FEBRUARY 2020
CHURCH AS A MODEL FOR FAMILY HOW THE CHURCH CAN HELP NURTURE FAITH IN FAMILIES.
INSIDE BONDED IN BLOOD
RECLAIMING THE ROLE OF FAMILY IN LIFELONG DISCIPLESHIP
REVIVING FAMILY BIBLE ENGAGEMENT
EDITORIAL Clean clothes, shoes on the right feet, scooters, helmets, two dolls and a handful of marbles, Bibles, emergency snacks… Even with three adults working hard, getting two four-year-olds ready for church is a big job. But it’s also a blessing. I was reminded of this as three generations of Hagues walked (and scooted) to church together last Sunday. It made me reflect on the words of Psalm 145 verse 4: Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. Being part of God’s church—with its richness of relationships and conversations and prayer and long-term intergenerational connections—is a vital part of faith formation for children. Growing lifelong disciples needs the sense of belonging and support and role-modelling that being a part of a faith community brings.
2 www.sunz.org.nz
This month Adventure asks how the church can support the nurture of faith in families. We also explore how the church as the family of God can be an effective faith family for all, including those who aren’t part of a Christian home. As you read, you’ll see that Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) wants to help churches build a strong partnership between home and church. We believe this is the best way for children to grow a sense of identity that is rooted in God’s story and enables them to find meaning and purpose and hope for the future. And not just children—in fact, we all benefit when we are in it together. As you read, please pray along with us for the children and families of our country Aotearoa, New Zealand. Nga mihi nui,
Hilary Hague
National Director Scripture Union New Zealand
CONTENTS
FEATURES
4
BONDED IN BLOOD
NIGEL WINDER
8
CHURCH AS A MODEL FOR FAMILY
ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
10 CHURCHES ENCOURAGING FAMILIES TO BUILD FAITH AT HOME
12 RECLAIMING THE ROLE OF FAMILY IN LIFELONG DISCIPLESHIP TERRY WILLIAMS
14 CHURCH & HOME PARTNERING TOGETHER KAREN WARNER 20 REVIVING FAMILY BIBLE ENGAGEMENT PAUL DADD
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
15 WAY2GO MAGAZINE
INTERVIEWS
22 MEET THE SUNZ CHIFAM TEAM
24
Q&A
RESPONSES FROM CHILDREN
25 26
LIGHT FOR THE PATH OUT & ABOUT
RESOURCES
28 SU RESOURCES FOR LIFE PRODUCED BY JAMUEL ENRIQUEZ EDITED BY JANICE HUNT DESIGNED BY WINDSORCREATIVE WAY2GO MAGAZINE DESIGNED BY WINDSORCREATIVE
BONDE BY NIGEL WINDER
Children's and Families Ministry Leader, SUNZ
N
NIGEL WINDER | SUNZ Children and Families Team Leader
ow you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. —Ephesians 2:19 (Living Bible)
where fair discipline reinforces that choices have consequences and an unyielding loyalty develops between those living together in close proximity and sharing common experiences. This too can also be our experience of church.
Why would God describe His church and people as family?
‘Blood is thicker than water’
Isn’t family a place where siblings fight and quarrel, chores get nagged about, and rooms are left untidy? Isn’t it where we let our daytime persona relax and we take out our frustrations and moods on those we are closest to? Isn’t it where some of our deepest hurts are inflicted — and by those whom we expect most of? Well, I guess that could describe our experiences of church too. Family can also be a safe place to come home to. A place where lifetime bonds are formed, character is tested and refined, and unconditional love is experienced. A place 4 www.sunz.org.nz
According to ‘Dr Google’, this proverb refers to the bloodshed in battle bonding soldiers more strongly than simple genetics or family. As the family of God we, too, are bonded together not by genetics but by blood—the blood of Jesus. We enter into a new spiritual family forged in an epic spiritual battle for our souls. The unity of God’s Spirit binds us together, as we enter into an eternal relationship with our common Spiritual Father. We are all, equally, sinners saved by faith in Jesus. This should out-trump our quibbles, quarrels and petty differences. We should expect the
DED IN BLOOD bonds of unity in the family of God to be even ‘thicker’ than in our earthly families. The bond we have by being in the family of God can transform our earthly family connections and relationships. We need to belong
It is fascinating to watch the TV series ‘Missing Persons’. Adults go in search of parents or siblings whom they have never met or have lost contact with because of some event that caused separation and breaking of family bonds earlier in their lives. They all have been living with a nagging sense of loss and incompleteness from not knowing their true family.
