NOVEMBER 2019
DNA OF SUCAMPS WHAT MAKES OUR YOUTH CAMPS DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER CAMP?
INSIDE
WILDERNESS AS A PLACE OF ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
HIGHLIGHTS ON THE JOURNEY
WHY LEAD ON CAMPS?
Kia ora tātou.
EDITORIAL
Welcome to this issue of Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) Adventure.
Camping…
One word that is incredibly important to us in (SUNZ). Over the years since six boys attended our first camp in Browns Bay, Auckland in 1931, thousands of young people have attended SUNZ adventure-based camps in many places right across New Zealand.
Countercultural Mission…
Two words that express why we run our camps. Camps are a unique opportunity to spend time away from the pressure of everyday life. No matter where camps are held or what amazing activities take place, the experiences children and young people face on camp, take them outside their comfort zone and stretch them. We encourage them to reflect on what they have learnt and relate it to their own lives and apply it to the way they live alongside others when they return home.
Faith for Life…
Three words that sum up what we want for our children and young people. We are passionate about growing lifelong disciples and so we want our camps to be a place where children and young people can meet God and have their lives redefined in ways that are deep and change them forever. That means the quality of our leaders and the way we engage with the Bible and pray are vital parts of our ministry. Put together, these words define our camping ministry and we want them to be the experience of every single child and young person that we take away on a camp. We want our camps to be a turning point in the lives of everyone who attends. So when you’re reading about our camps in this issue of Adventure, please keep these words in mind and pray along with us for the children and young people who attend our camps. Ngā mihi,
Hilary Hague
NATIONAL DIRECTOR SCRIPTURE UNION NEW ZEALAND
2 www.sunz.org.nz
CONTENTS
FEATURES
4
DNA OF SUCAMPS
NEVILLE BARTLEY
6 8
WHY PARENTS CHOOSE SUCAMPS ALL DAY LONG
PAUL HUMPHREYS
11 WILDERNESS AS A PLACE OF ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
JANICE HUNT
12 GROWING FAITH MUSCLE NIGEL WINDER
14 INTRODUCING NATALIE
19 BEHIND THE SCENES AT SUPAKIDZ CAMPS
ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
20 HIGHLIGHTS ON THE JOURNEY ANDY BANKS
24 VOLUNTEERING: A GIFT AND A SACRIFICE NEVILLE BARTLEY
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
15 WAY2GO MAGAZINE
INTERVIEWS
22 WHY LEAD ON CAMPS?
25 26
LIGHT FOR THE PATH OUT & ABOUT
RESOURCES
28 SU RESOURCES FOR LIFE PRODUCED BY JAMUEL ENRIQUEZ EDITED BY JANICE HUNT DESIGNED BY ANNA JUDEN AND WINDSORCREATIVE WAY2GO MAGAZINE DESIGNED BY WINDSORCREATIVE
DNA OF SUCAMPS M
any thousands of young people have attended Scripture Union camps since our first camp in 1931. They have had fun and adventure, built life-long friendships, and grown in their walk with God. But what is it that makes our camps different from any other camp? Is it the amazing volunteer leaders? Is it the incredible locations? Is it the amazing activities? Is it the amazing times with God? Is it the people they get to know and create lasting friendships with? Actually, it is all of these things that make our camps so memorable and keep people coming back for more. Many of our amazing volunteer leaders have been campers themselves, and they want to make sure that today’s young people have the opportunities to attend the life-changing camps just as they did. These leaders bring fun, friendship, and love to the camps to create a safe, enjoyable time for all involved. Their passion to help campers connect with each other and build life-long friendships is second-to-none. Their desire to provide opportunities for young people to connect
4 www.sunz.org.nz
with God in life-changing ways is beyond description. These leaders make things happen and they do it with a big heart for God and for the campers.
The locations of our camps are some of the most beautiful places on earth: from venues such as Queenstown, Te Anau and Kaikoura in the South Island through to Mt Ruapehu, Raglan and Ponui in the North. The locations create an opportunity to explore God’s wonderful creation and connect with Him in ways that many young people do not experience in their usual lives. The settings provide wonderful places to create shortterm, loving, caring and safe communities where everyone involved can be open to God and build friendships with people from around New Zealand. Many of our locations are not traditional campsites and this adds to the specialness of our camps. The communities we create during our camps are a vital part to the success and longevity of our camping ministry. We work hard to create an environment that is safe, welcoming and fun In these temporary communities
"
BY NEVILLE BARTLEY
National Youth Ministry Leader, SUNZ
where young people can feel safe, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually. Safe to ask questions about faith and about life in general. Many of our campers comment on how much they feel loved and cared for, and often they don’t want camp to end. Our community is something very special that you don’t often find elsewhere. Our God times and Bible engagement are key things that separate SUCAMPS from many other camping experiences. We work very hard to create opportunities for young people to openly and safely explore the transformational message of Jesus Christ and to discover the amazing truth within the pages of scripture. We train our leaders well so that they can facilitate opportunities for young people to connect with God outside of set Bible engagement times. We use the surroundings and the free-time conversations to help young people to grow in their faith or to take a step closer to God. That really does make SUCAMPS very unique. It is obvious that each of these aspects helps make SUCAMPS a place that people want
MANY OF OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEER LEADERS HAVE BEEN CAMPERS THEMSELVES, AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT TODAY’S YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND THE LIFECHANGING CAMPS JUST AS THEY DID. to return to time and time again. However, I truly think it is the combination of these things along with one final aspect that truly makes our camps unique. The final aspect that ties all of these things together is prayer. We have people all across New Zealand praying for our staff, our leaders and our campers. They pray all year round and particularly during the running of our camps. This prayer along with all the other amazing aspects make SUCAMPS a lifechanging experience for campers and leaders. So if you have a young person who hasn’t experienced one of our camps, then jump online and see what camps are available over summer—and get them booked in! If you are a youth pastor or youth leader and you aren’t already involved with SUCAMPS then get in touch and we will drop by and discuss the benefits for you, your leaders and your youth. SUCAMPS will add another dimension to your current youth ministry and we can guarantee you will be blessed.
