ISSN 1176-5143
ADVENTURE MAY 2016
GO WAAYG2AZINE M
IDE
INS
SHARING OUR LOVE OF
THE
BIBLE Reading the word and passing it on to our next generation
INSIDE ONE REMARKABLE GIRL
READING THE WORD
STEP INTO THE STORY
editorial
When I think about the plotline that weaves its way through the Bible I think of lighthouses. Don’t you? Lighthouses occupy diverse locations, come in a variety of designs, offer a unique lifestyle for the people who live in and around them, but they all have the same purpose, to save the lives of sailors and passengers in dangerous conditions. Throughout the Bible the theme of light appears in a variety of ways. But the purpose is always the same.
You see the Bible is the unfolding story of God’s salvation for the world. It is a story that occupies diverse locations and requires a cast who accept the challenge of unique purpose in life. It is a drama because the activity of God progressively moves to that goal through various seasons and some twists and turns masterfully used by the author. Israel was called to be a light to the nations. When they failed Jesus picked up that mission, accomplishing the salvation of the world. The baton was passed to the church and in turn to us to continue the mission and be the keepers of the light. Because we light-keepers are a community scattered throughout the world, the light shines in a myriad distant places. That is how we are able to find our place in the grand story of the Bible. Because 2 www.sunz.org.nz
the Bible is not just a jumble of history, poetry, lessons in morality and theology, comforting promises, guiding principles and commands, but this coherent story of God’s work in redeeming his people and creation, every event, book character, command, prophecy and poem contributes to the plotline of the drama. As followers of Christ, we read the Bible as a way of understanding our place and participation in this work God is doing. Because we are as varied as lighthouses and their locations, there are different ways to approach our reading and revelling in the drama of this saving work. This edition of the Adventure unpacks a few of those ways. It’s no mistake that a key part of the Scripture Union symbol is the flame, representing the light that has come into the world, his word which illuminates the path to walk, and which shines in the darkness of the world he is redeeming.
WAYNE FRASER National Director
contents Features 4
ONE REMARKABLE GIRL
12
READING THE WORD
14
DETOXING ON THE WORD OF GOD
19
EXPERIENCING THE WORD
20
STEP INTO THE STORY
Annette Osborne Phil Church
Nigel Winder
Wayne Fraser Hilary Hague
Interviews 8
Q&A
22
LIVING THE WORD
Friends of SUNZ Neville Bartley
Updates 25
LIGHT FOR THE PATH
26
OUT AND ABOUT MAY
Sylvia Coulter
Children’s Ministry 15
WAY2GO MAGAZINE
Resources 28
RESOURCES FOR LIFE May 2016 3
ONE REMARKABLE GIRL
She refused to be stopped. In the face of opposition, she persevered. And God took her idea and breathed life into it.
How a teenager’s love of the Bible spread around the world BY ANNETTE OSBORNE S U C hi l d re n a n d Fam ilie s Wo rker
Annie Marston was an ordinary teenager, living in Keswick in the North of England, in 1879. What makes her remarkable is not that she climbed a mountain or sailed a sea, but that she inspired a group of girls to read their Bibles every day. This may not sound all that remarkable, so let me explain. Every Sunday Annie encouraged her small group of girls to enjoy reading the Bible daily —but like most of us they found this a bit of a struggle. So Annie came up with an idea. On Sunday morning she would write each of her girls a list of Bible readings on a little card. The girls took the card home and completed one reading a day. The next Sunday Annie would discuss with them the passages and answer their questions.
At the end of the year, the girls still wanted the Bible reading cards, even though they were moving on to another class. So Annie would write cards for them, as well as cards for her new class. As time went by she found herself writing more and more of these little cards. What makes Annie remarkable is that she came up with a solution to this escalating situation. She wrote a letter to TB Bishop at the Children’s Special Service Mission (CSSM) in London and asked them to consider printing these lists of Bible passages. This is his reply: “If your scheme fails, it would have been better never to have tried it. If it succeeds, it would involve us in a great expense.”