"
WHEN OUR SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL FAMILIES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER, IT CAN CREATE THE MOST POWERFUL FORM OF CONNECTION AND STRENGTH OF BOND.
We all have this basic God-given need to belong and God has designed His church (the family of God) and the human family unit to fulfil that need on a spiritual and physical level. FEBRUARY 2020 5
When our spiritual and physical families are woven together, it can create the most powerful form of connection and strength of bond—and the full sense of belonging that this world so desperately desires. The building block of society
I firmly believe that family is the building block of society, a place to belong, be nurtured, grow and mature. So it is no coincidence that God would refer to His church as family. The church is made up of families and individuals who are being built together into an intergenerational spiritual family joined together by their common faith in Jesus. Being in the family of God promises great eternal blessings and inheritance, but it also brings responsibilities—to be image-bearers of our adopted Father, unconditionally loving others—and expectations— to pull our weight in serving and unselfishly inviting others into our family. All through the week! We are spiritual family members all of our hours at home as well as during the smaller number of hours we are gathered as a church community. It is only natural then, that the church would support and encourage its members in the faith formation that happens at home. Healthy, Spirit-filled churches resource and encourage families to do faith well at home and healthy, faithfocused families make for healthy Spirit-filled churches. This is a win-win, mutual benefit scenario that strengthens the building blocks of society. A model to follow
What a model to aspire to: the church, as the family of God, with spiritually adopted children loving their Heavenly father and their siblings, obeying Him and doing their part in serving in the family; a place to call home that offers inclusivity, love, acceptance and discipline; a support and partner in faith formation for other (human) families in their own contexts and home life. When the bonds of faith are woven together between church and home, each is strengthened by the other. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. —Ephesians 1:5 6 www.sunz.org.nz
"
FAMILY IS THE BUILDING BLOCK OF SOCIETY, A PLACE TO BELONG, BE NURTURED, GROW AND MATURE.
DUNEDIN
SAT 23 MAY 2020
AUCKLAND SAT 06 JUNE 2020
WELLINGTON SAT 20 JUNE 2020
SUNZ is part of the Scripture Union International family
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WAY2GO VISIT
WWW.SUNZ.ORG.NZ/WAY2GO
CHURCH AS A MODEL FOR FAMILY — TOGETHER IS BEST
BY ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
Children and Families Consultant, SUNZ
I
magine if, for the first 12 years of your life, you were sent out of the dining room to another room to be fed by people who were not your family and eat food that had been prepared differently from your parents’ food. We don’t do this in our own families so let’s stop doing it in the church. ‘But how?’ you may ask… Start by rekindling intergenerational connections. Reframe your planning mind-set
Change the way you think as you plan an activity or gathering for multiple generations. Too often we acknowledge we have children and/or youth present and ask ourselves ‘what can we do for them?’ Instead, when we have multiple generations together we should ask: ‘what can we do that will help them all to connect with each other?’ Four activities that will facilitate connecting with very little work are food, music/song, story and questions. Raise the expectations of all the generations
Most churches have children in the service for some of the time, but very few churches have the children in for the message/sermon. This is partly because of our lowered expectation of children. However, children can participate for 8 www.sunz.org.nz
longer than we adults might think. And adults are able to accept children and young people in their midst. However, some training and guidance may be required to achieve this. If we expect greater things of the children, then we should provide them with some tools to help them engage. The key tools here are story and questions. Instead of the sermon just being one person speaking, perhaps you could play a short video and then have people in the congregation answer some questions. Or you could pose a few questions at the beginning of the message and allow some time at the end for people to share answers from the message. We also need to revisit church history and tradition—to remind those who have been part of the faith community for a long time of why we do what we do and to help those who are younger or new to the faith to begin to understand this. Intergen camps
Camps are one of the best places to model church as a family. Instead of inviting an adult speaker and having separate youth and children’s programmes, do all the camp activities with all the generations together. Explore the Bible and the stories of God in it in creative ways with all generations. Camp is also a perfect opportunity for the personal faith stories of both young and
"
Z
old to be shared with each other. A SUNZ staff worker could help you to plan camp and even come along to camp to facilitate things. Intergen homegroups
Small groups are another excellent place for building connections between the generations. The FAITH5TM 1 steps make a good base for intergen homegroups. The FAITH5TM website includes short videos explaining each of the steps. Here is how it might work in an intergen homegroup: SHARE. Everybody tells a high and a low from their day or week or month. This may take quite a long time, so you may want to break into two smaller groups and then ask one person from each group to share a high back to everyone. READ. Here I would suggest using various methods. Read the Bible in an interactive way, get someone to tell the story by dressing up as a character, use pictures of the story (free from www.unfoldingword.org/sweet-publishing/) or show a good video of the story. I would always have a Bible timeline around and show where the story is found in a full Bible. TALK. Spend some time talking about the Bible passage and highs (and lows). Using ‘I wonder’ questions is really good. 1
"
IF WE EXPECT GREATER THINGS OF THE CHILDREN, THEN WE SHOULD PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME TOOLS TO HELP THEM ENGAGE. You may want to have a meal here, or you could have it at the beginning if you have under-fives. PRAY, keeping in mind the highs and lows, the Bible passage and the discussion/sharing. BLESS. Each person (no matter what age) prays a blessing on one other person. So each person gets to pray a blessing and each person receives a blessing. The blessing could be as simple as, ‘Dear Lord, please bless Andrew’. Or it could be more detailed. FAITH5TM is very easy to use and could also be used between homegroup gatherings in each household. The church is a model for family life. Together is best for family. Together is best for church.
