AUGUST 2020
A COVID-19-INSPIRED
REFLECTION ON CONNECTIONS INSIDE THE POWER OF CONNECTION
A PLACE TO STAND IN OUR NEW WORLD
STAY THE PATH
EDITORIAL
Among the people who arrived back in Aotearoa New Zealand is a group making the next Avatar movie. This reminds me of the greeting the Na’vi people use in the Avatar movies: ‘Oel ngati kameie’.
The movie is fiction but the words have a beautiful meaning. They literally translate as a simple ‘I see you’, but they actually mean to truly see into someone’s soul and to understand how connected we all are. They remind me of the richness and fullness of our faith in which God says ‘Oel ngati kameie—I see you’ to us. God sees us fully and completely and loves us, and then calls us to see the people we are connected to in our homes and churches and community —and love them too. In the words of Jesus in Matthew 22: 37-39: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Since lockdown, we have come back to a life that is very different from the one we had before COVID-19. It holds new challenges and difficulties and there is a high level of anxiety that is playing itself out in the way we are 2 www.sunz.org.nz
reacting to things. But God is the same yesterday and today, and he will remain the same tomorrow. And our calling from God remains the same: Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) wants to support churches to help children and young people discover Jesus and become life-long disciples who serve the world around them. As you read this month’s Adventure you’ll see some of the ways that we are looking to encourage young people to do this well in this new time. We believe that the way they connect with God and the way they connect with other people are key parts of the way they live as lifelong disciples. Our Breakthrough website, our new Leadership Development Programme, the YouthServe outreach mission and the new Sustain youth camp exploring how to contribute sustainably to the world as well as how to sustain a relationship with God, are just a few examples of what we are doing. As you read, please pray along with us for the children and young people of our country. Ngā mihi nui,
Hilary Hague
National Director, Scripture Union New Zealand
CONTENTS FEATURES
4
REFLECTION ON CONNECTIONS
NEVILLE BARTLEY
10 THE POWER OF CONNECTION ANDY BANKS
12 A PLACE TO STAND IN OUR NEW WORLD NATALIE DUCHESNE
20 INTO THE COMMUNITY LIZZIE MOORE 22 STAY THE PATH NIGEL WINDER
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
15 WAY2GO MAGAZINE
INTERVIEWS
8
Q&A
RESPONSES FROM STAFF
24 INTRODUCING THE SUNZ LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE 25 LIGHT FOR THE PATH JAMIE GRAY
26 OUT & ABOUT
RESOURCES
28 SU RESOURCES FOR LIFE PRODUCED BY JAMUEL ENRIQUEZ EDITED BY JANICE HUNT DESIGNED BY WINDSORCREATIVE WAY2GO MAGAZINE DESIGNED BY WINDSORCREATIVE
A COVID-19-INSPIRED
REFLECTION ON CONNECTIONS NEVILLE BARTLEY | Youth Team Leader, SUNZ
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eliever and non-believer alike have had so many questions about the COVID-19 pandemic: Why? When will it stop? Will I be safe? What will the world be like when it’s over? We’ve been used to having a world focused on self—my needs, desires, time—with the freedom to go where we wanted, to meet with whom we wanted, to go to church. All of a sudden our freedom was gone; we were locked down in a bubble, with no physical church meetings. The reality of lockdown shone a light on life and revealed a lot of cracks. Acts 2 shows us we are supposed to be there for others, to love them, have time for them, and care about them. Many of us now realise we haven’t been. Some realised their connections were only on a superficial ‘what can I get out of this?’ level. Families who thought they were close discovered that relationships were really very shallow. We were designed to be connected with one another and with God. Now our churches couldn’t meet and some
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were demanding their rights to gather and claiming persecution. SUNZ is hearing a lot of discussion about ‘what is church?’ Churches are asking if people will return. Gathering online has challenged us to stop and ask ‘do I want to gather?’ and ‘why?’. Some churches realised during the lockdown that large portions of their communities did not have access to technology and it has forced them to be creative. What have we learnt to take forward? I’ve heard lots of families saying they don’t want to lose what they have developed over lockdown. We have learnt that we can’t survive on our own, that we do need others—not only to receive from but also to actually give to. What about church? Is it just a gathering once a week to sing and listen to someone speak, have a coffee and a quick chat? I hope and pray we have discovered it is much more than that. The way ahead is not to shift everything online or to just go back to what we did before. We believe this is a wonderful time for the church to stop, reflect and pray—involving
youth and children in the dialogue and truly listening. The answer is to be connected with one another and with God and allow that connection to shape our community. Let’s make our church a place of daily connection, not just an occasional touchpoint. Here are a few ideas to start being better connected with others and God. But don’t stop here!
