Adventure Magazine January 2023

EDITORIAL

Kia ora tātou,

I’ve just spent a weekend with my wider family at a lovely spot in Wainui above Auckland. Most of my family were there, ranging across four generations, aged from 2 weeks old up to 88 years. What a delight to be with them all!

As we sat around laughing and telling stories, having conversations about good times and challenges, I couldn’t help but reflect on the value of loving Christian relationships across multiple generations. When there is a range of ages together there is a depth and strength of faith and experience that is very precious. We are all enriched by each other. Whether these moments are found within family or church, they help faith form well.

This issue of the Adventure looks at four characteristics that will provide an environment in which quality faith formation can happen. It also gives some practical suggestions for how to intentionally enable faith to thrive. As you read, take note of the ideas that are suggested. Can you use them with the children and young people and families you know?

And as we read, let’s take to heart the challenge implicit in Psalm 78:1-7. These words are something for us to remember as we go about our everyday life.

"We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them - even the children not yet born - and they in turn will teach their own children. So, each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands."

Ngā mihi nui,

Hilary Hague

National Director

Scripture Union New Zealand

...I COULDN’T HELP BUT REFLECT ON THE VALUE OF LOVING CHRISTIAN RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS MULTIPLE GENERATIONS.”

YOUR HOUSE BUILD ON THE ROCK

LIZ EICHLER | SUNZ Children and Families Team Leader

At the end of 2021, the Children and Families team were wrestling with how to continue to provide training at a time when Covid was still prevalent. All three WAY2GO conferences in 2020 were cancelled.

We had managed to run the Dunedin and Auckland events in 2021, but the Wellington conference was cancelled at very late notice due to the city abruptly going into Level 2, which restricted our gathering size.

We found ourselves in an interesting situation in late 2021; alert levels were on their way out and the country was struggling to understand the Traffic Light system. It was an uncertain time and, to a degree, life continues in much the same vain.

What we did know was that we wanted to continue to provide the high-quality training that we had become known for and we wanted to continue to serve the church—in particular, the children and families of Aotearoa New Zealand.

We went back to basics and asked ourselves ‘’what are the key aspects we want to communicate to those involved in children’s ministry in 2022?” When we considered how a child’s connection with God is nurtured, we realised that we needed to put the First Things First. But what were they?

This was the question that we focussed on as we explored together the importance of prioritising a deep faith, grounded in the Bible and prayer, and how the church

can encourage lifelong faith in children and their families.

Using the visual aid of needing to fill a jar with rocks and sand, we demonstrated the best way to get everything in the jar was to put the rocks in first, then the stones, followed finally by the sand. The first effort of sand first, then rocks, and then stones was unsuccessful. By asking the participants to think about what had helped their faith to grow, we were then able to consider what the ‘rocks’—or what the most vital parts—of children’s ministry are.

We found that the common words or themes that the participants contributed aligned well with what we had been thinking about as a team. These were:

Connection to God, Connection to God’s story (the Bible), Connection as family/ whānau and Connection to others. These were the rocks on which we built our WAY2GO children’s ministry training conferences on for 2022. They are all outlined later in this Adventure Magazine.

I am reminded of a song we used to sing at Sunday School ‘The wise man built his house upon the rock’, based on the passage found in Matthew 7 and Luke 6. These words are about having firm foundations, hearing God’s words, and obeying them. There are ramifications of doing the opposite, as the passages also state.

“WHEN WE CONSIDERED HOW A CHILD’S CONNECTION WITH GOD IS NURTURED, WE REALISED THAT WE NEEDED TO PUT THE FIRST THINGS FIRST.”

Here in the Wellington office, we’re watching the new City Mission building go up next door to us. It’s taking quite a while to get off the ground, so to speak, and whilst I’m no builder in the practical sense, it’s obvious that good foundations are vital to any building.