www.faith5.org FEBRUARY 2020 9
Scripture Union NZ works alongside the churches in Aotearoa, New Zealand in The New Zealand Children's Ministry Network (NZCMN) so we all can benefit from each other’s expertise. Here are some of the resources developed by NZCMN members to help families build faith at home.
BAPTIST CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES We know how busy ministry and life can be so we love to come alongside churches and provide resources they can use with and for families. This last year we produced two that have been successfully used by a wide variety of churches: Faith@Home, a resource designed to help families know how to live their faith in the home; and The Advent Story, a fun Christmas resource. Families were able to add a decoration to a small foam tree for each of the days of Advent and then read the true story of Christmas on an app – The Advent Storybook. We enjoyed creating something that was uniquely Kiwi and incorporated modern technology. For these and other family resources please take a look on our website – www. athomeandchurch.org.nz KAREN WARNER National Team Leader
10 www.sunz.org.nz
SALVATION ARMY CHILDREN’S MISSION DEPARTMENT We know, sometimes you have to see it to believe it! We hope to inspire and encourage families to craft their own rhythms of family time and faith conversation by introducing them to a real life family, Allanah and her sweet tamariki. In our ‘Family Time – Praying Together’ video, Allanah and the kids describe their ritual of using prayer sticks as a whānau and explain how this is changing their relationships with another. Maybe it could motivate families in your congregation too! Check it out, along with some other seasonal Family Time resources, at children.salvationarmy.org.nz/family-time HANNAH MEDLAND
Territorial Children's Mission Director
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND Kids Friendly is the national children’s ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. The Kids Friendly website kidsfriendly.org.nz/resourcing/ is a great source for children and families ministry, with numerous resources and articles including a Faith@Home section.
THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NETWORK WEBSITE The NZCMN website www.nzcmn.org.nz includes a calendar of children’s ministry trainings and events around the country, along with lists of contacts for regional cluster groups that meet regularly for support.
ANGLICAN DIOCESES OF NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MINISTRY
The faith formation of our Anglican families is a key focus for Strandz this year. We have been increasingly aware of two important conversations happening in New Zealand— one about how churches can best support family discipleship in the home, and the other about child mental health and wellbeing. The research shows that mental unwellness can often stem from disconnection, so we started to consider how we could reinforce those important connections at a young age—to God, creation, ourselves, and one another. As a result, our Family on Mission Journal was launched in November. The journal has a Lego and Minecraft theme, and provides a framework for families to reflect on how God is at work in their lives, and check those points of connection regularly. It is being trialled within the Diocese of Wellington, and we hope to share it wider later in the year. Our hope is that these family connections will hold strong in the years to come, strengthening our wider church and the faith of all generations DIANA LANGDON Strandz Enabler
FEBRUARY 2020 11
RECLAIMING THE ROLE OF FAMILY IN LIFELONG DISCIPLESHIP SOME THOUGHTS FROM TERRY WILLIAMS, WAY2GO 2020 keynote speaker
I
magine for a second a healthy heartbeat in the family, where there is…
• a strong foundation in Christ, that gives them purpose and a destiny • a loving environment that gives them confidence to dream • security in who they are, to risk doing something new • safety to explore, with a safe harbour to return to • identity in the past, so they can change the future • someone who will be in their grandstand, while they seek to grow What a wonderful vision that is! We live in a fast-paced and changing world, which creates challenge and pressure for families. Many parents feel ill-equipped to care for the spiritual needs of their children. What is the role of the church, and how can the church best support families in their vital role?