NOVEMBER 2019 5
S T N E R WHY PA
E S O O CUHCAMPS S
AGE... A FAMILY HERIT
L loved them as a teenager and wanted my kids to experience them also.’
With the range of holiday activity options available for young people, SUCAMPS offer a unique combination of adventurous outdoor activities and a solid Christian base and teaching. But don’t just take our word for it! Parents of recent campers told us why they chose SUCAMPS for their children:
KIDS LOVE THE
M Y S ON HAS B E E N E A T T E ND ING S CR IP T UR UN IO N CAMP S S IN CE HE W AS 8 YE AR S OLD. TO AL W AY S HAP P Y T O G O T HE CAMP S !
WELL-ORGANISED EVENTS...
G readtinorggawonnisdaertifuonl p rovi nces in awesome experietions as well as loca fe and secure a sa vironment.’ en 6 www.sunz.org.nz
GREAT CA MPS! –FOOD, PE OPLE, A C T IV IT IE S , COSTS. I W IS H YO U R A N M ORE!
M...
n a i t s i r h C e v i a posit ment where environ s is real. Jesu
ENT... T N O C N IA T IS R CH I love that God is spoken about and there is a Christian influence to help support my son in his faith walk.
..
...COMBIN
WELL-RUN CAMPS WITH CHRISTIAN LEADERS AS ROLE MODELS AND BIBLICAL TEACHING .
ED WITH A
The combination of being encouraged in their relationship with God, meeting other Christians, having fun skiing and being and being able to take friends.
‘OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES WITH A SOLID CHRISTIAN BASE AND TEACHING.
DVENTUR E
The camps are smal l and personal as well as a bit more advent ur ous than ot her camps — less down-t ime. The C hr ist ian content and modelling is also a benefit. Different and , new opportunity adventures, rning, experiential lea . scripture-based NOVEMBER 2019 7
ALL J DAY LONG
ust imagine...all-day Bible study that keeps youths’ attention and offers concrete faith-formation. Have I got your attention? This sort of Bible study with a difference is a distinctive of our adventurebased SUCAMPS. Here’s an example… Our July winter camps looked at the story of the fat king from Judges 3. The story was a perfect attraction to a bunch of rambunctious campers (kind of gross but definitely keeps your attention).
BY PAUL HUMPHREYS
South Island Camps Facilitator, SUNZ
Throughout the camp our team was embracing the approach of using these questions to frame our Bible engagement experiences: Why did people find this important to write it down? What was going on in their world at the time? Why did they feel the need to put it into words? However, as we dived into the story the first time, we read the story and then walked away. We just left it. We didn’t process or debrief. We just ‘Let the Experience Speak For Itself‘. Later that morning we asked what was going on in their world at the time. Time for a quick history lesson: the Israelites were really good at making the same mistakes. Over and over again they went through the same cycle... occupation by a foreign power...crying out
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AS WE DIVED INTO THE STORY THE FIRST TIME, WE READ THE STORY AND THEN WALKED AWAY. WE JUST LEFT IT. WE DIDN’T PROCESS OR DEBRIEF. WE JUST ‘LET THE EXPERIENCE SPEAK FOR ITSELF‘. 8 www.sunz.org.nz
to God...God sends help...dramatic delivery from slavery...all is good for a few years... the Israelites begin to worship a false god... God hands them over to their enemies... occupation by a foreign power...Hit repeat. This goes on and on for hundreds of years. We reinforced our conversation with an experiential game, which took up the theme of making the same mistakes over and over— ‘fulfilling the definition of insanity’. By this point campers had opened scripture, heard it, had a conversation about it, and played a game to reinforce its message. It was lunchtime. After lunch we hit the mountain bike trails along the Kowhai River outside Kaikōura. It was a perfect day and so we let rip—after all, kids come to come to camp to do cool outdoor stuff not just read the Bible, don’t they? Previously on a reccy I had discovered a new piece of trail to take riders away from the river bed trail which was frequently impassable due to floods. However, both trails were usable and with some creativity we could create a scenario of biking round and round in circles, a lap taking about 7-10 minutes. And so we did. After about three laps all of the campers realized what was going on and were ‘crying out’. What made it more perfect was a small uphill where almost all of them had to push their bikes and a super muddy section almost tailor-made for more whining and grumbling. Sound familiar? Upon their realization, a halt was called and we started a conversation around this teachable moment. What just happened? So what does this remind you of? What does this mean for you? How does this remind you of our story today?