The same can be said for those of us in ministry, good foundations are vital. Often, they’re already there, we’ve just lost sight of them in the busy-ness that we find ourselves in and the distractions that are a constant. Those foundations are the why of our ministry, the foundations out of which our how and what flow. We need to remind ourselves why we are doing this, in order to be able to answer how we do it and specifically what we do.

Firm foundations are hard to grasp at times, especially in a world where there is so much change. Some would say that the only constant is change. I’m not sure about that, but what I do know is that the world that we know is very different to the one my Cornish immigrant grandparents knew. Some of us delight in change, others do not. Change is a challenge, with some more equipped for this than others.

There’s a book doing the rounds at the moment, Canoeing the Mountains, Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Ted Bolsinger—and it’s a fascinating read. This book explores the challenges that church leaders face in the 21st century. The book is a response to what

we’ve all known for quite a while, that we now live in a post-Christendom world. 'The seventeen hundred years of Christianity at the privileged centre of Western cultural life is over. Christendom as a marker of society has clearly passed.' (p.12)

That in itself is a huge change, not just for those of us in Christian leadership, but for the whole church. Note that this is referring to Christendom, not

”

FIRM FOUNDATIONS ARE HARD TO GRASP AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS SO MUCH CHANGE.”

Christianity. The world we live in needs a Saviour just as much if not more than it did when first hinted at in the Old Testament.

In amongst the swirl of change, what I do know is that God’s love for us stays the same, the firm foundation for us all, the why of our ministry which, along with the great commission, Jesus gave to his disciples at the end of his earthly ministry. ‘Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples’, (Matthew 28:19), is the constant for us.

Let’s all be wise, putting our trust in the firm foundation of Christ, whose love never changes, who goes before us into a world we’re not sure of, but are still called to serve and love.

PŌNUI ISLAND FISHING

Weather and tides permitting, we’ll be enjoying various types of fishing over the week including boat, land based (beach and point), barge fishing off the Pōnui cattle barge, long lining in the bay and kayak fishing. We’ll also be spending an hour or two each day reflecting on some of the big questions of life and faith.

This is a beginner level tramp and suitable for all levels of experience—as long as you’re keen to get outdoors, move your body, meet some cool gals, and have a positive time you’ll be right!

GODConnect

ANNETTE OSBORNE | SUNZ Children and Families Consultant

All creatures of Aotearoa Come together and praise the Lord Donkey’s, Dotterel, Shrimp and Seagulls, Kea and Kiwi come together, Praise the Lord

These beautiful words and photos were created by a group of campers on the first SUNZ Year 6-8 camp held on Pōnui Island. They paint a picture of the wonderful world that God has created, a world that is brimming over with praise.

‘Connected to God’ was one of our key themes for our WAY2GO Conferences this year. We explored how we can encourage children and their families to connect with God. One way we can do this is through seeing God at work in the world around us. For most of us, our suburban lifestyles aren’t quite as visually spectacular as Pōnui. However, if we pay attention, we can notice God’s praise being declared by the kingfisher on the clothesline, the neighbours’ kids playing on the trampoline or the sunset we see out of the kitchen window.

Faith thrives when we encourage our children and young people to take notice of the world around them and the God who sustains it all.

The mountains of the South the rolling hills of the North every quiet and loud creature come praise the Lord

The writer of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 encourages his readers to connect with God in the everyday; when we sit, when we rise, when we walk down the road.

Faith thrives when we encourage children and young people to look for God in the everyday rhythms of their lives; their football game, school friends, art projects or poetry assignments. It is so valuable for our children to know that God is not only to be found in the peak experience of camps, but also in the smallest, seemingly insignificant, or even boring parts of our lives. God cares about all these things.

As we consider our connection with God in the everyday, here are some practical examples you might like to consider and talk about with the children in your life or ministry:

• What might it look like to turn off our devices for a day or an evening? What could we do together instead?

• Where in our neighbourhood can we walk and explore? Maybe a local park or beach. Read Psalm 148 before you go and observe how creation praises God.