What makes Annie remarkable is that she didn’t let this reply stop her. Instead she kept on writing letters, asking them to reconsider, until one day she received this reply: “I am bringing your suggestion to our Committee. I personally have little hope they will agree, but you may like to pray while the meeting is on.”
From its beginnings, Scripture Union has been an organisation with Bible reading at its core. We want people to meet God in the pages of Scripture. We are an organisation formed by young people like Annie who had a passion to see others excited about God’s word. Annie’s legacy is not so much about a habit — good as it is to read your Bible daily. Her legacy is not simply about ticking a box each day. Her legacy is her commitment to sharing God’s word with others. She refused to be stopped. In the face of opposition, she persevered. And God took her idea and breathed life into it.
YEAREIGHT
YEARONE
Eventually her persistence payed off and on 1 April 1879, the Scripture Union method of daily Bible reading was launched. It began with 6000 members, all of them children. Within eight years there were 328,000 members. By 1889 there were 470,000 cards printed in 28 languages in many different countries. By 1893 CSSM had distributed 13 million children’s leaflets in 50 languages all around the world. New Zealand was the first country outside of the UK to distribute these notes, which are the forerunners of the Bible Reading Guides we now sell through our online bookshop.
Stop for a moment and consider those numbers. They are staggering. Within a few years Annie’s little idea had spread from her Sunday School room to over 13 million children’s leaflets. I consider that remarkable!
It began with 6000 members Within eight years there were 328,000 members
May 2016 5
As we seek to follow in Annie’s footsteps and pass on God’s word to others, let us be inspired by her remarkable faithfulness. Let us be challenged by her ability to see the possibilities, not the obstacles. On every one of the CSSM Bible reading cards Psalm 119:18 was written: “Open my mind and let me discover the wonders of your Law.” (CEV). This is our prayer, for ourselves and for others. We want to be captured by the wonder of the words of Scripture and to pass that sense of wonder on to others.
Want to read more amazing stories about our history? Visit www.sunz.org/our-story 6 www.sunz.org.nz
For more on Annie Marston and the history of Scripture Union see ‘A Tale of Two Visions: The story of Scripture Union worldwide’, written by Michael Hews.
2016
DEEP FAITH IN A SURFACE WORLD
Scripture Union NZ’s conference for all children’s ministry leaders
Auckland 14 May 2016 Dunedin 28 May 2016 Wellington 11 June 2016 Discover how faith grows when the whole church comes together and learn valuable leadership skills to help you with the essentials of children’s ministry.
REGISTER NOW AT WWW.SUNZ.ORG.NZ/WAY2GO
Q&A SPECIAL EDITION
meet some bible reading guide user s
MaryHenry. Mary Henry is very gracious lady with a deep love for Christ. She used to be a post-graduate university lecturer in Chennai, India. Her grandfather was a high caste Brahmin who converted to Christ at an early age. Mary’s father became a minister and other family members were active in Christian ministry. Mary came to NZ in 2001, and now plays a leading role in the Thursday service at St Columba Presbyterian Church in Botany Downs which particularly caters for (mainly older) people who are not able to come on Sundays. Mary is a keen reader of Encounter with God.
8 www.sunz.org.nz
MichaelBain. Michael Bain is a keen Encounter with God reader who has been a speaker on SUNZ youth camps. He finds the systematic routine of Bible reading helpful, and often appreciates how very relevant a passage is to things that are going on in his life. He believes that regular Bible engagement helps build a grounded faith, and enables Christians to have a broad perspective on the ups and downs of life. In recent months as one family member has had to cope with cancer and chemotherapy, the sense of God’s presence has been real and accompanied by the recognition that sickness and hardship opens doors for conversation sharing with neighbours and colleagues who don’t have Christian faith.