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AND ALL THE BELIEVERS LIVED IN A WONDERFUL HARMONY, HOLDING EVERYTHING IN COMMON” ACTS 2:44 (THE MESSAGE)
Connecting as Families ¼ Connect with one another during the day: a text; a smiley face or a heart; few words like ‘thinking of you’ only take a moment. ‘I don’t have time’ is just an excuse for ‘I don’t really want to’. ¼ Diary in one-on-one and group times. Then, if someone else asks if you are available you can truthfully say that you are not. Let different members of your family choose the activities you do together. Mix it up and have fun. Make these times a priority, not a burden.
¼ Stop and physically face people who are talking to you so they know you are engaged. ¼ Do faith together. Pray, read and talk about scripture, get involved in ageappropriate ministry together.
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P S G I N R I P R S G P S N I I R R P Connecting as Church
¼ Connect with maybe six or seven people on a deeper level to encourage your faith. Maybe message each day to check how they are or ask for prayer needs.
¼ Choose someone to help you connect with scripture each day. Share your thoughts, challenges, and things you didn’t understand. ¼ Grab a coffee or lunch or have fun together once or twice a month with some of these people, just to build relationship.
¼ If you have children, connect with other families with similar age children to have fun and journey life together.
Connecting with God
¼ Pray each day. Use different prayer methods, alone and with others, and learn to listen for God: it is actually more important than talking at God.
¼ Connect with scripture daily. Read, or listen or watch scripture, alone and with others—mix it up a bit, but make it happen. ¼ Be thankful daily for all that you have and tell God how thankful you are. ¼ Be real. Whatever you are going through, share honestly with God.
¼ Look for God in everyday life and be surprised. ¼ Scripture continues to remind me how much I am loved by God and how God expects me to love those around me the same way. So, whatever you are doing to build connections, be intentional, be open and honest and do it with love. And please have fun.
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I P R S P G N I I R P P S G G GS N I IN 0 2 0G.NZ 2 R S O . S P P M M A C CWA! SU
HNO T R U E T YREOGIS
Q& A
WHAT DID
GET UP TO DURING LOCKDOWN? SUNZ STAFF
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Lockdown for me included multiple Zoom sessions every day to stay connected to work colleagues, friends, and church families. Filming and creating YouTube clips and researching and learning new skills while producing devotionals for families to do together at home. Updating our database and contacting people on the phone. Tuning in to watch the 1pm COVID update every day (without fail), baking (too much) and walking most days enjoying the break from work and the sounds of the birds and the great weather we were blessed with. —Glenis Silby | Auckland Office Manager
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The lockdown gave the Youth Team the opportunity to think about new ways that we could continue to do ministry and serve the community when we were unable to physically meet up. We were grateful for the platform of writing for the Breakthough website, where we were able to identify the common threads of issues that people were talking to us about, and seek to provide answers to them. —Karen Poy | NZ Camps Admin/Āpōpō Admin
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Many people thought I would struggle with lockdown but instead I loved it. I got to have time at home, went out for walks with my wife. Had whānau Zoom times every week and connected with friends across the world because we were all in lockdown together. One of the best times of my life. —Neville Bartley | Youth Team Leader
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Over lockdown I spent time on the phone chatting to supporters and Children’s Ministry people, writing resources for our Breakthrough website, ‘Zooming’ around New Zealand with other members of staff, going on long walks and rediscovering the joy of knitting. —Liz Eichler | Children and Families Worker – Wellington