• Be comfortable with darkness. Turn off the lights and go outside. Can you see the stars from your house?

• Consider using Psalm 148 as a basis for evening family prayers: I praise God for... What simple words come to mind that describe our gratitude? The practice of slowing down and noticing is a spiritual discipline of great value. Can we drink our coffee slower? Walk through a park slower? Lift our eyes up from our phones and notice the

people around us? I encourage you to read your Bible more slowly too. Choose a short passage of scripture and read it slowly, noticing what words or images jump out at you. We can encourage our children and young people to read slower too, learning to listen to God as they do.

In our fast-paced world we can over schedule our lives. We can have the same approach to faith. But I wonder if the writers of Psalm 148 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 have something profound to offer us for this moment. As we walk down the road, God is there. As we leave the house, God is there. Slow down, notice the world that God has made. You will get a glimpse of how the trees and the birds, and the stones give praise to God. The invitation is there to us to join with them. Weak and strong Young and old Rich and poor King Charles, King Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki, and Jacinda Ardern

All nations on earth COME PRAISE THE LORD

NIGEL WINDER | SUNZ Children and Families Consultant, Otago & Southland

TOGOD'S STORY Connect

The Bible gives us an overarching story about a God who loves us and wants to transform our lives. How do we explore the Bible with children in life-giving ways where we discover its truths together in community?

The Bible makes a large claim about itself… There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.— 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (The Message)

This is the essence of being a follower of Jesus. Coming to a saving faith, being transformed into His likeness, and living in obedience to Him. This all comes from engaging with God through His Word the Bible. We need to come to the Bible as a sacred and powerful text, the words of God himself, who wants us to grow in our faith and relationship with Him. We are connecting with God’s story as a means of connecting with God Himself, and that should be both a scary and exhilarating journey. Here are five key elements to consider…

MEETING GOD

We need to approach the Bible with an eager and willing expectation of meeting God and being changed by that encounter.

Ready to be shaped by it for the tasks that God wants us to do, as ’The Message’ puts it. This requires us to know ourselves what the Bible is and why it is so important. We need to have met God through it and allowed Him and his Word to do transforming work in our lives so that we can demonstrate and model for those we are ministering to. Children will want to connect with God’s story because they see you are excited and changed by it.

KNOW THE WHOLE STORY

We need to regularly take a bird's eye view of the whole story, seeing Jesus as the central character from beginning to end. We need to understand how each story informs another, growing our understanding of God. This story has been going on since the beginning of time, and we get to find ourselves in the middle of this story, participants in it! God is writing His story in us and through us as we engage and respond to His invitation to enter into his love.

CONTEXT

We need to place each story we explore in the context of the whole story, exploring and understanding the cultural context (time and place) of each story, seeking to apply its truths to our own. You take a text out of context, and we’re left with a con.

COMMUNITY

We all benefit when we engage in the story together bringing our own contexts and collective wisdom rather than being passive participants. We seek the help of the Holy Spirit and other experts to help us understand the Bible. Because the Bible is a living document, God can speak to each of us in different ways from the same text. We can learn from each other because community brings a collective wisdom and discernment.

DEPTH

We acknowledge that the Bible can be a very difficult book to read, and explanations won’t always be clear. However children can grasp complex truths with simple faith.

Let’s be careful to remain true to the text and the stories, not oversimplifying them or twisting them to suit our lesson goals. Let’s leave room for the Holy Spirit to do His work and space for the mysterious and sometimes unfathomable. Let’s make sure that we don’t communicate that we know it all, understand it all, and instead be comfortable with leaving some of our questions unanswered.

What a privilege we have, to share this story, and connect children with it and, the God Who inspired it, but even more than that, becoming living participants in it.