GeraldSizoo. Gerald Sizoo has covered a lot of territory in his 94 years. On the run as a World War Two resistance worker he contracted encephalitis en route to Indonesia, and praises God that he survived this lengthy illness. He worked in sales after moving to New Zealand in 1951 and acknowledges God’s help through hard times since then too. Gerald, who is of Dutch ancestry, is a resident at Highland Retirement Village in Pakuranga, and supports his wife who is in the hospital wing. Gerald has a real sense of mission and is still blessed with a keen mind. He is a regular reader of Encounter with God, and is a voluntary chaplain, leading a service for Highland residents each Sunday — the numbers attending have grown from four to over 30. May 2016 9
MoeroaNia.
Moeroa Nia is an elder at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Manurewa. She did a lay preacher’s course with her late husband Rei, and plays a leading role in the Cook Island language service and preaches regularly. She likes to use Daily Bread and finds it not too difficult for people whose first language is not English. Moeroa also supplies people with the Scripture Union Cook Island language Bible cards, Te Tia. Moeroa lives with her daughter and grandchildren and they pray and read Scripture and the Daily Bread notes together and discuss them in the evenings. Her sister has just gone back to Rarotonga, but has paid her Daily Bread sub and is keen to have the notes sent on to her even if they arrive a bit late.
IsabellaWinder.
Seven-year-old Isabella Winder uses the Snap Shots Bible Reading Guide. She finds it is helpful because “it tells you what to read” and “the activities help me think about what I’ve read”. “It makes it funner and more interesting for kids”.
10 www.sunz.org.nz
JamesRamsbottom.
James Ramsbottom is sixteen and in his last year of school. He is a keen sportsman, who is particularly keen on water polo and underwater hockey, and wants to honours God in his sport. James has been using Encounter with God for about two years for his early morning Bible reading. He particularly likes the inspirational starter thought and followup application questions that appear in the sidebar. A standout memory for James is when readings from Job spoke to him about patience.
MaryDavies. Mary has just retired as a sacramental minister at St Chads, Huapai. She first used Scripture Union Notes back in the 1950s as a teenager involved in CSSM and the Crusader Union (secondary school Christian group), both of which came under the Scripture Union banner. Mary says she owes much to the use of these daily Bible Study Notes during her formative years. After a break of almost 50 years, she returned to her daily Bible reading habit about seven years ago, and now uses Encounter with God. She enjoys the variety of commentators chosen by SU. Mary is part of a small group
who share their thoughts on the readings when they meet. They often find that a particular reading has answered a prayer or concern, and that other readings might lift them up. Their conversations often start with “Wasn’t that a great passage today?” or “What did you think of the reading today?” Mary says another bonus, is reading the same passage as others all around the world. On a recent visit to the UK she discovered that a friend also subscribes to Encounter with God — and now they think of each other reading the same daily passage, despite being separated by the miles.
May 2016 11
D R P HILIP CH U RCH Philip completed an MCS from Regent College in 1983 and an ACT MTh in 1996, both in New Testament studies. He was Registrar of Tyndale College from 1985 until 2000 as well as being a regular tutor for the College. Philip has recently completed a PhD in New Testament through Otago University. His research is in temple symbolism in the book of Hebrews. He is Chairman of the MECO (NZ) Trust, and on the boards of the Asia Theological Association (NZ) and A Rocha Aotearoa NZ. He joined Laidlaw in 2002, after a career in accountancy. He is the editor of Stimulus.
BY DR PHIL IP C HURC H Sen io r Research Fellow Laid law C olleg e
READING THE
Bible
One of the reasons that I am grateful to God for my parents is that they formed in me the daily habit of reading the Bible. I have done it most of my life. It is not something I am rigid about: there are times, usually on weekends and almost always when on holiday, when I don’t do it. I don’t look on Bible reading as a “quiet time” to set me up for the day, nor do I think that if I don’t read the Bible, it means that I can’t get through the day. Rather, I think God is keen to hear from me and to speak to me each day. This is an act of worship. Something I gladly do to honour God.
