JANUARY 2021
A THRIVING FAITH INSIDE
A ROCKY ROAD
INTENTIONALLY GROWING TEAMS
FAITH FORMATION IN FAMILIES
‘W
EDITORIAL
ell, I became a Christian years ago at a Scripture Union Beach Mission in Riversdale,’ said the man on the end of the phone. ‘I was nine, and that beach mission changed my life.’
I receive many phone calls like this from people, now in their later years, with beautiful stories of the effect Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) has had on their life and faith in years past. These stories are a real privilege to hear and one of the absolute joys of my role as National Director. As I talked to this particular man the other day, something—maybe it was God—made me wonder what phone calls the National Director in 50 years’ time would receive from the children and young people we are working with now. I pray they will receive plenty. And I think they will, because the stories that come back through our ministries tell me that God is clearly at work through SUNZ. Like the story of nine-year-old Dan* who arrived home from one of our SUPAkidz camps with a reinvigorated desire to read his Bible. He has hardly put it down and even took it to the hairdresser to read while he was getting his hair cut.
2 www.sunz.org.nz
This Adventure magazine is all about how to best help Dan and other children like him come to know God. It’s about how we can help children respond to the voice of God and support them in their faith journey. It’s about following the call of Deuteronomy 4:9 to share our experiences of God and His teachings with our children and our children’s children. These children are the church right now, and we want to ensure they are part of the church living out God’s purposes in the world in the future that is coming as well. We want to see them continue as life-long disciples and live as light and salt as they change the world around them for better. As you read, please pray that SUNZ ministries reach children and young people across New Zealand and that God is at work through us.
* name changed to protect privacy.
Hilary Hague National Director, Scripture Union New Zealand
CONTENTS
FEATURES
4
A ROCKY ROAD
NIGEL WINDER
6
A THRIVING FAITH
10
INTENTIONALLY GROWING TEAMS
ANNETTE OSBORNE
NATALIE DUCHESNE
12 FAITH FORMATION IN FAMILIES ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
20 AROUND THE WORLD ANNETTE OSBORNE
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
15 WAY2GO MAGAZINE
INTERVIEWS
22 A LIFE-GIVING LEGACY JENNIFER BABB
25 LIGHT FOR THE PATH MILLIE LAW 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 Rocky Road NIGEL WINDER
| Children & Families Consultant, SUNZ
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Child g n i p l e H
H
ave you ever been on a long road trip, where everyone in the car just wants to get to the destination? Bottoms are numb, tempers are flaring. There are tears because someone elbowed someone ‘accidentally’ or just looked at their sibling at the wrong moment. And the mere mention of car sickness sets off a chain reaction. In those situations, we resort to all sorts of tactics to jolly our passengers along: bribery, impromptu karaoke, ‘I spy’, naming the car brands, sleeping lion competitions, banning toilet stops and, occasionally, just praying for mercy.
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od
hG t i w y e n n Jour
It can be a rocky road. It is hard to convince the backseat drivers who are encouraging you to drive faster—at the speed of light if possible—that the journey is as important as the destination. It is the journey that makes us. At times, in children’s ministry and with our own children, it may be tempting to wish away the journey through childhood and hope for them to arrive immediately at their destination as problem-free, mature and faith-filled adults. However, that doesn’t happen and we have to settle in for the long ride through the here-andnow, enjoying the faith journey with them and encouraging growth along the way.
Just like our car trip, a child’s faith journey might be full of challenges, stops, messes to clean up, doubts and even failures. Faith-living can be a rocky road. Are there any special tricks and strategies to help our children on their journey with God? Old Testament stories of children and young people can give us some clues. Joseph, Daniel and Samuel are three such examples. These young men all responded to God’s calling on their lives, surviving the tricky and rocky journey of childhood and adolescence to fulfil God’s purpose and plan. Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, Daniel a wise advisor to kings, and Samuel a revered prophet of God. Joseph’s faith journey was challenged by jealousy, betrayal, deceit and being forgotten, but he never forgot his roots. Daniel lost his family, was carted off to a foreign all-conquering country and was put through assimilation indoctrination, yet was able to unswervingly hold to his childhood faith and identity in God. Samuel was given away by his mother and surrounded by poor role models and fellow countrymen who turned their backs on God. Despite that, he became God’s mouthpiece to a floundering nation. These young men learned to live in their different worlds, respecting those placed in authority over them, while holding onto their integrity, values and faith. They resolved to obey God no matter the consequences. The Spirit of God was clearly on them. What things might we surmise helped these three young men thrive in their faith journeys?