NIGEL WINDER

| SUNZ Children and Families Consultant, Otago & Southland

NDATIONAL

THROUGH CHILDREN'S CAMPS

Back in October 2022, with the help of a wonderful team, I ran the Southland SUPAkidz Camp—Mega Makers. These camps are for children in years 4-6 at primary school. Fifty-four campers and twenty leaders explored stories from the Gospel of Matthew, with a focus on discovering the bigness of God’s love. The camp theme was set in an inventor’s workshop whose latest invention—"The Mega Machine”—could make items placed in it more enlarged and more powerful. This corresponded with the message of how wide God’s invitation to know Him is extended, how our trust in Him grows deeper as we get to know Him, and that His power was demonstrated to grow stronger as Jesus revealed more of Himself. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we discovered the greatness of God’s love and the forever and ever friendship He offers us.

We had five main teaching sessions over the course of camp which included songs, memory verses, Bible stories, drama, small group time, crafts, games and more.

Our key verse was Ephesians 3:18 (GNB) “I pray that you, together with all God’s people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ’s love.”

There was such a positive response to the message of the bigness of God’s love and His wide invitation to follow Him. At least six campers made a commitment to follow Jesus, and about 25 took home a gospel tract to think more about it and discuss it with their parents/caregivers. All campers got given a Bible reading guide, which we used each day at camp with the hope they would continue with regular Bible reading when they went home. About 20 Bibles were also gifted to campers who did not already own one.

I am so grateful for the churches and individuals who supported camp with food and donations, and for the wonderful team who poured so much time and energy into the camp.

Through the relationships formed between campers and leaders, the unpacking and exploring together of God’s Word in a variety of ways, and skills taught in spending time with God in His Word, the campers were given opportunity to lay some foundational rocks of faith like “Connecting with God”, “Connecting

with God’s Big Story” and “Connecting with Others”. We also prayed that as they headed home with their Bible Reading Guides, memory verses, crafts, small group workbooks and stories that there will be deeper connections between them, their families, and God.

One camper wrote: “At camp I really enjoyed the whole experience, but my favourite highlights were how we got taught that God’s invitation spreads wider and wider, our faith digs deeper and deeper and the power of God grows stronger and stronger. My favourite activity was the abseiling. It taught me how to trust the instructors and ropes just like we have to trust Jesus to be saved. From this camp I have learnt more about Jesus and have decided to fully commit my life to live for Him.”

A parent wrote: “Our son recently attended the SU camp at Camp Columba. I'm just writing to say that he enjoyed it (and not just the abseiling and zip line) and post-camp has been asking me about favourite Bible verses and songs. He is also enjoying the devotion he received and takes it very seriously when completing the answers. Please pass on our thanks and regards to organisers, leaders, cooks, and any others involved.”

May you be encouraged like I am in the way God continues to work through camps ministry to grow faith in campers and leaders alike.

Listen, Israel! The LORD our God is the only true God! So love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorise his laws and

Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night or getting up in the morning.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Whakarongo, e Īharaira: Ko Ihowā, ko tō tātou Atua, he Ihowā kotahi; ā, me whakapau katoa tōu ngākau, tōu wairua, tōu kaha ki te aroha ki a Ihowā, ki tōu Atua. Hei roto anō i tōu ngākau ēnei kupu e whakahau atu nei ahau ki a koe i tēnei rā. Whakaakona mārietia atu hoki ki āu tamariki, kōrerotia i a koe e noho ana i tōu whare, i a koe e haere ana i te huarahi, i a koe e takoto ana, i tōu aranga ake hoki.—Tiuteronomi 6:4-7

?? !

"Jesus came as a rabbit at Easter and later in the year turned into a pumpkin." I heard this comment on the radio recently and could hardly believe my ears! It made me think about the very real lack of knowledge in our society about our public holidays. They are Christian and religious holidays, but they’re also national holidays which increasingly less and less people know the background to. How do we educate people about Easter without alienating them while staying true to our beliefs? How do we reach out to our communities with the Good News of Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, who died on the cross and rose again on what we now call Easter Sunday? What does Evangelism look like in 21st Century Aotearoa New Zealand? And above all, how do we tell our stories? And how can we “Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope”? (1 Peter 3:15)

In this edition of the WAY2GO magazine we’ll look at ideas for sharing the Good News of Jesus in our homes and communities this Easter.