There are a variety of ways to read the Bible. I expect many readers of this magazine will be faithful users of Scripture Union Bible Reading Guides. I am not, and actually I never have been. I am relaxed about that. My wife is a user of the Bible Reading Guides, and I am relaxed about that too. She uses Encounter with God, although sometimes she takes a break and does something else. These sorts of habits are personal things, and we all need to find our rhythms. Some people read big chunks of Scripture each day, for example those who try and read through the Bible each year. Others read a chapter a day. I don’t do either of those. Rather, I usually read just one verse each day, especially if I am reading Psalms, and never more than two or three verses. I like to read the Bible slowly. I started this a number of years ago when someone suggested that I read Psalm 119, one verse a day for twenty-two weeks. Psalm 119 is a meditation on God’s law. It has 176 verses, in twenty-two sets of eight, with each set starting with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each set contains eight synonyms for the law. The ancient poet who penned these words clearly spent a long time composing them. We ought to give him the benefit of careful and slow reading. My friend suggested reading one verse per day from Monday to Saturday, and on Sunday, two verses as well as re-reading the entire eight verse section. It took me more than twenty-two weeks. It was more like nine months. I didn’t follow the formula exactly. I just read one verse a day, and missed a few days along the way. I found it to be a profound spiritual experience, as I thought of this person’s deep love for God’s law — or to translate the Hebrew word Torah more accurately, God’s instructions for right living. I have done it twice now, as well as reading the
rest of the Psalms, and all of Proverbs, Isaiah and Ezekiel this way. I am currently working through Jeremiah, although nowadays I alternate between a chapter of Jeremiah and a chapter of a Gospel. Doing it this way, a long book like Jeremiah takes a couple of years. Psalm 119:34 has stuck in my mind for a while. The Message puts it like this: “Give me insight so I can do what you tell me — my whole life one long, obedient response.” We read the Bible to hear God and obey. I expect I will do it this way for the rest of my life, even if my obeying is not always that good.
I think God is keen to hear from me and to speak to me each day. This is an act of worship. Something I gladly do to honour God.
DETOXING ON THE WORD OF GOD - HOW’S YOUR DIET?
BY NI G E L WINDE R | SU Ch ildren an d Families Worker
For kids I taught at school who got referred to Heath Camp, getting established routines and a healthy balanced diet made a big difference. The Biblical Daniel and his friends knew all about this sort of thing when they were taken captive to Babylon. A good feed of vegetables set them apart from others in endearing looks and wisdom. We know that ‘garbage in’ leads to ‘garbage out’. We also know that’ ‘the Word of God in’, leads to ‘the character of God out’. But if we are to learn anything from the Pharisees, it is that more than ‘knowledge in’ and ‘knowledge out’ is required — it is meeting and experiencing God that transforms us. At SUPAkidz Camp we run a detox programme. Yes the food is awesome, but more importantly because man cannot live on Ambrosia and Chocolate Self Saucing pudding alone… (Matthew 4:4), we dish up a complementary and substantial main serving of the Word of God with a number of side dishes. Breakfast: Quiet times and prayer Dinner: Bible stories, small group exploration, 14 www.sunz.org.nz
individual reflection and question box time Morning & Afternoon Tea: Leader testimonials to the power of God’s Word in their lives Supper: Last thing at night, listening to the Bible being read One of my favourite parts of camp is walking the corridors hearing the soft murmurs of leaders reading the Word of God while fifty plus 8 to 11-year-olds lie listening in silence, letting the wonder of God detox their day and feed their minds ready for sleep. Why detox? Quite simply: to meet the ‘Bread of Life’ and ‘Living Water’. While that might sound like prison food, meeting Jesus is a life (giving and sustaining) sentence as we have seen in the lives of many campers. By this time of the year, most New Year resolutions regarding eating more healthily are broken or well compromised. How about making a new resolution today about detoxing on the Word of God, maybe while chewing on a raw carrot? You may just get the dual benefit of looking better on the inside and out.