How can we help build these things into our journey with our children? Start the journey young Teaching our children about God from a very young age creates a solid foundation for their faith to survive the rocky road of life. When parents and children’s workers consistently tell them about a God who loves them unconditionally and who has a plan for their lives, our children will desire to know Him for themselves. When we teach them to pray, read the scriptures and take the time to listen to God, we will be building their expectation that they will hear from God. And God is faithful. Talk about the scenery Acknowledge God’s work as you travel together. When children observe prayers answered and God’s promises fulfilled, they will believe that God remains in control despite the circumstances they might find themselves in. If they are surrounded by others who love God and celebrate His work in their daily lives, they are so much more likely to want to obey Him despite the cost. When they experience the empowering and transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their lives they will put on the armour of God and live out the fruit of the Spirit.
• They knew the history and stories of their God. • Someone instilled in them, from a very young age, a desire to know God. • Others around them encouraged them to hear from God and stand up for God. • They expected God would do what He promised.
Plan activities along the road When our children are given opportunities to put their faith into action, use their gifts to serve others, make mistakes and grow through the opportunities we provide them, their journey will be rich and rewarding and the destination will take care of itself. JANUARY 2021 5
Keep travelling together Our children need us to journey with them. They need faith-filled friends who spur them on and committed church families who disciple, teach, model, pray for and encourage them. They need families, parents and caregivers who intentionally pass on their faith to them, who pick them up and clean them up when they mess up. SUNZ is here with some help to navigate At SUNZ we are passionate about growing life-long faith in children and young people and as part of our commitment to doing so, are helping equip churches through our THRIVE workshops and follow-up facilitations. Our WAY2GO children’s ministry training
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conferences are also focussing on how we, as churches, can be a spiritual home for all ages and help faith to grow at home too. Thankfully, God is not a passive backseat passenger on this journey. While God uses us to plant the seeds of faith in children and young people, ultimately it is God who makes them grow. When we feel somewhat lost, we can take great hope in the fact that God has the destination sorted—for us and for our children—no matter how rocky the road might get along the way. ‘We will tell the next generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders so each generation should set its hope anew on God.’ Psalm 78:4-7
Thriving faith! That is our vision for the children, young people and families of Aotearoa. Scripture Union New Zealand is offering 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!
CONSULTATION FACILITATION PLAN DEVELOPMENT ONGOING SUPPORT
For more information please visit www.sunz.org.nz/thrive explore more about how THRIVE can help your church.
A THRIVING FAITH In
ANNETTE OSBORNE | SU International Children’s Consultant
the bush near my parent’s house there is a kauri tree. What you need to know is that this is no ordinary tree. It rises out of the bush at a staggering height and width. As a teenager, I remember rather inaccurately measuring it as being eight of me stretched out fingertip to fingertip. This tree is a giant! While not quite the scale of Tāne Mahuta
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in the far north, this tree dominates the surrounding bush. It escaped the logging efforts that cleared many of its brethren and has remained untouched for centuries. When we look at trees like this, we can appreciate the imagery that is used throughout the Bible of a healthy tree used to describe individuals, families and communities.
Psalm 1 is but one example. The psalmist writes that the person who follows God’s way is like… a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. A tree needs certain things to thrive. When our kauri tree was a small seedling it needed soil with the right amount of nutrients, water, shelter, sunlight, room to grow, and healthy space for its roots to spread. We also know that there are things that can harm a tree and cause it to shrivel and become unhealthy. Currently we have a crisis called kauri dieback affecting our kauri trees. This is a disease that spreads easily and kills kauri of all ages, from seedlings to large trees. Just one pinhead of soil can spread the disease. Many places where kauri grow have been closed to the public to protect these magnificent trees. We can think about faith formation a bit like this. The role of church and family is to create the right environment for the faith of a child or young person to thrive. We can prepare the soil and create good conditions. We can actively work to control disease and harm. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7:6 that it is God that brings the growth, but we can be partners in this process. There are strategies that we can put into action in our church and families to help faith to thrive. This year we are launching THRIVE, a resource aimed to help churches to just that! THRIVE gives churches a helpful way forward to create the right environment for children and young people to grow in their faith. Eight strategies, based in research and experience, will give churches a great starting place. Our aim is clear: renewing the church’s mission to grow lifelong disciples.