Liz Eichler Children and Families Team Leader, SUNZ

MAKE A

Holy Week

BRACELET

Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday. It starts with the donkey ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, then there’s Maundy Thursday where many remember The Passover, through to Good Friday, a day of reflection, and finally onto what some call Resurrection Sunday, but many others just know as Easter. Here’s a simple idea that you can make as a whānau at home during Holy Week or on a Sunday at church ahead of time. If you make it ahead of time it could be worn during Holy Week and talked about each day at home.

YOU WILL NEED:

• coloured beads (green, red, orange, pink, orange, black, white, purple)

• some smaller beads to go in between the bigger beads (optional)

• thin elastic (like hat elastic)

• a Bible, preferably a modern version

Palm Sunday | 2 April

Read Matthew 21:1-11

Thread the green bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use green for Palm Sunday? (colour of the palms, trees, nature)

Monday | 3 April

Read Matthew 21:12-17

Thread the red bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use red for this day? (emotions, feeling angry)

Tuesday

| 4 April

Read Matthew 22:34-46

Thread the orange bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use orange for this day? (traffic light—get ready to stop, pause, think, ask questions)

Wednesday

| 5 April

Read Matthew 26:1-16

Thread the pink bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use pink for this day? (colour of appreciation and gratitude)

Maundy Thursday

| 6 April

Read Matthew 26:17-30

Thread the orange bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use orange for Maundy Thursday? (bread, dusty feet)

Good Friday

| 7 April

Read Matthew 27:1-2, 31-56

Thread the black bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use black for Good Friday? (traditional western colour for mourning)

Holy Saturday

| 8 April

Read Matthew 27:57-66

Thread the white bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use white for Holy Saturday? (colour of the cloth, tomb, stone)

Easter Sunday

| 9 April

Read Matthew 28:1-10

Thread the purple bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use purple for Easter Sunday? (Purple is a royal colour)

Wear the bracelet to remind you of Jesus’ journey through Holy Week and how we can be a part of that journey through remembering and sharing His story.

HOLY WEEK

Hospitality

Hospitality is a great way of inviting people into your life, and a way to enter into their lives. Have you ever thought of hosting a Passover Meal, or a Seder Meal? These meals are traditionally celebrated in the evening of Maundy Thursday—the day before Good Friday. The name is thought to come from a Latin (“a new

Mark 14:12-26 – have a simple meal together and read this passage at some stage. The food is not important, it’s the being together.

Take part in a Seder Meal – https:// www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/ easter-walking-through-holy-week/ quite a detailed example you could adapt.

https://godventure.co.uk/

Here’s something a bit different, a fun activity that highlights the parallels between Exodus and Easter

passover-treasure-hunt/

Thriving faith! That is our vision for the children, young people and families of Aotearoa. Scripture Union New Zealand is o ering to journey with your church over a year to address this challenge. We will facilitate a whole church consultation, and support you to develop a strategy for the future. Our desire is to see healthy churches, where people of all ages thrive in their faith!

For more information please visit www.sunz.org.nz/thrive explore more about how THRIVE can help your church.

WHĀNAU ConnectTO AND FAMILY

ANDREA LUKIN | SUNZ Children and Families Consultant

In Rachel Turners book, “It Takes a Church to Raise a Parent” she highlights for us that “Children need to be discipled in the ordinary way of life.”

Gone are the moments in the week where the emphasis was placed on the Church to provide the Spiritual framework and instructions for the children and that parents could simply send them along for their weekend priority of faith formation.

We have now moved into an area of asking a lot of questions about, how do we shape and nurture the faith of families when we compete with society's daily demands of parents? For families it creates a huge load to even try and think about how to have faith conversations.