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I thought lockdown might have meant a slower pace of work for us, as an organisation, but in fact it felt very busy. I spent a lot of my time in lockdown making sure our staff had tools in place to work from home comfortably as we began to think about how our activities would adapt in this new time period. I was very encouraged at how we all looked out for one another as we constantly called (or ‘Zoomed’) each other. We made sure all staff members didn’t feel alone despite not being able to be together in our offices. I’m very proud to be part of such a caring team! —Jamuel Enriquez | Marketing Manager
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THE POWER OF
CONNECTION ANDY BANKS | Northland/Auckland Youth Consultant, SUNZ
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n our time of lockdown, we experienced both presence and separation. Bubbles were formed creating constant presence of housemates and, at the same time, wider connections with extended whānau and our communities became physically disrupted. As we came out the other side into a new post-COVID world, we could be forgiven for thinking that life should be quickly getting back to how it was before lockdown. The reality though, as we know, is very different. Many people are still experiencing a huge range of emotions and displaying symptoms similar to those seen after major trauma and grief. In reality, that is exactly what many have experienced over the last few months as they faced separation from loved ones, redundancy, cancellation of travel plans, major celebrations and life plans—or simply the loss of the life they had before. The natural flow-on from this has been increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicide in our communities. Where do we begin, as followers of Christ, as
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we look after ourselves and support those around us? The SUNZ Āpōpō programme, which seeks to support communities responding to mental health and suicide, picks up on two factors commonly seen as mental health spirals down and people begin to consider suicide. One is a lack of meaningful social connection and the other is a lack of hope. Being connected to each other is a basic human need and although this lockdown period has brought about a lot of disconnection, some new ways of connecting and an increase in checking on and looking out for others have developed. The shared experience of lockdown has certainly brought about some stronger relationships which we don’t want to lose, along with the renewed desire to be connected which has been a real positive. I love the verse in Romans 12:15: ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.’ It’s about love in action, it’s about journeying the good and bad of life
together, it’s the knowledge that no matter how I feel or how another person feels, someone is there keeping vigil, meaning we are never alone. As followers of Christ, we realise that our connectedness to God is critical as well. It’s this connection that holds us firm and gives us hope even if all around us falls. Even if this hope is masked by our circumstances, we simply need to raise our gaze afresh and reconnect with and trust the one who has overcome this world. Rick Warren summed this up well when he said; “You never know God is all you need until God is all you have.” These key areas of hope and social connection are picked up on in the wonderful words in Mark 12:30-31, where Jesus outlines the most important commandments: to love God and to love others. Our loving connection with God brings hope: hope when all else fails; hope when we can’t see the next step to take; hope when grief seems insurmountable. Our loving connections with others bring meaningful relationship, companionship on the journey of life and the knowledge that we are not alone. As we respond to a world struggling to come to terms with a new normal (and face it ourselves), I pray that the power
of connection is a key tool that we as the church can use, to bring real hope and real social connection, in a world that is crying out for both. Some mental health support resources are available on the BREAKTHROUGH website www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz
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AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, WE REALISE THAT OUR CONNECTEDNESS TO GOD IS CRITICAL AS WELL. IT’S THIS CONNECTION THAT HOLDS US FIRM AND GIVES US HOPE ..." AUGUST 2020 11
A PLACE TO STAND IN OUR NEW WORLD NATALIE DUCHESNE | North Island Camps Facilitator, SUNZ
BREATHE... THIS IS WHAT OUR EARTH WAS DOING IN THE COUPLE OF MONTHS DURING LOCKDOWN; AS WE STOPPED DRIVING, AS THE OFFICES SHUT DOWN, AND AS THE FLIGHT PATHS OF PLANES WERE REDUCED. OUR EARTH COULD FINALLY BREATHE.