EXPERIENCING THE WORD BY WAYNE FR ASE R | SU Natio n al Director
Everyone is wired differently and so it follows that meaningful appreciation of the Bible can happen in different ways. The goal of reading the Bible is not the reading itself but the personal and community transformation that results from it. The gospel of good news is less about providing answers to make myself feel better and more about providing a story to step into God’s past, present and future story. It is a story that unfolds from the beginning of time to Christ’s return and finishes with a new creation. That story reveals God’s saving and redeeming work as a continuous pulse beating through time. Knowing this story means plumbing the depths of the Bible in a way that engages more than just our heads. That wonderful biblical worldview demands something of the one who sees it. At the intersection of our personal story and the grander story is a place of discovery and wonder. Can this grand story be experienced in ways that provoke the kind of depth and transformation it deserves? Yes it can, through the deliberate application of an experiential learning experience. That may include real listening, the power of storytelling, rich dialogue, and activities that produce art or poetry for instance. It means designing an environment that encourages reflection,
where there is space for discussion between various age groups, and creative responses to the Bible story and issues that the opened Bible has touched on. One way we, at SUNZ, offer this experience is through our Storytelling Camp. This camp is like a community that spends extended time together looking at the biblical story through a process of stepping into the story through hearing, sitting in small groups to re-tell the story, walking in the story through interactive activities, and speaking out the story by sharing discoveries in the community.
At the intersection of our personal story and the grander story is a place of discovery and wonder. Why is this important? It is important for SUNZ because it works out two key aims, to provide and support opportunities for discipleship and evangelism with young people and those who journey with them on the way to serving the church and a world in need. A learning experience such as this is open ended enough to allow God to show and tell what he wants to. God understands the importance and potential of what we are doing, and in telling each other our discoveries everyone grows in faith by experiencing the Bible. May 2016 19
step into the
story BY HIL ARY H AG UE SU Chi l dre n a n d Fam i l i e s Min is t r y DI re c to r
I go to a little church in a little suburb near the airport in Wellington. But although it is a little church, God is doing big things. People are coming to know Him and as they do they want Bibles. And what a joy it is to watch and talk with them as they dive head-first into God’s word and allow Him to transform their lives. But the joy I find in seeing their enthusiasm for the Bible is tempered with quite a lot of sadness. Because experience has shown me that people like these are the minority here in New Zealand. In the space of one generation biblical literacy has plummeted and Bible knowledge is disappearing. Ask a child, or an adult for that matter, about some of the central stories of the Bible – Christmas or Easter. Ten years ago we might have got a positive answer. Today they will probably tell you that they know very little – or nothing at all. In 2015 the Bible Society conducted a Biblical Literacy Survey. They 20 www.sunz.org.nz
found that 18% of parents surveyed said they couldn’t recall or never learned about Bible stories, and 21% of children couldn’t recall or had never learned any Bible stories. And when it came to reading, 52% of children surveyed couldn’t recall or had never read Bible stories themselves, and 29% either couldn’t recall or had never had a teacher, church member, family member or friend read a Bible story to them.1
18%
of parents couldn’t recall or had never learned about Bible stories
21%
of children couldn’t recall or had never learned about Bible stories
These statistics and others like them are important. They represent children and youth and families. They represent people in our churches as well as people in the communities we live in— many of whom we know and love. And these results show that many New Zealanders are not encountering Bible stories in the way that they did in years past. There has been a shift in our society and the cultural landscape of New Zealand has changed in ways that are already visible. Christians are increasingly living in two cultures: the secular world around them and the Christian community to which they belong. This will become even more apparent over the next 20 years as the current children and youth grow into adults with influence and power.
the Bible is significant in the emerging culture of the 21st century. What can we do to take up this challenge? First, the church – that’s you and me, must become passionate about our own book. We must read it, and step into the story for ourselves as God shows us how to live out our part in his meta-narrative. Then we will have the spiritual credibility to offer the Bible as an attractive alternative to the dominant worldviews around us.2 Secondly, we need to look for ways to engage people that are relevant and authentic, while retaining the essential and timeless truths of God. We need to help people discover the overarching story of what God is doing here in the world — a story that they no longer know well, if at all. We need to help them explore the history of God’s people and find out how to live out their part in his story too. As our culture continues to change, we will need to keep adapting too. We need to continue to find innovative ways to help people understand how the Bible works and how to read it for meaning and for life. Scripture Union is doing everything it can to encourage this but the challenge is big and it needs all of us. What can you do to help?