RE-EMPOWERING THE FAMILY AS PRIMARY SPIRITUAL CAREGIVERS
The rise of professionalism within the church is one of the factors contributing to the stripping away of confidence in the family as primary spiritual caregivers.
The rise of a Sunday School movement a couple of centuries ago saw the church take on the responsibility for the Christian Education of the young and this quickly became a global missional strategy. This was further reinforced late last century with the rise of the ‘professional worker’ employed by local churches. Today, the church, through its programmes and activities, continues to promote itself as the primary centre for discipling the young, mostly overlooking the biblical importance given to the family household. However, the most important building blocks in the holistic development of children are parents who have a disciplined intentionality about their spiritual parenting. As we engage, individually and corporately, in the mission given to us by Jesus to ‘make disciples’, there is an urgent need to reclaim the role of the family in lifelong discipleship. The church must assume the role as a training and support agency for parents to be the soul doctors for their children. The spiritual formation of children begins with the spiritual formation of their parents. Families are in great need of support and the church has a real opportunity to do so through things like: • Raising a priority (and not guilt) about
12 www.sunz.org.nz
developing a family spiritual plan • Providing support through informal coaches, mentors or surrogate grandparents • Exploring what intergenerational events could look like • Providing devotional and faith conversation resources • Creating opportunities for families to serve together in mission • Hosting marriage and parenting courses The likely result (and NOT the promise) is that children and young people will develop a lifelong faith where they are actively serving Jesus. This is what every Christian parent wants. However, we are faced with the sad reality, reinforced by consistent statistics, that many children growing up in Christian homes, walk away from the church and their faith in teenage and adolescent years.
MORE CONVERSATIONS…
One of the common reasons why young people leave the church and the faith, recorded in the plethora of books and research pieces on this issue, is that ‘my parents and the church did not answer my questions’. In reality, space to explore these questions was not provided — it was not a priority. It is more important than ever for households around their meal tables, driving
in the car to activities, on the walking path, to open up these conversations and explore life and faith together. More conversations— less debates. More putting faith into action —less preaching. This has become even more important with the rise of screens and devices within our homes. As children and young people seek out answers via the phone in their pocket, the need for families to nurture face-to-face interaction is crucial. How do we control technology and not let it control us? How do we put in place healthy boundaries for all to flourish, including the adults in the house? Terry Williams has spent his lifetime advocating for families. Spend any length of time with him, over a good cup of coffee, and you will hear his passion. Terry longs to see the church embrace its call to support and nurture families to be the primary spiritual caregivers of their children.
Scripture Union New Zealand is excited to have Terry Williams speak at our three WAY2GO Children’s Ministry Conferences in 2020, as well as hosting events around the country helping families to navigate a world of screens. Terry is a gifted communicator, with global experience and a passion for all things family. Don’t miss out on hearing him speak. For more information head to www.sunz.org.nz FEBRUARY 2020 13
CHURCH & H ME
PARTNERING TOGETHER
W
e all know that the home is designed to be the place where families love and grow together and nurture health and well-being. But the home, through the family, is also the most powerful influence in the faith formation of children and teens. Parents are the first educators of their children and provide the foundation for spiritual life. As churches and leaders, our role is to help strengthen and expand that faith formation. Family life and societal pressures have changed significantly in recent decades and it’s vital that we do all we can to assist and encourage families to continue growing in their faith together. Our goal is to create a culture where families and faith can flourish. When the church and the home partner together two things happen, the church acknowledges the home as the primary place of spiritual nurture and families value the importance of the faith community in helping to nurture that faith. They work together to see children grow spiritually, develop mentoring relationships and learn to take an active part in the life of the faith community. The church’s role is to provide support and nurture to families as they undertake these tasks. It also provides a community to which the whole family can belong, share in, and live out the Christian faith. This partnership sees spiritual nurture as something that is home-centred and church-assisted, rather than church-centred and home-assisted. This is a shift in mindset from how we have often operated in the past. God’s design, as shown in Deuteronomy 6, is for generational discipleship. This means
14 www.sunz.org.nz
BY KAREN WARNER | Baptist Churches of NZ
that faith is integrated into family identity and practice. In her book, It Takes a Church to Raise a Parent, Rachel Turner writes, ’The skills that the church gives to parents are not to help them ‘pass on’ their faith, but to enable them to confidently help their children develop their own.’ We want our children to develop their own authentic, independent relationship with a living God, out of which their character and behaviour will flow. Together the church and family can intentionally enable children to experience what it means to be a disciple of Christ. As Ivy Beckwith says, ‘A church program can't spiritually form a child, but a family living in an intergenerational community of faith can.’