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nd how we marvelled at the difference! The smog of congested cities lifted to be able to simply see the radiant blue sky, or better yet the majestic Himalayan Mountains that had disappeared in the skyline for decades. Economy aside, our country post-lockdown is operating very similarly to what we recognise as ‘normal’. But there is an opportunity now (and, yes, it’s a challenge) to take our lockdown learnings to reframe our comfortable lifestyles. So why should we commit to change? Quite simply, we’re called by our Triune God to conserve Creation. This sentiment echoes throughout Scripture: from the clear instruction of stewardship in Genesis to more subtle nods to it in the New Testament as the Word comes to earth in the form of Jesus, inaugurating a new creation. Jesus is both gardener and teacher, bringing about the garden’s renewal and life into the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14)… breathing life as intended from the beginning (Genesis 2:7). Made in His image, surely we have a part to play in working towards the new creation too. These are somewhat-abstract notions of environmental ethics and theology that we are mulling over in our camps ministry. But we’re also consistently seeing the significance of this conversation through the youth with whom we engage in a very real sense. By way of example, one of our North Island summer camp teams is exploring how they manage food and whether they should introduce more solely-vegetarian meals into the week’s meal plan. The number of vegetarian/vegan campers is noticeably increasing and the campers’ articulation of why they’re doing so (in reverence for Creation and its sustainability) is becoming more compelling. This is an encouraging example of intergenerational learning that prompts us to consider just how
pivotal churches could be in fostering and incorporating, in a holistic sense, such learnings into the operation of church life. The Barna Group (a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture) comments in a 2019 research paper that there has been a shift in young people’s thinking that we need to acknowledge. Many youth and young adults do not necessarily need to see Christianity as true anymore as much as they want to understand Christianity as good. This extends perhaps most pertinently to the social justice narrative of Scripture— the theological link between faithful stewardship of the earth’s resources is an ever-growing passion point for the younger generation. What are some practical out-workings of this theology though? There are many things we can do: reduce our plastic use (try a plasticfree month – it’s eye-opening!); write out our own theology of environmental impact to help collect our thoughts; support local businesses; encourage waste-free solutions; perhaps commit to a more intentional recycling system and go from there. It is the time to be proactive, and there are many resources out there to help. At the end of the day we can all do better, and it is good and right to desire to do so. My encouragement to you is not to be overwhelmed by where we need to get to, but delight in the journey of learning more, trialling new innovatively sustainable measures in your home and church settings, and picking up this conversation with those in your community… to delight in being a tool for God to bring about His new creation. Natalie Duchesne is the SUNZ North Island Camps Facilitator and Team Leader of Sustain, a SUNZ & A Rocha NZ youth camp in October exploring how to contribute sustainably to the world around us, as well as how to sustain our relationship with God.
AUGUST 2020 13
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ISSUE
72 Welcome! Check out our ideas! Pull it out! & Pass it around!
THE WHOLE WORLD IS IN HIS HANDS As we re-emerge from lockdown, we have a lot to process and decisions to make about what we carry forward with us and what we leave behind. What are our priorities to consider as we move ahead? Two things we have recognised are: The importance of caring for others
The importance of caring for ourselves
Living in our bubbles highlighted how important the people in our lives are. We treasured those connections via technology with Nan and the video messages from the cousins. We talked with our neighbours over the fence and longed for real, in-person hugs. We also became very aware that we live in a connected world, as we saw the pandemic spread across the globe. Living in our bubbles also highlighted how important it is to care for ourselves. As we faced uncertainty and anxiety, we may have learnt to slow down and take a deep breath. We may have enjoyed a slower pace of life and the chance to reclaim Saturdays back from the rush of driving our children to sports games. We may have discovered the things that really matter to us. In this issue of the WAY2GO Mag we explore some practical suggestions for caring for others and caring for ourselves.
___ Annette Osborne SUNZ Children and Families Consultant
BY LIZ EICHLER
CARING FOR Global prayer
others
More than ever, the world around us needs our prayers. This is an important way that we can respond to a global crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every corner of the world: north, south, east and west. And so, this prayer idea is based on the four points on the compass, as well as the five senses.
TO BEGIN Look at a newspaper or an online news source and a map of the world, and talk about some of the things going on in the world. Share this sensitively depending on the age of your children. MOVE AROUND THE ROOM Set up five prayer stations, one in the middle of the room and one in each corner to represent north, south, east and west:
CRAYONS AND PAPER
Draw all the things that are busy in your head. Look back on your drawing and give each of these things to God in prayer. LEGO (TOUCH)
Build a tower. As you place each brick think about a specific country for each colour. Pray for God’s help. BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
Squirt some hand sanitiser on your hands. Smell them. Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly. As you breathe in, think about some of your concerns. As you exhale, give these concerns to God. STOP AND LISTEN
Listen to The Lord’s Prayer in Te Reo Māori and English (See our Breakthrough website www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz for good examples of these). FAVOURITE FOOD
What is your favourite takeaway food? Thank God for the people who prepare this food for you.
