union thank God for the provision of a new building which will provide them with a solid base for ministry and a source of income. Pray that this will enable an expansion in the work.

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Friday 4

Matthew Richardson from the Guardians of Ancora team has produced a free e-book to help churches explore how to get the most out of the game.

Please pray that many will find out about the e-book and find it helpful in their ministry.

Prayers – week beginning October 30 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning November 6 Sunday 6

Wednesday 9

Join with SU Kyrgyzstan in thanking God that Daily Bread for children is published monthly in the Russian and Kyrgyz languages – and that this is issued in an electronic version. Please pray for an increase in the number of young readers.

Give thanks for the encouraging reception of a series of seasonal missional booklets aimed at 5–8s and 9–11s. Pray that churches will use these and that many children will receive them and think about the good news of Jesus.

Monday 7

Thursday 10

Sport is an effective way of reaching many young people with the good news.

Pray for Richard Witham as he develops this aspect of Scripture Union’s ministry and for inspiration at the International Sports Coalition meetings in the USA this week.

As the Leadership Team meet today looking ahead to the November Board meeting, pray that God will not only encourage them but that he will renew their vision and confirm his direction.

Tuesday 8 SHINE In Schools is running this month (see page 6 ). Next week, groups will watch the first video giving reasons for doing something; in the second week they will come up with practical ideas and in the third they will aim to do something that will make an impact in the school. Pray that this will encourage Christian young people to share their faith.

Friday 11 Pray that as the Light Party material is reviewed following its use this year there might be constructive feedback so that the pack can continue to be improved and the good news of Jesus can be shared with more children next year.

Saturday 12 Hot Pot, an event organised by several agencies including SU, takes place in Manchester today offering training to youth and children’s workers. Pray for those who come to the event, that their needs will be met, and that they will continue to seek God in reaching out to young people.

Prayers – week beginning November 6 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Prayers – week beginning November 13 Sunday 13

Thursday 17

This week Christian unions in colleges will be asked to take part in Interfaith Week. Pray for wisdom for students to know how to respond and what to do, and above all that they might be salt and light where they study.

With staff having advanced IT equipment and access to significant amounts of personal data, complex security issues are raised and constant vigilance is needed to protect the data. Pray for IT Manager Ian Gooding and the support team at Managed 24/7 as they work to keep our information secure.

Monday 14 Please pray for the Publishing Administration Team – Hannah, Jennifer, Tracy and Karen – as they carry out LightLive uploading, create e-books, deal with rights and copyright, proofread documents, answer queries from our retail customers, send out promotions and order forms and much more.

Friday 18 Local mission partner, Pimlico Foundation was set up by churches to work with young people in Pimlico. As they establish themselves, please pray for more volunteers, for financial provision and especially for somewhere within the community for worker Mark Liburd to live.

Tuesday 15 SU local mission partner, PSALMS, is working with the SU Regional Team in the Midlands and Gloucester Diocese to develop a hub of sporting excellence to share the good news of Jesus through sport.

Please pray for clarity and vision as they work together.

Wednesday 16 The South West team are exploring the possibility of running a further Training in Schools Work Conference in addition to those in the south and the north to further equip those who want to reach their local schools and who would prefer something more local. Pray that they will know when and how to move this forward.

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Saturday 19 Pray for Monika Kuschmierz as she leads the planning team for the first Scripture Union Global Assembly, to be held in January 2017. This gathering will also include the final Scripture Union International Council meeting, and the appointment of the new Global Board and the International Director.

Prayers – week beginning November 13 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning November 20 Sunday 20

Thursday 24

In Colombia, Unión Bíblica (Scripture Union) staff Joe Mendoza, Gloria Doria, Marta Rodriguez, Vilma Sequeda and Ivan Castro minister to displaced families living in slum areas. Please pray that through their loving service people will be drawn to Christ.

Christopher Baker from our local mission partner Christian Initiative to Schools is Chaplain at Etonbury Academy in Bedfordshire. Pray for all aspects of his role at the school whether taking lessons and assemblies, leading the Christian Union or becoming involved in pastoral care with both pupils and staff.