Rachel Turner talks about “Finding God in the ordinary everyday boring bits of life.” As we reflect on the passage from Deuteronomy 6:6-9 we find that the centre of children’s discipleship is not what happens on a Sunday morning, but in the ordinary, everyday, mundane activities at home.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress

them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

When we think back to the Way2Go seminars that were held around the country few months ago, we should continue to search for ways that are going to make faith thrive for our families and whānau, whatever shape that might take.

How can we, as a church, offer support in ways in which to help and aid parents to be the faith builders in their homes?

What ways of encouragement can we give then around the ordinary mundane, every day, boring bits of life? Ways that they can engage together about life and faith wherever they are when they are sitting at home or walking along the street, when they are getting up in the morning over breakfast and when they sit together at dinner time. There are so many stresses that are placed on parents, so how can the church help to alleviate some of that pressure?

We need to approach each family/ whānau group with an attitude of “I am here for you, let’s see and find out what works for you in your space! You are unique and we affirm you.”

We need to remember that faith thrives when it is:

• Family and whānau who are intentional about faith formation in their homes. How do we begin each day with faith and wonder questions? Where might

we find a God gem throughout the day today? What might we see on God’s creation as we walk to school?

• Churches actively support family and whānau in their vital role of forming the faith of their children and young people. What tools and tips can we offer to parents taking in their own uniqueness and family needs? How do the children learn effectively and what tools can we help with for parents to share faith?

• The church operates as the family of God and becomes a positive spiritual family for all. As a church, show up intentionally to events such as a kid’s sports game, or when someone is achieving an award. These are places where people might not expect the church’s presence but will certainly appreciate it.

• Church programs and services for children and young people connect with their wider families. How do we engage and gather as an intergenerational community? How do we do this not as silo ministries but all together across barriers and generations?

• There is a positive partnership between the church and home, where families can serve and contribute to church life. Where is the whole body of church is seen working together? Faith formation is not seen as an added component but a part of working together in collaboration.

Parents are perfectly positioned and perfectly equipped to daily and easily show children the reality of a day-to-day life with God, so let’s engage and support our families in every way possible to make this achievable.

OTHERSConnect WITH

If COVID has taught us only one thing, it is that people need other people, as do children. In fact, children need others even more than adults do. It is also beneficial for adults to be connected with children and young people. These connections can keep our faith fresh and can challenge some of the ruts that we can get into as long-term followers for Christ. Is it easy to connect across the generations? No, it isn’t, but it is vital to the life of the church and individual faith. So, what does this look like in a Christian faith context?

CONNECTING WITH OTHER GENERATIONS

We know that children connect with other generations in their family, in Sunday School or in Kids church environments, which are important for their faith development. However, children also need faith input and modelling from other Christians outside of these contexts. Faith is not just

ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM | SUNZ Children and Families Consultant

taught, but is also nurtured and grown by interacting with people from other generations through a wider community outside the previously mentioned environments.

FAITH IS NOT JUST TAUGHT BUT IS ALSO NURTURED AND GROWN

The gathering of God’s people on a Sunday is an obvious place to explore this. Most churches have multiple generations present for at least part of the service on Sunday. However, just having the different generations in the same space doesn’t mean that they are connecting and interacting with each other.

This means that when multiple generations are going to be together, we need to intentionally plan activities that encourage and help the different generations to connect with each other. Something as simple as having a question

that they share their answer to with someone of another generation sitting next to or near them.

Sunday is not the only place where these connections can be fostered. So here are a few places that we may want to consider where we could intentionally connect the generations. This is by no means an exhaustive list. So, you may want to spend some time thinking about your own church and where there might be places where generations are already gathering together during the week.

Churches regularly have an evening of prayer to which the whole church is invited. However, this often excludes parents of under 12s, and those who are under 12 themselves. Imagine how much richer the prayer experience could be if it took place on a Sunday morning, when all generations could pray together.

Imagine intentionally partnering people from two different generations one on one. Here are some examples. Prayer partners—a mum who is partnered with a grandmother. A retired person connected with a preschooler. A primary schooler who is partnered with an adolescent. Note: This should always be done with the permission of the child's parents.