BY ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
CARING FOR
ourselves
Hitting reset
FINDING THE SABBATH
Reset is a very topical word right now. I arrived at seven reset buttons for myself coming out of COVID-19 lockdown:
The biblical concept of Sabbath is an opportunity to cease or stop. In today’s modern culture it can be hard to set aside time, especially when Sunday’s are busy for those involved in church leadership. As you consider finding time to ‘reset’, how could Sabbath become an important part in the rhythm of your life?
Pray Trust that God will provide what we need, so ask with confidence. Simplify Streamline our daily routines, streamline our ministry. What matters most? Minimalise Have less stuff!
Four questions to consider: à When is your Sabbath? à What do you deliberately choose not to do on your Sabbath? à Who do you do your sabbath with? à How do you teach, share about and model Sabbath to children and families? TWO SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR FAMILY
Read Read an article or book all the way to the end.
Play games together—card games, board games or puzzles. Make this time together a technology free zone. It’s much easier to not be on a device if there is a fun alternative.
Slow down Do less of what doesn’t matter. This may be less Social Media or less TV.
Listen to worship music together. Take turns to choose the song. This music could be on in the background while you play games or eat together.
Be quiet Speak less and listen more. Leave your phone at home occasionally.
FOR MORE SEE WWW.SUNZBREAKTHROUGH.ORG.NZ
Pray Listen to God.
Check out our NEW RESOURCES WEBSITE
www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz Our SUNZ Breakthrough website is a good place to go for up-to-date resources and articles. You can find more ideas for incorporating Sabbath and rest into family life, as well as an activity to run with your children’s programme to help them reflect on life at the moment!
More Resources LESSONS FOR POST-COVID-19 CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
This is a two-week resource to give children aged 5-14 space to reflect. This resource is based on the ‘Tree of Life’ counselling approach, and helps children process their thoughts and develop resilience. Written by Raewyn Moodie, Regional C&F Coach, Northern Baptist Association. baptistcfm.org.nz
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Please contact us if your church is interested in children’s ministry training. Our Children and Families Team are available to support you! Contact us at way2go@sunz.org.nz for more information. SNAPSHOTS
Daily Bible reading material for 8-11-year-olds, packed full of questions and puzzles and glossy colour! At $15 for a whole year this is a great deal.
Scripture Union wants to work with your church to create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and influence the world. Contact us and let us know how we can help you.
SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz
AGM 2020
Saturday, 22 August 2020 Auckland • Hamilton • Wellington • Christchurch • Dunedin • Invercargill We’d like to invite you to our AGM evening starting at 7pm. Come and find out how we are going to help the Church to think about what it takes to help children and young people discover Jesus and become lifelong followers who serve the world around them. We'll talk about where we're headed and what it will take to get there.
Register now at www.sunz.org.nz/agm2020
COMMUNITY LIZZIE MOORE | Otago/Southland Youth Consultant, SUNZ
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s followers of Christ, we are called to become part of a community of believers who love one-another. But wait there’s more! That community has a much greater purpose than just existing for itself. The church is designed to be outward-facing, revealing the hope of the Gospel to the world around us. An expert of the law once asked Jesus what was required to inherit eternal life.
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The man knew the requirements of the law: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. But Jesus elaborated with the parable of the Good Samaritan—and instructed the man to ‘go and do likewise’. That’s the challenge for us too! The outworking of loving God is to love our neighbour—our love for God is expressed by the way we love others.