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OUR AIM IS CLEAR: RENEWING THE CHURCH’S MISSION TO GROW LIFELONG DISCIPLES
Through our THRIVE resource, Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) seeks to walk alongside a church for a year. This longer-term commitment is designed to help churches to create a workable plan and to begin to put it into action. We begin by bringing the whole church together to look at the eight important strategies for faith formation. From this, we guide a church to prioritise two or more key areas to work on, and provide additional resourcing and training as required. Faith formation is not primarily about numbers. It is not measured by how many seats are full on a Sunday morning. But we do know from statistics and anecdotal evidence that an increasing number of children and young people are disengaging from church and we want to see this trend turned around. We long to see healthy churches, where children, young people and their families are thriving in their faith. We would love to talk with your church about THRIVE, and how we can best support you and your community with the faith formation of your children and young people. I am reminded of a great saying that ‘society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in’. SUNZ wants to help plant trees that thrive and to invest in the generations to come.
JANUARY 2021 9
INTENTIONALLY GROWING TEAMS NATALIE DUCHESNE
| North Island Camps Facilitator, SUNZ
T
eams at their essence are a collection of people gathered for a common purpose. I believe we should be weaving ‘intention’ into these relationships. Intention, however, doesn’t always have to have an awkward rigour to it. Rather, once acknowledged it can happily sit under the surface as you navigate your way in building, growing and deepening your team. Conversational questions are a great example of how intent can flow into the interactions you have with those around you quite organically. I’m someone who always has at least one question that I’m intrigued about and will ask almost everyone I encounter. Asking someone whether they’re past-, present-, or future-oriented, for instance, can give a beautiful insight into a person. It’s amazing what you glean, whether you’ve previously known them or not. Sometimes they are taken aback as if you’ve asked a deeply personal question. The internal processors sit in silence for a moment, consolidating their thoughts before answering.
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Others launch into a stream of consciousness as if nothing could be excluded. If you pay attention, you can learn a lot about someone asking questions even before they answer. Here are some of the conversational questions I enjoy using in the process to help me better understand the people within the teams I facilitate. What are your passions? In the context of building a team, I find this question helps journey towards a close-knit, safe environment of flourishing relationships. You get a sense of your team members’ values and gifts and start to see how their passions overflow into ministry—whether it’s a passion for communication, theology, knowledge, or being active and engaging with creation… Then, you can build on this passion. A great example is people who value inclusivity. I free up these people on the first day of a camp so they can put their gift of inclusion into action. They will identify campers who are on the outer or feeling outside their comfort zone, and will get alongside them,
pulling them into the action or connecting them with other campers. When everyone in the team recognises each other’s passions it also helps to build a sense of unity. You open up a space to go deeper. Every person has something unique to contribute—and to figure out those things early on in the establishment of a team brings opportunity to collaborate in the most constructive way. ‘For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ Romans 12:4-6 What quality do you value most in a leader? Each person’s values, as well as their unique set of passions and skills, shape the way they contribute to the body of Christ. I’ve found that understanding people’s leadership values gives a useful insight for a team leader. Personally, I have recognised humility in many leaders I admire, and I’ll regularly share that as my response to the question above. Humility is key when thinking about what and how we contribute to ‘Christ’s body’. I distinguish humility from downplaying a gift, skill, or action. Rather, I see it as aligning ourselves with God’s reality and, from there, being willing to grow and develop. It’s a willingness to see the truth in ourselves and see ourselves with ‘sober judgement’. ‘Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.’ Romans 12:3
When we engage humility as we bring our strengths and opportunities for growth to the team, we get a true sense of how to depend on, encourage, and serve one another and God. Would you like to join me for…? Allowing time for building close relationships through shared experiences and working together is another key part of team building and finding the place where people belong. How wonderful it is that we can also invite God into relationship and include him in the hilarity, spontaneity, and glee as we build each other up and build upon our relationships with one another! I like to have an emphasis on ‘play’ or unstructured time in many of the spaces I facilitate. When we had a leaders training weekend before our spring camps on Mount Ruapehu, we invited the leaders to an optional day of skiing/snowboarding before the training. We spent 24 hours together ‘playing’. This kickstarted friendship within the group in a very different way to the relationship-building that occurred over the rest of the weekend. I love gathering camp leadership teams a day before campers arrive too. We’ll set up, go through the programme, pray as a team, but will also have time to kayak or surf, chat, explore the area and just have space to enjoy each other and build our old and new relationships—being part of the body of Christ together. ‘so in Christ we, though many, form one body’ Romans 12:5
JANUARY 2021 11
FAITH FORMATION
IN FAMILIES ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
| Children & Families Consultant, SUNZ
F
amily —in the wider sense that may include grandparents, extended family networks and whānau—is the natural place for the faith of a child or young person to be formed. Faith formation is meant to be done with all ages together so that the generations help to form each other’s faith. Yes, children and young people help to build the older generation’s faith! We all benefit from ‘doing faith’ together. But where do we start? The Bible The Bible is central to all faith formation and a good place for parents and caregivers to start is with their own regular time with God, preferably every day. This is an unashamed plug for using the Scripture Union Bible reading guides! There are also many other good resources. Find a Bible version that suits your family. If you have preschool children you may want to use a children’s Bible, but once they are school-going age an ’adult‘ Bible is the best.