"
WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN AUTHENTIC, INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP WITH A LIVING GOD.
ISSUE
70
these
Welcome! Check out our ideas! Pull it out! & Pass it around!
STONES Reminders of God’s Faithfulness In Joshua we read that God had saved the Hebrew people by leading them through the Jordan River. They found themselves safely on the other side. The LORD told their leader Joshua to instruct the leaders of the twelve tribes to pick up a stone each and carry it back to camp. Joshua used these twelve stones to create a memorial. We read, “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:6-7 These stones were a physical reminder of a spiritual moment. Every time their children saw them it acted like a prompt. The pile of stones created an opportunity for their family to talk together about the past and God’s faithfulness. This edition of the WAY2GO mag will look at our ‘stones’ — the physical reminders of God’s faithfulness to us, our families, our churches and our communities.
___ Annette Osborne SUNZ Children and Families Consultant
What are your
“STONES”? ity that reminds your children What is in your house, church or commun add to your pile so that your of God’s faithfulness? What stones could you fulness and pass them on to the children will know the stories of God’s faith le suggestions: next generation?? Here are a couple of simp
PHOTOS • Family photos: This might seem obvious, but family photos tell our story. They communicate our values. What photos can you display in your home to celebrate the faithfulness of God to your family? One example might be a photo of a family member at their baptism or serving at church. Take the opportunity to get your photo albums out and talk with your children about the people in the photos. Tell the stories of the generations who have gone before you, and how their faith shaped their lives; Great Grandma who put her faith into action calling for women in New Zealand to have the right to vote, Uncle Fred who would ring you every weekend when you were a teenager and ask you for things to pray for, that lovely old lady who lived next door who gave you your first Bible.
• Church photos: Every church has a story to tell. Displaying photos of your church’s history helps remind people of God’s faithfulness in the past. These might be photos of the building, but most importantly they can be photos of people. Bring out the photo albums during your children’s programme on a Sunday morning, and invite a few members of the older generation to talk about them. Share these photos on your church Facebook page.
SYMBOLS Our homes, families and churches have symbols in them that act like the stones in Joshua’s account.
Your family will have symbols too. Maybe it’s a pair of shoes or a special picture book. Maybe it is the marks on a doorway to show each child’s height progression. Maybe it’s a family Bible. What symbols could you introduce into your house or family? Easter and Christmas are good opportunities to create a tradition.
• Family: This is a photo of my family nativity scene. The idea was for each family member to craft something from clay to contribute to the scene. Our scene includes the Christmas pig, a shark, and a shepherd with his baseball hat on backwards. In the middle of the chaos is baby Jesus, crafted by my young niece. This nativity may not be traditional, but it says something about my family: a touch of chaos, a little creative, all ages together, and making space in the centre for Jesus. And each year, when it is put on display we gather around it. We reminisce, laugh, point out who made each piece and how old they were at the time. It has become a treasured family heirloom. It reminds us of who we are.
• Church: Churches in the past were filled with symbols. For a congregation who mostly couldn’t read, the windows, walls and floors of the church told the story. This photo is a mosaic on the floor of a church foyer in Philippi. It is a map of Paul’s missionary journeys. Imagine the centuries of children who have played on that floor! Stained glass windows, a cross, the communion table, are all symbolic elements that seek to remind us of our faith journey. What symbols could you include in the space where your children’s programme runs?
FAMILY H T I A F &
This year we are unce excited to anno r for our guest speake WAY2GO 2020:
S.
TERRY WILLIAM
Terry works for Scripture Union in Queensland as well as the SU International team. He is also actively involved in various global networks, including the Global Family Alliance. He is a passionate advocate for families and the vital role the church has in supporting them. Alongside WAY2GO, Terry will be running events in Auckland and Wellington, looking at the timely topic of how to nurture the faith of children in the age of screens. This is a great opportunity for parents, grandparents and the wider whÄ nau, so don’t miss out!
For more details visit www.sunz.org.nz/way2go
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.