Loving your neighbour by serving is countercultural to the consumeristic narrative of society which focuses on one’s self, not on God and others. As Christians we need to listen to and follow a different narrative–Jesus’ one of serving our neighbours. Our vision at Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) is ‘to support churches to help children and young people discover Jesus and become lifelong disciples who serve the world around them’. Discover, become and serve. YOUTHSERVE is one way SUNZ helps youth ministries challenge young people to put their faith into action through service. Throughout a one- to seven-day camp, faith-sharing goes alongside practical projects like gardening or removing graffiti, visiting rest homes or running kids’ programmes, cooking meals for those who are struggling—anything that meets a need in their own local community. Here is a quote from a church who hosted a YOUTHSERVE event: ‘Through this summer mission, hundreds of locals experienced some act of kindness in the name of Jesus and discovered that there is a new community-minded church in the neighbourhood! Many people, possibly for the first time, had a spiritual conversation with a Christian where they felt listened to. We were able to pray with people who were struggling, and had several opportunities to share the Gospel too.’ Serving our neighbours is key to building lifelong faith in children and young people. Faith is like a muscle that needs exercise to grow. YOUTHSERVE shows young people that they can do mission in their own backyard. They do not have to go overseas to serve God but can do it in the
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YOUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER WILL PROVE TO THE WORLD THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES" JOHN 13:35 (NLT)
communities where they already belong. Events like YOUTHSERVE encourage young people to build links with their community and to demonstrate the type of life called for in John 13:35. Indeed, the whole church is called to this lifestyle! A church that is facing the community and serving its neighbours will be helping build faith of its own members. ‘Responding with compassion’ is one of the key strategies that SUNZ uses in our Thrive workshop for building lifelong faith. Jesus set an example of service as he responded to his community with compassion. He challenged his followers of the first century to do likewise, and he challenges us today, to likewise. Let’s all consider how we as individuals and as churches can be outward-facing to the wider communities where we belong. How will you love your neighbour today? Please contact SUNZ if you would like us to help you with a YOUTHSERVE local mission or an all-age version of YOUTHSERVE or to facilitate a discussion on life-long faith formation in your church.
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STAY
NIGEL WINDER | Southern Regional Director, SUNZ
the
KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK TO STAY ON MISSION
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inistry to young people can be like climbing a mountain: there are potentially hundreds of pathways to the summit. Each trail will be different, depending on where you start and choices made along the way. We are blessed with such a mountain load of resources to support our ministries to young people. Any Google search can potentially provide a blizzard of suggested sites to visit and our inboxes are flooded with great resources and a tonne of ideas on how to do ministry in new ways. It is enough to make us feel quite overwhelmed. The winds of change brought by a pandemic storm have topped up this mountain of resources with a fresh covering of material. However, the main reasons we do ministry haven’t changed with COVID-19 or any other major global or local event—just some of the ways we deliver that ministry. Through times of change, many ministries have gained fresh clarity about what really matters above all else: connection with God and connection with each other. Many of us have been asking ourselves: ‘Which pathway do I take to achieve this? Which resource or method of delivery do I
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use?’ The key to finding our path, I believe, is to consider where we are now, and then fix our eyes on our end goal (the summit)—and then ask ourselves some questions. Why does this ministry exist? The starting point is to ask why our ministry exists. The answer to the ‘why?’ question becomes our summit reference point to help guide us into decisions about resources, processes and forms of delivery. It is no coincidence that very few mountain climbers get lost climbing up a mountain. That’s because they are working towards a single point. They have the summit to keep looking up to as their reference and guide. The summit is their purpose for climbing, their end goal. It is this that keeps them motivated and on track. Many youth ministries have taken the time recently to stop and take a compass bearing, rediscovering the most important things to be focusing on right now. During a time of change we need to be confident in knowing our summit, our ministry’s key purpose and our end goals so we stay the path. What else do we need to be considering?
¼ Who is our target audience? ¼ What age group, faith level, demographic are we hoping to reach and connect with? ¼ Are we outward looking to our community or are we focusing on those already strongly connected to us? ¼ What is their greatest need at this point in time?
¼ Is it connection, support, faith challenge, discipleship, opportunities to serve, the gospel or help with mental well-being? ¼ Is everyone on the same path? ¼ Are the whole team on the same page with where we are going and what we are hoping to achieve?
When we know the answers to these questions, we are more likely to stay the path and stay true to our mission and calling. That makes us less likely to get swept off the mountain by the avalanche of resources and opportunities or setbacks that come our way. After that, we need to keep evaluating our choices of resources and programmes to ensure they are continuing to meet our end goals.
¼ What about our key audience and their families? How do we communicate so they have a clear understanding of what we are hoping to achieve? ¼ How can we ensure there are no unmet expectations and everyone is on board doing their bit to contribute to the end destination?
May God be our climbing guide and may we be both blessed and challenged in our ministry as we prayerfully consider these questions and rediscover God’s mission for us. Psalm 32:8 ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will council you and watch over you.’