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Mix it up using different Bible reading methods. The easiest is the traditional method: gather the family, get out a Bible and read a part of it out loud. Encourage children and youth to share in the reading rather than adults doing it every time. Audio Bibles are a different way to just listen to Scripture. There are many options available online and the Bible Society in partnership with Radio Rhema has produced the NLT Kiwi Audio Bible which is available on a memory stick. Yet another option is to watch the Bible. A simple Google search will give you many options. Just a warning: if you have children under the age of 13 please watch the programme yourself before you show it to your family as sometimes the footage can be quite graphic.
Questions Opening the Bible together often leads to questions about what has been heard or watched. This can be daunting for caregivers who feel they don’t know the answers. Don’t panic! Treat it like any other subject: ask a friend; share from your own experience; Google it; get a resource book and explore a possible answer together. The Action Bible Handbook1 and Children’s Guide to the Bible2 are a couple of helpful resources. Robert Willoughby’s book ‘So, who is God?3, geared for 8-11-year-olds, looks at some questions children (and adults) might ask about God: ‘How do you know God is really with you?’, ‘Has God ever made a mistake?’ and some tough ones like ‘why does a 12-year-old die from cancer?’ Another compilation is 801 Questions Kids Ask about God by David R. Veerman, which includes key verses, notes, and an index of questions to guide parents in developing their answers.
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THE MAIN THING IS FOR ALL AGES TO BE DOING FAITH TOGETHER!
The Fridge This is one place that brings all the family together! It is a great place to celebrate the faith formation experiences of your family. Perhaps you could put a verse or a prayer from your times together or photos of people you are praying for on the fridge door. The fridge is also a great reminder of the importance of saying grace together as a family at mealtimes.
Prayer
There’s not just one way!
Pair your Bible engagement with a time of prayer. This could be the caregiver or anyone else in the family leading in free prayer. It could be reading written prayers, or praying for specific topics or people suggested by family members. Don’t be afraid of silence— God can and does speak to us as we reflect on His Word in silence.
We all connect with God in different ways. Are words, emotions, symbols or actions are the dominant part of your children’s spiritual styles—and your own too? Knowing this can help you adapt your intergenerational faith building to suit your whānau.4
1 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/the-actionbible-handbook 2 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/childrensguide-to-the-bible 3 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/ so-who-is-god
Intergenerational faith formation doesn’t need to be complicated. The main thing is for all ages to be doing faith together! SUNZ WAY2GO 2021 ‘Woven in Faith’ conferences will have more on faith formation in families. Save the dates now: 29 May in Dunedin, 12 June in Auckland, 26 June in Wellington. 4 See pages 15-18 of this magazine for more on spiritual styles
JANUARY 2021 13
DUNEDIN
SAT 29 MAY 2021
AUCKLAND SAT 12 JUNE 2021
WELLINGTON SAT 26 JUNE 2021
SUNZ is part of the Scripture Union International family
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WAY2GO VISIT
WWW.SUNZ.ORG.NZ/WAY2GO All SUNZ events are dependent on current NZ COVID-19 alert levels. As such, please prepare for possible event changes in the case of a rise in alert levels such as full event cancellations. In the case of a cancellation due to COVID-19 we provide a FULL REFUND.