CHILDREN &FAMILIES BLOG Looking for Lent and Easter ideas? Check out our blog!
www. childrenandfamiliesnz .blogspot.com
D Bi Yo Ag
SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz
C a
! W E
ok d Bo . o o eG ook y Th each b b d .00 she ubli all $10 p s kids teen n & ties for e r d hil tivi for c and ac s k o ings kbo wor ed read l a n t otio nda Dev any. U ENGAGE p Com C o n n e c t i n g yo u
N
w i t h G o d ’s w o rd . Ages 14-18
G DISCOVER B i b l e N o t e s fo r Yo u n g Pe o p l e . Ages 11-13
z XTB E x p l o re B i b l e Ages 7-10
Call 0508 423 836 for more information and to order Email orders@sunz.org.nz
FEBRUARY 2020 19
REVIVING FAMILY BIBLE ENGAGEMENT I BY PAUL DADD | Children and Families Consultant, SUNZ
n the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.’ —Deuteronomy 6:20-22 In this passage from Deuteronomy, God doesn’t instruct parents and adults to give abstract explanations or theological propositions in answer children’s questions about His laws and decrees. Rather, He instructs the parents to tell a story—the compelling story that speaks of God’s faithfulness and love.
20 www.sunz.org.nz
But why a story? Well, because God has made us a storied people. God has placed within the human spirit something that can relate to, inhabit and be transformed by stories. Stories allow us to understand realities we would not grasp through any other medium. As Ivy Beckwith puts it:
‘I think God gave us stories because God wants us to know God’s essence and to fall in love with God…. I think God wanted to capture our imaginations, and the way to capture most people’s imagination is through a good story.’ Throughout history, God has given the responsibility to families, supported by their communities of faith, to pass on the story of God’s faithfulness to their children. How can
we do that? I think there are some things for us to give up, and some things for us to take up.
RECAPTURE THE BIBLE AS STORY Give up: Reading the Bible solely for information and knowledge. Take up: Reading the Bible as a story. While knowledge and information have their place, the Bible is more than an information source for rules and good moral teaching, like a Christian version of Aesop’s fables. And our Bible reading needs to be more than purely an exercise of the mind. The Bible invites us to come to God with our whole person: body, personality, emotions and imagination. ‘What is learned in story…is far closer to wisdom, understanding, or lived truth… The meaning of the story is to be found in experiencing it.’ As families, let’s practice telling Bible stories well, with all of their sounds, sights and smells. Dress up, use puppets or soft toys as the characters, video the story, draw it in the sand…
CULTIVATE CURIOSITY TOGETHER Give up: Having the right answers. Take up: Asking the right questions. While the Bible does provide us with important answers to the big questions about God, faith and life, often the deepest spiritual insights come through us first talking and wondering together. Here are some questions to spark deep conversations:
"
GOD HAS PLACED WITHIN THE HUMAN SPIRIT SOMETHING THAT CAN RELATE TO, INHABIT AND BE TRANSFORMED BY STORIES. NURTURE A LIFESTYLE Give up: Running a Bible reading ‘programme’. Take up: Growing a family Bible reading habit and culture. Let’s worry less about a prescribed list of lessons and outcomes to achieve and, instead, find simple, repeatable and fun ways of reading and reflecting on God’s story together. If you are looking for some practical tools to help, you could start here: www. faith4families.org and www.faith5.org .
Let me leave you with the words of Gretchen Wolff Pritchard: ‘we can rob the [gospel] story of its power by telling badly, by sentimentalizing or sensationalizing or distorting it, or by analysing or reducing it to a theological formula, or a lesson to learn to please the teacher. We cannot rob it of its power merely by telling it too often. It deserves to be told— our children deserve to experience it—over and over again…’
• I wonder what you would have said or done if you had been there? • I wonder who you best relate to in the story? • I wonder whether you have discovered from the story anything new about what God is like or what people can be like?
FEBRUARY 2020 21
MEET THE SUNZ CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TEA M Nigel Winder
Andrew Ramsbottom Children and Families Consultant, Auckland
Children and Families Consultant, Auckland
Nigel heads up our Children and Families Team, working with churches to help them build life-long faith in their children and young people and reach out to the families in their local communities. He supports local ‘SUPAkidz’ clubs and leads the Southland ‘SUPAkidz’ camp. Nigel loves seeing young campers coming to faith, growing that faith and becoming leaders of others. He trains and equips children's ministry leaders through annual ‘WAY2GO’conferences and other regional training events.
Andrew helps churches see children and families encounter God through fun, exciting and challenging Bible interaction. He supports and trains children’s ministry leaders and helps churches explore intergenerational worship with all ages together. He heads the children’s ‘SUPAkidz’ camps ministry. Andrew loves retelling Bible stories especially when he can dress up as one of the characters.
Annette helps churches nurture the spiritual life of their children through creative and innovative programmes. She oversees the ‘SUPAkidz’ club ministry and helps deliver resources for churches including ‘You’re Losing Us’ workshops and ‘WAY2GO’ children’s ministry training. She heads our ‘He Waka Eke Noa’, research about NZ children’s ministry. 40% of Annette’s time is as a Global Children’s Ministry Consultant for SU International.