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INTRODUCING
THE SUNZ LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE HILARY HAGUE | National Director, SUNZ
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nnie Marston was just a teenager when she proposed a new Bible reading method for the Children’s Special Service Mission (CSSM). She received harsh words in response: ‘If your scheme fails, it would have been better never to have tried it. If it succeeds, it would involve us in a great expense.’ Many people would have given up at this point but Annie persevered and, eventually, the men at CSSM agreed. And it was good that they did. A few years later, more than 13 million children’s leaflets in 50 languages had been distributed all around the world. This is one of Scripture Union’s founding stories and a wonderful reminder of the capacity for leadership amongst young people. Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) is privileged to work alongside some amazing young people— modern-day versions of Annie Marston. They are a vital part of SUNZ and we could not do without them! They are also the people God will use to shape the church and Aotearoa New Zealand—maybe even the world—in the years ahead. There is a Māori proverb: ‘ma te huruhuru, ka rere te manu’ (adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly) that reminds us that we must be equipped appropriately to succeed and flourish. SUNZ is committed to helping equip our future leaders with the tools they need to fly. For many years, volunteering as a leader for SUNZ camps has been a practical opportunity for young people to develop leadership skills in a supportive environment. Last year SUNZ ran three leadership weekends and attached
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leadership training to all our camps to upskill more than 175 camp leaders. Now we are starting a Leadership Development Initiative to further develop young people who show potential—not only as camp leaders but also for wider church leadership and governance. Well-equipped and mature leaders will support the young leaders to: ¼ Deepen their faith. ¼ Increase their knowledge and awareness of the world. ¼ Learn the concepts and skills needed as leaders who influence and serve their world. ¼ Underlying the programme is a model of Christ-centred Christian leadership that includes character formation, biblical understanding and ministry development. We are delighted to announce Paul Humphreys (our current SUNZ South Islands Camps Facilitator) will head up this programme. Paul has a number of exciting plans in the pipeline including a special Leadership Intensive retreat, a mentoring programme and a Board Governance Track. He will also continue to work within our existing leadership development programmes. If you are interested in learning more, Paul would love to hear from you: paul.h@sunz.org.nz
Light
for the path
JAMIE GRAY | Volunteer SUCAMPS Leader
I
am sure you have heard that verse many times before, and perhaps you have spent a lot of time meditating on it. For me this verse articulates a way that I more often than not experience God—stillness. I am a city girl, born and raised, and I love doing things and hanging out with people— stillness is not a natural part of my life. I still struggle to make stillness part of my routine. That may be why the stillness that I often find at camps, has such an impact on me.
AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.” Psalm 46:10
I encourage you this week to find some stillness (it will likely be awkward at first) but find a spot and spend time focusing on God, He’s there waiting for you. Jamie Gray started her association with SUNZ as a youth camper over ten years ago, and is now Team Leader of Ponui Junior Camp. This article appeared originally as a daily reflection on the SUNZ Instagram page. To see more reflections on scripture visit our Instagram page at instagram.com/scriptureunionnz
My most notable ‘be still and know’ moment happened on a Ponui Senior camp. I was a camper and I believe it was our last day so we were all out on our solo times. I sat partway up a hill, in the grass staring out at the water and horizon and I was so anxious about heading back to the mainland, back to ‘reality’. Psalm 46:10 popped into my head so I started breathing and repeating it to myself until the anxiety was gone and I sat there, still and completely at peace. Knowing that God is God means admitting to yourself that you are not in control but He is. It means acknowledging that life might throw things we do not expect at us, but resting in the assurance that God is a good God. When life throws curveballs (hi 2020) I am reminded to intentionally be still and know that He is God, because when I seek Him, I find Him.
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OUT & ABOUT AUCKLAND
SYLVIA COULTER
BETTER TOGETHER In July, North Shore prayer group came to my home. It was school holidays and happened to be the best day for a family visit - eight children, all cousins, ranging from 3 to 13, and two parents. The families were finishing lunch when Andrew arrived early for the prayer meeting so he could catch up with the parents, former SUPAkidz camp leaders. The meeting started at 1 pm, the room arranged so children could play quietly if they chose to be there. They’re arty kids so I put out paper and felts, and the whiteboard had space for drawing. 26 www.sunz.org.nz
The 10-year-old, a SUPAkidz camper, listened intently. When I invited people to share personal prayer needs, he and little sister each had requests. Some occasionally wandered in and out. At one stage three stood on chairs and decorated the whiteboard, but there was no disturbance: the adults enjoyed seeing them and the children were not bored and may have gone way with enhanced impressions of what Christian faith is all about. As for me, I understood more than ever why SUNZ so keenly encourages families and churches to do things intergenerationally as much as possible.