ISSUE
73 Welcome! Check out our ideas! Pull it out! & Pass it around!
DEFINING SPIRITUALITY Have you ever caught yourself using a word in conversation and wondered what it really means? We rely on jargon and acronyms, without really thinking about them. For me one of these words is ‘spirituality’. We struggle with defining spirituality, so we find it hard to understand what it means for our children and young people. We have not understood the spirituality of children and young people as we probably should have. Traditionally, the younger people are the less spiritual we expect them to be. That’s a shame because children and young people have the capacity to be deeply spiritual. One of my favourite definitions when thinking about children and spirituality is a slightly adapted version of one from UK psychologist Rebecca Nye: spirituality is God’s way of being with us, and our way of being with God. It’s a helpful definition, nice and simple, but actually very profound. Children and young people’s spirituality is a natural capacity to be aware of God in the middle of their life experiences. It’s holistic. It involves their feelings and thoughts and also their actions. The challenge for us is how to create space for our children to be with God, and He with them. In this edition of the WAY2GO magazine we look at understanding different spiritual styles as a tool for helping children engage with God in ways that are meaningful to them.
___ Liz Eichler Children and Families Consultant, SUNZ
Styles
BY LIZ EICHLER
SPITIRUAL
While interviewing children about their spiritual lives, David Csinos1 discovered four distinct yet overlapping ways they connect with God. He called these four ways of knowing God, spiritual styles. These styles offer glimpses into the ways in which our children make meaning and encounter the living God. A child may have one dominant style or they might be a mixture of several. Understanding these spiritual styles will help us in our planning. They help us see beyond the ways we connect with God and to an understanding of how others connect. They allow us to be more holistic in our planning. The four spiritual styles are:
1 David Czinos, Children’s Ministry that Fits, Wipf & Stock, 2011
Word — These children express their spirituality best in words. It’s about connecting with God through the words we write, the words we read, the words we think and the words we say.
Emotion — These children connect with God through their feelings. It’s about connecting with God through the way we express our feelings: singing, music, drama and art.
Symbol – These children love the mystery involved with worship. It’s about connecting with God through the world around us; i.e. nature, art, candles, and spending time in silence or alone in prayer.
Action – These children want to do something for and with God. It’s about connecting with God through our actions; doing things that show compassion or standing up for what is right.
A balanced programme will have something of each of these in it. The next page will give you some practical ideas to help you build these ideas into your weekly programme.
Using Spiritual Styles to help engage with the Bible WORD
The path of the intellect
EMOTION
The way of the emotions
SYMBOL
The journey of mystery
ACTION The road to justice
þ Use Scrabble pieces to make þ Word search. key words from the story. þ Journaling – as if you had þ If you were to make a been there. crossword out of those words, what clues would you give? þ Emoticons – place an þ Discuss times when the emoticon at each place in children have felt the the story where an same way. emotion is shown. þ Act out a scene that conveys þ Use colours to show the a certain emotion. feelings of each character in the story. þ Use objects to represent parts of the story. þ Use beautiful imagery and photography.
þ Candles. þ Quiet spaces for prayer and silence.
þ Identify what acts of service þ Give space for the children the church is involved, how to take action on issues that the children are involved or interest them. could be in the future. þ Consider recycling and composting issues at church. þ Plan realistic ways of fundraising for a cause they’re passionate about.
We suggest starting with one for each style, use them for a couple of weeks, tweak as needed, and then try a new activity for each style. Once the children are used to a few activities for each style, you can rotate new and old, just keep freshening things up. This is a great tool which may take some effort to establish but will be worth it. If you want to know more about implementing these styles into your children’s ministry, our Children and Families Team are available to support you! Contact us at way2go@sunz.org.nz for more information.
More Resources
New year, new slate, but don’t know where to start? This resource from our friends at Strandz, the Anglican Children and Family Ministry, might be a good place to help you start. Downloadable and free, go to strandz.org.nz for a copy.
Looking for Lent and Easter ideas? Check out our website and blog! www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz childrenandfamiliesnz.blogspot.com
www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz
Story time inspiration ‘A really incredible feast’ and other amazing Jesus stories, by Johanna Baldwin. Six stories of Jesus all written in rhyme, with fabulous pictures for a great reading time. Calming a storm, feeding thousands for tea, making sick people well and blind people see.
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
$19.99
This new year can you help more children and young people to discover Jesus and become lifelong disciples who serve the world around them?