Most churches have home groups that take place during the week. Often children and young people are not included in these. With some thought and a little change, children and young people could very easily

be accommodated too. This gives the younger generations the chance to know that they belong to the faith community, and their faith will grow as the generations share and learn together.

CONNECT WITH OTHERS IN THE LOCAL OR BROADER COMMUNITY

Children may hear about the mission of the church, but they also need to actively be a part of this mission. If they grow up being a part of the service that church offers to those outside the church, then they will be primed and modelled to continue doing this work into their adult years. Again, this does take some careful planning, but children serving alongside parents and people of other generations reinforces the Biblical mandate of romans 12:5, “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

All the above suggestions will take some effort and intentionality. If your church is not sure where to begin, Scripture Union can help by providing some training and resourcing. Refer to our website or contact our Children & Families Team for more information.

CHILDREN MAY HEAR ABOUT THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH, BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO ACTIVELY BE A PART OF THIS MISSION

Light

for the path

LIZZIE MOORE | Youth Consultant—Otago Southland

This year, God has been challenging me to meditate on his love. I have been using Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus found in Ephesians 3:14-21 and praying it for myself and for those around me—it’s a powerful prayer!

Here’s a few thoughts I’ve had as I’ve been pondering God’s love:

God is love (1 John 4:8), it is WHO HE IS. With all the definitions of love the world bombards us with, I have learnt it’s important to go to the Bible for a true definition of what love actually is, because if God is love, then our understanding of what love is impacts who we understand God to be. Praise God for so many pictures of what His love is and isn’t in his Word.

God reveals His love to us in many ways. Here is a few: throughout the whole Bible, in Jesus, through creation, through others, through His provision. God can pretty much use anything to reveal His love to us. How do you encounter God’s love for you?

What can hinder us from grasping God’s love?

• Our understanding of what love is, and our broken human experiences of love.

• The words “I love you” being empty by not being followed up with loving actions.

• The misconception of having to earn God’s love—God loves us completely and fully, it is not dependant on what we do or don’t do. This is hard for our human minds to fathom.

• Self-righteousness hinders us from knowing God’s love. To comprehend the height, depth, width, and length of Christ’s love, we need to realise our own wretchedness.

God’s love is ultimately revealed through the work of Christ. He paid the price for our sin on the cross, so that you and I can have a relationship with God again.

Lord, for each person reading this magazine, I pray that they may be rooted and established in your love, that they may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is. May they know this love that surpasses knowledge—that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Meet LIZZIE

Lizzie, our writer for ‘Light for the Path’, is the SUNZ Youth Consultant for Otago Southland. We asked her to introduce herself to you. Here’s what she had to say: Kia ora e te whānau, My name is Lizzie Moore and I have been serving as the Otago Southland Youth Consultant for SUNZ since April 2018. This means visiting churches and youth leaders around the region, supporting, equipping and resourcing them in the work they do with young people. This year, I have also stepped into an Associate Pastor role at Central Baptist Church Invercargill two days a week. I love both roles, but I have noticed that the weeks seem to fly by at hyper-speed now!

I grew up on a farm in Dipton, Mirihiku with Mum, Dad and my four siblings. It was a pretty incredible place to grow up! I’m thankful for the legacy of faith that has gone before me, it’s a faith that I can continue. When I was 14, Camp Columba—a Christian camp in Pukerau—became my second home and the place that helped my faith in Jesus thrive and become my own. After high school, I was asked to take a gap year and be a youth intern for RiversdaleWaikaia Presbyterian church. Long story

short, I stayed for five years completing a Bachelor of Ministry through Laidlaw College and the PYM internship programme in the process. During my time in Riversdale, I met my wonderful husband, Ray, and, in 2017, we made Invercargill/ Waihopai our new home.

I am passionate about helping people of all ages encounter Christ, and I want to journey with them as they work out what it looks like to follow Him through the ups and downs of life. I count it a privilege that I get to do exactly that for my job.