1 Pass
It On: 2015 Biblical Literacy Survey from the New Zealand Bible Society 2 Whitney Kuniholm wwwessentialbibleblog
This means we have a big challenge: to ensure May 2016 21
Living the Word Living out the bible in our community BY NE VI L L E B ARTL E Y S U Yo u t h Mi n istr y L eader
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 42
This, along with so many passages of scripture, talks about the value of living in community. In fact, right from the beginning of creation God’s 22 www.sunz.org.nz
purpose for mankind was not for us to live just as individuals, but to also live together with him. When Jesus came to earth he pointed to community in his greatest commandment: “love your neighbour”. The Bible is full of examples about how important it is that we live together in community, but what does it look like to live out these teachings in our modern times? We need to be committed in spending quality time with God and his word in order to understand how valuable living in community is. During my travels around New Zealand I have found that many followers of Christ know small parts of the Bible, such as small passages and particular verses, very well. However, when it comes to delving deeper into understanding and studying the truths of the scripture, I have
...to really live out the word we must share it with one another.
found that bible engagement at this level is quite low. One immediate reason for this I have found is that nowadays many people spend less time searching the bible for answers, and are very quick to use the internet and Google to find more immediate results. While we might answer some of our questions this way, we still need to open the bible and spend time with his word to meaningfully build a long-term and sufficient relationship with God. At the same time, to really live out the word we must share it with one another. As we read about the disciples in Acts, fellowship and communion was crucial to the disciples alongside their devotion to Jesus’ teachings. For us, living out the word in community might look like men, women and children coming together sharing food, thoughts and opinons,
while having God and his word at the centre of that fellowship. A big part of living in community is accepting that we all think different, but we all have something uniquely meaningful to offer to the collective conversation. Community is wanting others to be part of the conversation and reaching out in love to our neighbours. Just as Jesus showed through his disciples, we must develop a loving and caring community that searches the scriptures together in order to discover so much more about God and the unique and personal love he has for us all.
May 2016 23
t e 2 0 1 6 CKLAND a d e G U S T AC H | AU h t e s a vh - 2 8 t h| AEAUSTERN BE 26t W
W I L LO
K PA R
THE
S
T I M UM 6 1 0 2
Friday night is a chance to gather informally and meet old and new friends. Saturday features a keynote address, workshops providing leadership development, and a dinner celebrating SU achievements. The SU AGM will be held during Saturday afternoon. Sunday we will worship together in creative ways before departing for our home destinations.
Keep the dates and head to www.sunz.org.nz/thesummit for more details and to register for the weekend or a part of the programme.