Join us in our mission by giving, praying or volunteering. Find out more at sunz.org.nz
AROUND
WORLD THE
ANNETTE OSBORNE | SU International Children’s Consultant
T
he last year has brought with it many changes. Firstly, we all know much more about viruses than we ever did before. We have learned about vaccine development and have expanded our vocabulary to include frequent use of such words as ‘bubble’ and ‘unprecedented’. At the click of a button, we learned that the whole world can be zoomed into our living rooms! It has also impacted the way in which we minister with children, young people and their families. Many of these changes will have long term effects, positive and negative. As we think about the future, I want to highlight a couple of global trends, challenges and opportunities I see as a result of my role with Scripture Union International, and how they are shaping ministry with children.
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Creative opportunities It will come as no surprise that the online and digital space has significantly influenced ministry with children and young people globally. When most countries around the world went into different degrees of lockdown, many of Scripture Union’s ministries stopped. Camps closed and schools were shut. But out of this situation, creative opportunities were discovered. Several movements created online camps, with one team even recreating an adventure style camp with young people recreating rock climbing and rafting activities. Picture a young person creating a raft out of their bathtub and pretending to ride the rapids! Another team has utilized a popular online game called MineCraft, to create Bible scenes for children to explore and, in turn, explore the biblical story.
Transformational relationships A key question has been how to build and strengthen relationships, and create community. Scripture Union is a relational ministry and prioritises small groups and mentoring through its ministries. Faith formation is much harder in isolation! What has surprised many has been that genuine relationships and connections have been formed through online ministry. Some in leadership were sceptical that this new way of working could actually bring about transformation in the life of a young person, but have witnessed that this is possible. One young person shared with us this vision for Scripture Union: ’I want to see that God has infiltrated and permeated the internet through SU, reaching the next generation online in explosive, innovative new ways.’ A call to focus on the widening divide Online ministry has enabled greater access for children and young people to Scripture Union. Children are able to participate in events and programmes that they may not have been able to attend face-to-face. However, the opposite is also true. The divide between those who are connected online, and those who aren’t, has widened. More and more people are asking, ‘what about those children who don’t have technology or who live remotely? How do we connect with them?’ Add to this the widening of the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, as the economic impacts of the pandemic wreak havoc on communities over the next few years. This should sharpen our focus, to seek out the children who are unseen, disconnected and suffering.
safety. How do we ensure that all children, young people and leaders are safe as they participate in our programmes? Safety is a priority for Scripture Union ministries, so the challenges of the online world are vital for us to address. Even as countries move out of restrictions and as a vaccine is hopefully rolled out, the popularity of online connection will continue. Greater training and resourcing is developing in this area. Collaboration One trend that has been particularly encouraging has been the growing desire for global collaboration and connection. In August last year, we gathered together around 120 young leaders from 79 countries to talk about the impact of the pandemic on leadership, and to ask them about their vision for the future of Scripture Union. We have hosted webinars on a range of topics related to ministry with children and young people, with an average of 100 people attending. Many of these leaders would never have such easy access to training and resourcing within Scripture Union. The pandemic has forced us to create online training opportunities, but these have proven to be fruitful, as the global SU family shares their knowledge and experience with each other. I see an increase in recognition of resources from non-western sources and the richness of global collaboration. I think often of that statement about God bringing beauty from ashes. There is much that is ash about last year with great suffering and hardship. Yet God has brought such beauty out of this situation, opportunities and learnings to treasure and give thanks for.
Developing online safety Alongside the increase in online connectivity is a rise in the need to address issues of online
JANUARY 2021 21
A life giving legacy | Ben as a young camper
JENNIFER BABB
| Fundraising Manager, SUNZ
B
en and Lyn Harrison committed their lives to helping children and young people discover Jesus and grow in faith through Christian camps. Their legacy lives on not just through the many lives they impacted throughout their ministry, but through the gifts they chose to give as part of their will. Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) was one of the beneficiaries of Ben’s will and we’re so honoured to be able to use the Harrison’s gift to impact the lives of many more children and young people.