WE ASKED FOUR

HERE'S WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY...

Jo Huggins

Massey Presbyterian, Auckland

I loved the simplicity of the 4 Stones at Way2Go 2022. Sometimes it feels the pressure is on to plan something awesome every week for the kids at church, but really it is about creating an environment where the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and connection is key. Now I don’t try to rush so much when at the start of Kidztime we give time for the children to share their news over morning tea and pray. It is more about listening rather than me talking. And after the story, we allow space for the children to respond and discuss their own insights by using the sentence starter “I wonder...” Success for me is when I have consciously made a personal interaction with each child and leader (and sometimes parent), provided a conversation or an encouraging word (mainly listening), and made a space to make a connection with God.

ATTENDEES HOW THE FOUR FOUNDATIONAL ROCKS ARE HELPING SHAPE THEIR CHILDREN’S MINISTRY INTO 2023.

Lisa Chester

Auckland Bible Church

It really resonated with me that we had been teaching the kids individual accounts from the Bible, but they had no real understanding of how it all fits together—the context of the Big Picture. “Connect to God's Story” was one of the ‘Big Rocks’ talked about at WAY2GO First Things First, which prompted us to start to change things. We started a school holiday series looking at how the Bible is made up of the different types of books (using a Bible Bookcase), and then broke it down further into the themes of each of the books. Slowly, the kids are more able to find their way around the Bible and have a greater understanding of God’s Word. Getting back to basics—not just memorising the names of each of the books of the Bible, but what’s in them, and how they relate to God’s Story.

Sarah Singleton

Gateway Church, Hamilton

I’ve been acutely aware of the great need to reconnect in person with families, especially after these crazy few years. Each session at the WAY2GO training in June 2022 prompted my thinking on helping our families and whānau CONNECT to God, each other and God’s Story. We can encourage families to belong to the church community by serving as volunteers, building friendships, and growing in their Christian faith journey. I talked with kids’ church volunteers about how to engage with kids who might be feeling unsure and need help reconnecting with other kids at church after COVID. We have been using the language of ‘chatting and catching up with God’ when talking about prayer. This linked to the ‘Parenting for Faith’ course we ran on zoom, which aims to help parents share their Christian faith in a simple way. It provides encouragement for parents and offered new tools for their kete.

John Iliffe

Whanganui Central Baptist Church

On Saturday the 18th of June this year I took some time out along with others from our children’s ministry to attend the WAY2GO event in Palmerston North. Early in the day we were introduced to the concept of four rocks. You may have seen the demonstration pouring sand into a glass container and then add in the rocks. You are left with rocks that don’t fit. In this example the four big rocks represent things in our lives that are most important, and the sand is everything else that is happening in and around us. If we don’t consider the important stuff it won’t fit into our lives. It was a very good reminder how critical it is to be grounded in our faith in God, his big picture, our family, and others around us. When we have these big rocks as a foundation in our lives the ordinary with God’s input can become extraordinary in our journey with the children and wider Whānau that we connect with daily. It’s a perfect way to start each day, no matter what age and stage we are in life.

IT WAS A VERY GOOD REMINDER HOW CRITICAL IT IS TO BE GROUNDED IN OUR FAITH IN GOD, HIS BIG PICTURE, OUR FAMILY, AND OTHERS AROUND US.

a The Bubbles, Splash, Xstream and G the Light range of curriculum for children It is designed to enable children and young people personal relationship with Jesus, to understand the Bible an Christian faith, and to live for God as light in a dark world. The Light Compendium is a collection of some of the best lessons & activities from the Light series

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

God’s Good News transforms lives and gives hope for the future. This year our WAY2GO children’s ministry conferences will explore how we can help children and families to experience this for themselves, for their families and their communities. As we consider our changing world, how do we best approach this, as we seek to walk in the footsteps of Jesus who gave the greatest invitation of all?