24 www.sunz.org.nz
LIGHT FOR THE PATH
DEBORAH
AND THE GOD WHO EMPOWERS AND ENABLES BY SYLVIA CO U LT ER SU NZ Sup p or ter Relations Facilitator
“When the people offer themselves willingly - bless the Lord” Judges 5:2 Looking back on thirteen years as Regional Director, I’m grateful for the leadership opportunity, appreciative of grace extended by colleagues, and immensely thankful for all who’ve empowered and enabled me through their support and prayer. In my new two-daya-week role, it is now my job to encourage the SU volunteers who “offer themselves willingly” - camp leaders spring immediately to mind, but I think also of those who pray together to seek God’s guidance and power for SUNZ. Deborah’s song in Judges 5 celebrates the willingness of the people, and attributes the glory to God. Read Judges 4 and 5, and see what inspiration you can glean. The Old Testament (the Bible Jesus loved and read) doesn’t always resonate easily with us. Take this story, for instance. Deborah lived in Israel’s dark days with spirals of disobedience …enemy oppression …cries to God for help… the raising up of deliverers bringing peace and prosperity … and falling back into sin again. Deborah, one of the few women leaders in the Bible, inspires Barak to action against cruel Sisera, commander of the invading army. Deborah’s song of praise in Judges 5 follows
victory over cruel oppressors. It acknowledges the thunderstorm God sent to bring victory — as well as praising Jael, “most blessed of women”! Really? Jael with her tent peg? To understand the gruesome aspects mixed with humour and triumph, we have to remind ourselves that this is national history, as well as being God’s Word for us to ponder. But look at Deborah’s character. She’s a gem. A prophetess able to hear God’s voice and pass on His message. A person of discernment and wisdom respected for her ability to give wise judgment as she “held court” under a palm tree settling disputes. Approachable, she could view compassionately the failings and fears of fellow countrymen while gently teasing Barak for his timidity. Clearly Barak felt no shame in depending on this astute and courageous woman who knew how to empower others. Her song shrewdly differentiates the tribes according to their response to the challenge, but all benefit from the ensuing peace. Is it any wonder that she’s described as “a mother in Israel”?
REFLECTION What “Deborah” qualities is God developing in us? How willingly can we offer ourselves in his service? May 2016 25
Hilary Hague speaking at last year’s WAY2GO conference
out &
about Otago/Southland NIGEL WINDER
It has been encouraging to catch up with old and new faces at the Children’s Ministry Network meetings in Dunedin and Invercargill. It was inspiring to hear stories of what motivates and challenges others in their ministries. We are looking forward to exploring “Deeper faith in a surface world” at the WAY2GO Children’s Ministry Training Day in Dunedin at the end of May. We are also hoping that more churches will book us in for the “You’re Losing Us” workshops during the year. Aaron and a couple of other staff were involved in a regional youth ministry training day called Re:GEN. It was a very special and well supported day for church and community youth workers from across the region. After the success of the summer camps season we are very excited to have planned out this year’s camps and leaders training events for the South Island. If you would like a flyer to advertise these, please be in touch or refer people to our website.
26 www.sunz.org.nz
Campe at our last E3 Camp
Canterbury BEN NECKLEN
It has been a fantastic summer and we are now head down working on getting the 2016 camps all planned out. We are currently working towards our annual camp leaders training to be held on the 20th-22nd May at Peel Forest, South Canterbury. There has also been lots of planning around some new camps later in the year and updating gear and systems after the summer. While personally there has been time for holidays, upskilling in first aid and rafting the start of the year has started off with a bang.
Waikato, Bay of Plenty GRAHAM FULLERTON
On the 15th March the Waikato Regional Committee along with Wayne Fraser and Meredith MacKenzie gathered for a Dessert and Coffee evening to thank Wayne Goodchild and to say farewell to him as He leaves Scripture Union NZ to join the staff at Tui Ridge Camp, Mamaku, near Rotorua. There were a number of expressions of appreciation and thanks given to Wayne in regard to his work as North Island Camps Facilitator. A financial donation was made to Wayne and Cheney in recognition of their contribution to Scripture Union camping We will surely miss Wayne but we were glad to be able to pray for him the Lord’s blessing as he moves into this next opportunity of ministry.
ers
Wayne Goodchild at one of our surf camps over summer
Auckland SYLVIA COULTER
“I loved seeing the light go on in my husband’s eyes.” This gentleman lets his wife arrange donations to SUNZ and hasn’t involved himself, but when he attended Summer Thanksgiving Barbecue (26 February), he caught the SU vision as he met staff, directors, leaders, campers; saw video presentations; heard of answered prayers – well-filled camps, trained leaders, God’s provision for specific needs such as the Korean leader able to care for non-English speaking children visiting NZ who excitedly discovered God and the Bible for the first time. One hundred people attended this inter-generational evening, including many campers. An older person commented on the joy of young ones coming over, introducing themselves and chatting with the folk at her table. I praise God for SU’s ongoing heritage giving opportunity for people of all generations to participate, being blessed themselves and, through their prayers and their giving, enabling this ministry to continue.