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Their son Craig (along with his siblings Shane, Chérie & Darren) kindly agreed to share a bit about his parents’ heart for sharing the gospel and discipling young people, and why their parting gift to continue this work is so important. ‘Two things that stood out to me about Mum and Dad were their passion for camping and their confidence in the Word of God. Christian teaching was always the foundation of the camps. The Gospel was presented explicitly through Bible times and devotions, but also implicitly through the example of leaders. As teenagers, Mum and Dad both enjoyed camping and the outdoors, and this interest shaped their entire lives. They believed strongly in the value of the temporary community for shaping character and passing on Christian values.
It was no surprise to read in his will that Dad wanted part of his estate to go to organisations involved in Christian camping. SUNZ was chosen not only for its strong history of running camps and training leaders, but also because their first value is God and the Bible. This gift will honour their memory. Mum and Dad spent forty years at Christian Youth Camps, Ngaruawahia where Dad was Director, and were also involved in Christian camping throughout New Zealand and the world. Dad was the founding chair of Christian Camping New Zealand, served many years on the International Executive Committee and International Counsel, and for twenty years helped with the development of Palawan Christian Camp in the Philippines. However, the legacy that Mum and Dad left was not contained in their will or in their record of service, but in the countless lives that were touched through their faithfulness to the ministry to which God called them.’ The difference Ben and Lyn made during their lives will be continued through their gift to SUNZ as young lives are impacted by the hope of the gospel. We’re so grateful for the legacy left by Ben and Lyn, along with the many others who have chosen to support SUNZ in this way. Legacies are a significant source of funding for SUNZ, providing income for many years
ahead. Some choose to leave a gift in their will to SUNZ because we were a big part of their faith journey. For others like Ben & Lyn, sharing God’s love with children and young people has been their own calling and ministry in life and they want that to continue. Others simply want to acknowledge that faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest gift that can be given, and want part of their estate to ensure that others can discover this incredible gift. When planning for the future, your friends and family come first, but if you are able to help us in any way, you will be making a huge difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people in New Zealand. No gift is too small to be used by God to transform a life. Your generosity can result in even more children and young people discovering Jesus and becoming life-long disciples who serve the world around them. ‘…we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.’ Psalm 78:4 If you would like to explore the option of leaving a gift in your will to SUNZ, a family solicitor or a trustee company (such as the Public Trust or Perpetual Guardian Trust) will be able to help you with this. For more information please visit sunz.org.nz/legacy, email info@sunz.org.nz or call us on 0508 423 836.
| Ben on one of the camps that he and Lyn ran
JANUARY 2021 23
Light
for the path MILLIE LAW | Youth Camp Team Leader, SUNZ
D
uring last spring, I had the absolute pleasure and joy of being involved with back-to-back Ruapehu snow camps. We had some great resources jampacked with studies and ideas of how to relate the studies towards different settings and activities. And I got to witness and partake in the different ways leaders and campers interacted with the content.
Today I would like to invite you to turn off your device, put it somewhere out of sight, and let yourself sit with a quiet moment of about ten minutes to reflect on these passages:
Across the different age ranges of these camps, there was plenty that changed, but one study consistently seemed to bring out conversation and plenty to say. It was on the topic of distraction. What came up most for the majority was that devices are a big distraction in this age. Our phones hold our easiest connections, but it is hard to separate from work or friends when they have constant access to you through your devices.
‘Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.’ Psalm 27:14
I find that my devotional times vary according to how distracted I am—and how close to a device I am. Even just checking the time is a hazard with all the notifications! How can we make time to hear and be guided by God when our time is so busy? Practising being still and quiet is very difficult, but I have found that it is rewarding in the ways I have been more open to hearing.
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‘Show me your ways Lord. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.’ Psalm 25:4-5
‘But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour, my God will hear me.’ Micah 7:7 How do you feel after giving yourself ten minutes? What did you notice as you read these passages? I want to leave you with my favourite passage from Paul, : ‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.’ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Meet Millie
W
e asked Millie, our writer for 'Light for the Path’ and one of our youth camp team leaders to introduce herself to you. Here’s what she had to say: Kia Ora! I am Millie. I come from a beautiful rural community in the North Island called Pukeokahu, very close to Taihape (‘Gumboot City’). I have recently left my job and home of the last four years working and living on my family’s farms to join the Venn residential fellowship programme. So I am now living in Auckland! This is a big swap for me to go from animals and fences to people and streets! I have been privileged to go on a number of camps in my youth, where the spaces I entered held community and built lifelong friendships for me. I fell in love with the experience of camps and just having a great time in general! Seeing the input of leaders into my own life and the impact that it had on me grew a passion for building a similar environment for the next generation. For me, Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) is such a positive organisation who impact the lives of those who come into its orbit. Without the people I have met on my journey with SUNZ, I believe my life would be that much dimmer. So if you have been tossing up whether the youth in your life would benefit from being involved with SUNZ camps, take this as the go-ahead to help them along the way!