Children and Families Ministry Leader, Invercargill
22 www.sunz.org.nz
Annette Osborne
Paul Dadd
Liz Eichler
Alison Davies
Children and Families Consultant, Auckland
Children and Families Consultant, Wellington
Children and Families Administration, Wellington
Paul trains children’s ministry leaders in how to explore God with children in fun and meaningful ways, whether at church, camp, holiday programme or school club. He supports churches in growing and nurturing faith of children alongside adults and supports volunteers running ‘SUPAkidz’ clubs and ‘SURGE’ groups in schools.
Liz supports and equips churches to grow the faith of their children and families. She provides leadership development and training for children’s ministry workers around the lower North Island, encouraging and resourcing them. Liz runs regular NZ Children’s Ministry Network groups in Wellington–Kapiti so children’s ministry workers across the denominations can share ideas and needs and pray with each other. She supports ‘SUPAkidz’ clubs and ‘SUPAkidz’ camps for primary-aged children.
Alison works part-time to look after ‘SUPAkidz’ club and ‘WAY2GO’ children’s ministry training administration—and anything else sent her way!
FEBRUARY 2020 23
‘We pray giving thanks for tea and our day. It is good to celebrate together all the good things that have happened.’ "I share a room with my sister who is older than me. Sometimes sisters can be a bit annoying. The other night she was reading until late and she ended up knocking stuff off the bedside table and I couldn't sleep. I asked her to turn the light off, but she got a bit upset with me and looked angry and a bit scary. ‘I was a bit freaked out so I went to my mum and dad's room and my mum told me to remember that God is with me and that I don't need to be scared. When I thought about that, I felt really peaceful. My mum is always telling me this and helping me to pray." .’ —SOFIA, AGE 9
—ISABELLA, AGE 13
HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU TO GROW WITH
HERE’S WHAT SOME YOUNG PEOPLE TOLD US
meal ‘We do family using a time devotions es nd cribable.” book called “I out creation ab It talks a lot science facts to and connects TI M, AG E 13 God and us.’—
‘Doing my Bible reading on my own with Mum and Dad helps stretch my brain. Mum asks questions to check my understanding and I ask her lots of questions too. I love the Jesus Storybook Bible.’ —SOPHIE, AGE 8
24 www.sunz.org.nz
GOD?
‘They are kind to me. Not like giving me the last piece of cake but kind because they talk to me about God and what he is like. They help me to know how to talk to others about God.… My sister goes to church at her university and she talks to other students about God. My parents also tell me stories about times when God helped them and it helps me to know what I can do if I have a problem." .’ —THEO, AGE 8
s and the Bible, ‘I read Snap Shot doing it y own, but I like sometimes on m it and we ain pl ex helps to with Dad too. He es. We watch to improve our liv think about how t violent. We but it can be a bi the Bible movie, ardians of Gu p d the Bible Ap have downloade e about or m n ar n way to le Ancora. It is a fu M AX, AG E 11 Bible stories. ‘ —
Light
for the path BY KAREN POY
Camps Administrator, SUNZ
I
remember the night I became a Christian. A visiting evangelist at Youth Group had asked who would like to know more about how to become part of God’s family. I felt my heart beating faster in my chest and I knew I did! That night started a new way of life for me and one that I had no idea would put me on a different path to my family and see me adopted into a new spiritual family, the family of God. I am sure my family assumed Christianity was a phase for me — something else that I would pick up and put down like so many other things I had tried. In fact, when I told my Mum that I had become a Christian she told me that everyone in New Zealand was a Christian! I knew that to grow as a young Christian I would have to spend time with other people at church to learn how to do this because going to church was not something my family did. I have always been very thankful for the leaders we had at Youth Group and Girls Rally, and the wider community at church who invited me into their homes and shared about God over meals and coffees, who helped me learn, who listened to my endless questions and patiently shared God’s Word with me.
Today some of these people are as close to me as my own family. Somewhere along the way, I realised that I had a spiritual family through going to Church: a family that I chose to be part of; a family to do this Christian life with; a family to encourage and be encouraged by; a family who could grow together and serve the Lord together. I am so grateful for my faith family and all that I have inherited through Jesus Christ. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. —Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
REF LECT
Respond to Ephesians 1:5 in prayer, in praise, in gratitude. Give thanks for those who have been your spiritual family. To whom is God calling you to be spiritual family?