Monday 21 Local mission partner, Blandford Schools Development Trust, give thanks for the welcome in schools with three schools having weekly Open the Book visitors.

Pray for new teams preparing to join them, and that leading assemblies will encourage them in their faith and bring the Bible alive to all children who listen.

Tuesday 22 Today the staff in the South West hold their bi-monthly meeting with staff from South West Youth Ministries. Pray that as they look to develop more missional activities they will have a real sense of God’s leading and creativity.

Wednesday 23 Pray that next year, in our Jubilee celebrations to mark 150 years of SU’s ministry, we are able to not only celebrate God’s goodness to the movement but also to launch out afresh, reasserting our mission for the next 150 years and beyond.

Friday 25 Pray for SUMT (local mission partner on the Isle of Man) asking that they would increasingly see young people coming to a place where they choose Jesus for themselves. Pray also for the continuation of the excellent engagement that they have with local churches on the island.

Saturday 26 Wayne Dixon (Christian Connections in Schools, Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead) is part of the team presenting Christmas Unwrapped for the 23rd year at Slough Baptist Church next week. Pray that this and the many similar events around the country will enable children to understand the true significance of Christmas.

Prayers – week beginning November 20 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Stamps for cash

The Scripture Union Stamp Bureau has raised thousands of pounds in the last 16 years alone through the sale of used stamps. Could you help raise even more in this creative way?

Who would have thought that stamps, even those of the common everyday variety, could be worth so much? Enter Scripture Union supporter, Steve Ellis, a seasoned stamp collector from Stoke-on-Trent.

Steve has been running the SU Stamp Bureau since taking over the reins 16 years ago. In that time, he’s raised an amazing £24,102 for Scripture Union by selling used stamps.

Steve is looking to continue in this creative fundraising venture, but he needs your help.

‘I can find a market for virtually any stamp that isn’t damaged, even the more common ones,’ says Steve. ‘Unfortunately, I am receiving fewer stamps to sell nowadays and there are fewer collectors looking to buy.’ Can you help Steve keep the bureau alive? Do you have any used stamps (either small amounts or larger collections) or perhaps you collect and could help by buying some of Steve’s stamps?

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We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for his selfless work on this scheme. As well as dedicating his time, Steve personally meets all the expenses of running the bureau in order that every penny raised from stamp sales goes to help fund our mission. Thank you, Steve!

Can you help?

If you’ve got stamps you’d like to send, or you’re in the market for buying, get in touch with Steve: E: Steve@ScriptureUnionStamps.co.uk A: 22 Burton Crescent, Sneyd Green, Stokeon-Trent ST1 6BT T: 01782 208669.

Top Tip

It helps if stamps that are torn from the envelope are trimmed with a small margin. Old stamps (pre1945) have more value if left on the envelope.

Stamps for cash | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Encouraging words

There’s nothing like a little word of encouragement to make someone’s day. Haven Christian Centre in Derby certainly made ours when we received a package full of notes they’d written to encourage us in our mission.

‘We held a prayer evening to pray for all the different missions we support,’ writes Fay Cameron, a member of Haven Christian Centre. ‘We chose to write those prayers down and send them out as blessings, so that the missions knew we were praying for them. Some people also chose to send photos, with messages on, as a way to send our support and encouragement.’

gifts, their time and, of course, their prayers. But, to have those prayers and blessing shared with us like this was a lovely surprise to brighten our day.

Thank you Haven Christian Centre, we really do appreciate the thought and your ongoing support!

As a movement, we are really blessed by our supporters. We are blessed by their

Encouraging words | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

What can you do tod ay to encour age someone?

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I’m

Hey there!

and I have a sto ry to tell

Hardback only

£8.99

Diary of a disciple is a contemporary retelling of Luke’s Gospel for 8- to 11-year-olds. Its quirky and contemporary style offers a great way into the Bible for the next generation!

Order from your local Christian bookshop | Order from Scripture Union: 01908 856006 | Order online : www.scriptureunion.org.uk