JANUARY 2021 25
OUT & ABOUT HILARY HAGUE
Take a moment to give thanks for some of the things that have taken place since the last Adventure magazine. It’s been a worthwhile time and God has been good!
AUCKLAND
Auckland prays for summer camps
60 people got together in Auckland just before Christmas to focus on the 15 SUNZ camps taking place across New Zealand over summer. Complete with passports and visas they ‘visited’ each camp and prayed for it and for the leaders and campers attending. Auckland hopsted four camps on Pōnui Island this season and a SUPAkidz camp as well.
WAIKATO
A Waikato base for our NI Camps Facilitator Natalie Duchesne is now based in Waikato and has been busy organising summer camps with her team of volunteers and, of course, the Regional Committee. A new E3 wilderness experience took place in December, travelling from Tongariro National Park to the Tasman Sea. The expedition was fully booked out which was exciting for a new camp. Natalie also ran two surf camps at Raglan.
WELLINGTON
The Board meets in Wellington The Board and National Leadership Team got together in Wellington just before Christmas. It was particularly good to welcome George Bates and Brittany Smith as observers as part of a Governance Development Programme for young adults. We had a good time of dreaming and praying and talking as we evaluated 2020 and looked towards 2021. Also in Wellington, our Children and Families Consultant Liz Eichler ran a SUPAkidz camp with Andrew Ramsbottom and managed to fit in a quick trip to Taranaki to visit a SUPAkidz Club as well.
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CHRISTCHURCH
The Christchurch Team We are sad to say goodbye to Richard and Barbara Starling who have served at-risk youth faithfully and well for many years. Richard is retiring and we pray every blessing for him and Barbara in this next stage of life. Crossroads Trust will continue the Stay Real ministry with Tepaki Hewett who has been working alongside Richard for a while now. We continue to pray for them. Hilary managed to get in a visit just before the end of the year and had a good time catching up with Anna, Paul and Richard and some of our key volunteers. Anna Squires our new South Island Camps Facilitator ran her first season of camps over summer.
ASHBURTON
Check out Ashburton Did you know we have a prayer group in Ashburton? It is a lovely prayer group and we are very thankful for this group running in a smaller centre. There are 12 SUNZ prayer groups across the country. Do ask us if you would like to go to one near you—or start a new one!
DUNEDIN
A Resource Library in Dunedin Hilary and Nigel visited Dunedin in December and met up with the Regional Committee and other keen volunteers. Did you know, we have a little library here run by the Regional Committee? It is well used and we are very glad for this resource.
INVERCARGILL
Busy times in Invercargill and a side trip to Cromwell A Southland SUPAkidz Camp took place in October with a full complement of 60 children. It was directed by Nigel Winder and a very able group of volunteers. An Anglican Vicar recently told us that he knew three children who had gone on the camp and had a wonderful time. He was buzzing about how they had come home excited about the Bible. Hilary came down for a visit before Christmas and it was good to meet with staff and volunteers. The Southern Youth Ministry Network invited Neville and Lizzie to lead a series of workshops about helping hurting teens. The three workshops in Invercargill, Cromwell and Dunedin were really well received in all locations with feedback asking for more in-depth training on this topic. JANUARY 2021 27
THE GREAT KIWI LOCKDOWN
This delightfully illustrated 31-page story written by Alison Condon is designed for 5-7 year olds, and is a great conversation piece for discussion with children – while appreciating this wonderful nation we are all a part of. Paki the kiwi tells the story of a strange new virus that is sweeping around the world. Life in Aotearoa New Zealand is about to change as the country unites to fight the virus “in our good old Kiwi way”.
$1595 EACH
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MOSAIC
The Mosaic book range contains Biblebased resources especially designed for small groups of children with a wide age range. It is ideal for children’s workers in small rural churches, small urban churches and new church plants - or any church with small numbers of children, few leaders, and limited space or resources!
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DAILY BREAD AND 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.
JANUARY 2021 29
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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.
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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ENGAGE: CONNECTING YOU WITH GOD’S WORD
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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