WELLINGTON
We have been very excited having recently run a successful winter camps season despite a very short window to plan our youth camps after lockdown! In Wellington, we ran our first youth camp in what feels like several years. This camp was called ‘Be Scene’ which was a Day Camp. This was a new type of camp for us which was a 4-day camp where campers went home at the end of the day and returned to camp the next morning. It was also a performing arts camp – another first for us! At this camp we used drama and acting as the main activity. Campers had an absolutely fantastic and fun time with many showing lots of talent.
JAMUEL ENRIQUEZ
At the moment we are currently planning for our AGM which is fast approaching. The main venue is located here in Wellington where the main speakers will be livestreamed to our other AGM venues all across the country. Please pray that this will be a well-attended event so that we can spend an evening with many of our amazing supporters. Please also pray that the planning will go smoothly and there will be no technical issues for our livestream.
SOUTHLAND/OTAGO The last few months has seen us in the Southern Office being able to work together again. We are a happy team and love to bounce ideas and brain storm together for our various roles!
Lizzie, Nigel and Paul are working on South Island Leaders Training coming up 14-16 August in Pukerau near Gore, this training is done in conjunction with Pukerau Camp and is a combined training event. This year’s theme is This Is Our Story… People love to listen to, read and watch stories. So, what is our story? Who is the Author and why are YOU so important?
KAREN POY
training and will be shadowing them so that will be exciting! We are all working towards the Spring Camps now and Nigel is excited to be able to run a SUPAKidZ Camp called Xpedition Force for Years 4-6. This explores the adventures of Matthew following in the footsteps of Jesus. So, much to plan and look forward to – including warmer weather!
The night before the leaders training weekend Paul and Lizzie are running an combined Āpōpō Event for the Lumsden, Dipton, Balfour Presbyterian Churches – I have done the
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ENGAGE: CONNECTING YOU WITH GOD’S WORD
Engage is a series of daily Bible reading notes for teenagers. Through Engage’s pages plunge into God’s awesome word: discovering who God is and what he’s like; seeing what God’s done for us through Jesus; and exploring practical ways of living for Him. The Bible is packed with amazing stories and lifechanging teaching. It’s time to dive into the Bible and see God change our lives.
$10 EACH
DISCOVER: BIBLE NOTES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Discover Bible notes have been helping young people understand and apply the Bible for over a decade. Now, we're turning these popular devotions into a collection of 12 books that covers the major Bible books, events and characters. Discover encourages a daily routine of Bible study and prayer, which will help young people set a pattern for the rest of their lives.
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$10 EACH
ORDER NOW ONLINE AT
www.suresources.org.nz
DAILY BREAD & ENCOUNTER WITH GOD DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDES These are quarterly Bible reading guides (they cover three months’ worth of bible reading) that will challenge, encourage, surprise and inspire you. These guides are designed to lead you to a deeper understanding about what God is saying to you and His world today. The aim
of these books is to attract readers who have used bible reading guides before, but also readers who are in trying bible reading notes for the first time.
$1599
$4999
EACH FOR A FOR A FULL YEAR SINGLE QUARTER SUBSCRIPTION
NUA GUIDE AND USB
NUA is a film series that encourages questions, acknowledges doubt, and offers an engaging perspective on the Christian faith. NUA equips you with the ability to intelligently explore and understand what you believe. We give you tools to discuss your worldview with credibility and confidence, while encouraging you to wrestle with the things that just don’t seem to make sense. At the end of the day, this film series is about impact —immediate and personal, as well as the long-term, life-changing experience of working out your faith. For more information about NUA please visit www. sunz.org.nz/nua
$4499
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STUDENT GUIDE
$899 EACH
LEADERS GUIDE
$1199
EACH
CROSS EXAMINATION STUDENT AND LEADERS GUIDE
Cross Examination is the young people's adaption of Michael Bennett's very popular Christianity Explained course for Adults. Expanding on the themes of Cross Examination, the Leaders guide provides helpful assistance to leaders. This is a no-nonsense six session course for young people wanting to understand the basics of the Christian faith. Useful for groups or individuals.
ORDER NOW ONLINE AT
www.suresources.org.nz
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