Father and son on the BBQ May 2016 27
The long wait is finally over check out the online resources at:
www.sunz.org.nz The new web store is now live so be sure to take a look at the wonderful selection of resources. We will be adding a growing selection of ebooks over the coming months, so be sure to visit the site often.
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Bible Reading with Scripture Union
‘The Bible is the portrait of Jesus Christ’ John Stott Understanding the Bible
Words for Life
Off on a journey
Robert Willoughby on Luke
Cry freedom!
Andrew Knowles on Galatians
Singing in strange lands Tanya Ferdinandusz on Daniel
Jul–Sep 2015
The Bible guide for every day
BIBLE READINGS FOR JUL–SEP 2015
ENCOUNTER with
GOD ‘Shame and the Church’ ‘A shame-free church is not possible, because experiencing shame is an integral part of what it means to be human.’
How do we know what God wants for us if we’re not listening? Daily Bible engagement is a great way of building our understanding of God, his plans for us, and how we become more like Christ. Continue your regular Bible reading by taking an annual subscription to either Daily Bread or Encounter with God for only $49.00 (includes postage for all 4 quarters).
ESTHER NEHEMIAH DANIEL LUKE GALATIANS
Buy online @ www.sunz.org.nz or Buy direct 0508 423836May 2016
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Resources for Life place a strong emphasis on Bible engagement and carry a range of resources for all ages, and are increasing our range all the time. Be sure to check out our full range on www.sunz.org.nz. JOIN IN – JUMP ON! has been written for young children just beginning to read, to help them develop a relationship with God and learn what is in his special book. Each day there are Bible verse to read, a simple activity and a prayer suggestion. There are lots of extra pages too. There are 5 titles in the series – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John & Easter.
$12.99 each + pp Hotshots is a series of 8 titles for children 8 years and over, from a wide variety of backgrounds. The first 4 books are about a Basketball Club, and the other 4 are about a Kid’s Club. The 60 readings in each book include text from CEV Bible, along with lots of activities to bring the text alive.
$12.99 each + pp Snapshots 365 contains Bible reading notes for 8 to 11s for a whole year. Each day children will discover more about God through a short Bible reading and a variety of other activities such as cracking codes, filling in missing letters, drawing pictures, thinking and praying. A broad range of Bible passages have been chosen across the Old and New Testaments with extra feature pages on relevant current-day topics.
$16.99 each + pp Encounter through the Bible is a devotional Bible guide that can be used any time. It uses some of the best of Encounter with God Bible series to guide the reader through whole Bible books in a systematic way, it is an ideal guide for the thinking Christian who wants to interpret and apply the whole Bible in a way that is relevant to the issues of today’s world. There are 5 titles in the series with books from both the Old & New Testaments.
$12.99 each + pp 30 www.sunz.org.nz
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SUNZ is a volunteerdependant deeply ap organisatio preciates n which the many actively su ways peo pporting a ple are nd involve d in the m ovement. We would love more input from vitally imp any individ ortant grou ual in this p who wan future sha ts to be a p ping of SU art of the NZ’s missio n. If this is YO U – we wou ld like to in applying to vite YOU to be a votin consid g member, have a say in decision enabling yo er s made at extraordin our AGM (o u to ary genera l meeting if r one were ca at an lled). If you wou ld like to ap ply please go to www.su to become a voting m ember nz.org.nz/ the memb membersh ership link ip to find .
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Advocate for SUNZ Guardian of SUNZ’s Statement of Faith & Values Prayer supporter Signs Statement of Faith Applies for membership Reapplies every 3 years Commits to regularly voting at AGM in person or by proxy May 2016 31
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PO BOX 760, Wellington 6140 | 0508 423 836 | info@sunz.org.nz He rama tãu kupu ki õku wae | Your word is a lamp to my feet. Psalm 119:105 SUNZ is a member of the Scripture Union International Family