FEBRUARY 2020 25
OUT & ABOUT
26 www.sunz.org.nz
AUCKLAND
ANNETTE OSBORNE
In December, the Auckland office attention turned towards summer camping and we gathered with around 50 others to pray for camps happening in the North Island. Andy was busy helping Intermediate- aged children prepare for their move to high school using the ‘It’s Your Move’ programme. Natalie Duchesne is currently based in our office and
WELLINGTON
November and December were a busy rush of preparation for camps, Christmas cards, Christmas appeal and the replacement of the server in the Wellington Office. Hilary headed to Ponui Island for the camp leaders’ training — she was last at Ponui when she was a 13-yearold SUNZ camper and it was quite special to return to a place that was an important part of her spiritual journey. The Senior Leadership Team had an excellent weekend meeting with the Board talking about lifelong discipleship and what it looks like in practice. They had a very interesting morning with Roshan Allpress, the National Principal/CEO of Laidlaw College and it was also an opportunity for some staff
has been in full swing with our two surf campscamp in Raglan. For the children and families staff, we are beginning to prepare for our ‘WAY2GO’ children’s ministry conferences next year.
JANICE HUNT
to meet some Board members for the first time. Neville and many of the youth team were at ‘Exodus Prime’ leadership development camp in January, and most of the office team have snatched some annual leave. It has been great hearing snippets of news from the camps teams and campers, and we look forward to sharing more camp stories. We are gearing up for ‘WAY2GO’ 2020 and already have cartons of promotional material stashed around the office.
SOUTHLAND/OTAGO
Another season of life-transforming summer camps has come and gone. Karen is looking forward to a break after administering these camps through December and January. Lizzie has led ‘Wild Wanaka’ camp and helped out with the discipleship camp ’Exodus Prime’ in Wellington. There are ‘WAY2GO’ Children’s Ministry training conferences and ‘ReGen’ Youth leader training events to organise. We are
NIGEL WINDER
looking forward to continuing the work with churches to help them form life-long faith in their children and young people. Early March, we are excited about meeting up with the rest of the team at staff retreat in Wellington. FEBRUARY 2020 27
EASTER BIBLE COMIC
Discover the story of Easter with this great comicstrip retelling of the Bible story. Uncover the real meaning of Easter through the puzzles, quizzes, facts and information. A great accompaniment to Easter events, a Sunday school prize or Easter present for children aged 8 to 11.
$250 EACH
GUARDIANS OF ANCORA EASTER BIBLE COMIC With Swift and the Shiner to guide them, the Guardians of Ancora explore the message of the cross. The Ancora Easter Bible Comic combines high-quality artwork with augmented reality content to tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.
28 www.sunz.org.nz
Unlock further content, including Bible facts and audio Bible readings, by following the Ancora channel and scanning the pages of the comic in the free Aurasma augmented reality app, available on iTunes and Google Play
$399 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
EASTER CRACKED Easter Cracked is a vital resource for churches hoping to make the most of the opportunities they have to reach out during Easter. Contains services, craft, drama and more to use with all-ages.
$1590
FEBRUARY 2020 29
Cut off your donation form here and return.
#
$999 EACH
LUKE’S TRAVEL GUIDE WITH PAUL AND WITH THE APOSTLES Are you learning English as a second language? Do you want to know more about Jesus and the Bible? Then Luke's Travel Guides are ideal for you. They use
simple English to help you read and understand a few Bible verses each day. You will learn new words and improve your English
ORDER NOW ONLINE AT
www.suresources.org.nz
Cut off your donation form here and return.
support our ministry
#
Did you know? Around 80% of SUNZ’s overall funding, and 100% of our ministry staff’s team support, comes from donations from individuals, trusts, churches and other organisations–from people like you! We are very grateful for your support. I would like to donate $500 $250
$100
$50
$30
(Your choice)
Monthly donation My cheque is enclosed
One-off donation Please debit my credit card
My card number is
Name on card:
Expiry date:
Signature: I would like to receive information about giving by automatic payment OR bank by direct deposit to account number 02 0560 0036204 00 and add the reference ADV0220 Full Name: Address: Email:
Phone:
Please post to Scripture Union in New Zealand, PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 or alternatively you can donate to us on our website at www.sunz.org.nz/donate. If by God’s grace the ministry of your choice becomes fully funded, SUNZ may use any surplus to support the area where funds are most needed.
stay in the loop LIKE US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/sunz.nz
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @scriptureunionnz FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @newzealandsu VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.sunz.org.nz
PO BOX 760, Wellington 6140 | 0508 423 836 | info@sunz.org.nz He rama ta-u kupu ki o-ku waewae | Your word is a lamp to my feet. Psalm 119:105 SUNZ is a member of the Scripture Union International Family