"
ESSENTIALLY THE MESSAGE WAS ‘DON’T BE LIKE THE ISRAELITES WHO ‘RODE THEIR BIKES’ ROUND AND ROUND IN CIRCLES FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.’ The take-aways for campers were around how to get out of the cycle. There’s this guy called Jesus Christ who definitely can help you. His help and love can come in many forms, including prayer, reading scripture and talking to your leaders this week and others once you get home. Essentially the message was ‘don’t be like the Israelites who “rode their bikes” round and round in circles for hundreds of years’. We had brought in the idea of a God who loves and cares for humanity, keeps hearing our cry for help, and tangibly sends help. We had experientially reinforced what could be considered basic theology. And we had recognised that the Israelites thought these experiences important enough to write down for us to learn from thousands of years later. By now it was late afternoon. The day had been fun and challenging – physically and mentally. But not only that, the Bible message and faith had been made more relevant and real through grabbing a teachable moment. We had literally spent our whole day doing a Bible study (shhhhh don’t tell the kids).
The conversation took a turn towards choices or decisions we make in life that aren’t healthy and how over time we keep making them over and over. Hmmmmm, sounds like the Israelites. How will you break out of that cycle of addition? (And yes, we named self-harm, porn addiction, bad choices in relationships.) NOVEMBER 2019 9
U M S R U R S E ME M M M M M SU SU U S R R E E M M M M 0 2 0 2 Z / N . 9.ORG 1 0PS 2 M A S UC P S ! M W CEAR NO
HGIST T U RE O Y
10 www.sunz.org.nz
sunz.nz
scriptureunionnz
sunz.org.nz
R ER ER M M MUM S
20
AS A PLACE OF ENCOUNTER WITH GOD BY JANICE HUNT
Communications Assistant, SUNZ
T
ravelling as a small community through remote wilderness areas of Aotearoa New Zealand, 11-day E3 expeditions are focused on developing the character of participants and strengthening their connections with God, others, and creation. Through a combination of shared experiences (back-country cooking, practical conservation and citizen science projects, facilitating decisionmaking), daily discussions and solo-time, Year 12 and 13 participants explore how they fit into God’s story and reflect on what this might mean for the next season of life after school. At E3 Alumni weekends participants have shared about their E3 experience...
“One of the major things I took from E3 was recognising the importance of spending time alone in God’s creation as a way of connecting with Him. In this world full of business, it is hard to set time aside to pray and spend time with God unless you are really intentional about it. On E3 we were stripped away from all of life’s business and distractions and placed within His amazing creation surrounded by supportive and faith-driven leaders who guided our thoughts towards strengthening our faith for the future.” “Walking through bush and thinking, ‘My gosh, how am I going to make it up that hill?’ . . . that built a real resilience in me and it kind of applies to my mental health knowing I can make it through the hard times.”
“I found my place in nature and I found who I was. It gave me a chance to think about my purpose and where to go in life. Time to reflect and see how people work in nature, and now it has given me a step in where I want to head in my career…” “It helped me develop how I wanted to live out my faith in all the ways that don’t necessarily directly connect to that like leadership at school.”
“E3 highlights how my faith and my life have been shaped through Jesus . . . in understanding that as humans we are weak, understanding that in Christ we are made strong.” “I thank the inspirational leaders and time spent on E3 for helping me to recognise the importance of connecting to God through creation and quiet time in it in maintaining a strong faith. Jesus withdrew to the mountains and wilderness to pray and spend time with God. I believe E3 is teaching young Kiwis the importance of doing this also. ‘Yet Jesus frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.’—Luke 5:16” E3 is a partnership between SUNZ Adventure Specialties and A Rocha NZ. Participants tramp, mountain bike and raft or kayak through remote areas of Otago and Canterbury. A North Island E3 will start in 2020.
NOVEMBER 2019 11
GROWING FAITH MUSCLE BY NIGEL WINDER
Children and Families Team Leader, SUNZ
12 www.sunz.org.nz
Nigel has run the Southland SUPAkidz Camp over the last 11 years. He and his wife Hannah along with their four children have been involved in both the youth and children’s camp ministry for the last 14 years that Nigel has been on staff.
I
’ve been startled a couple of times recently when I have suddenly caught sight of one of my children. I have needed a second look to re-engage my brain and recognise this young person as one of the babies I have been feeding and looking after since they were tiny and cute, taking their first steps in life’s journey. My children are growing faster than my brain can keep up with! My children didn’t actually just change overnight to suddenly look me in the eye. They have grown over time, an accumulative effect of stages of development and life experiences—and some pretty big investment from their parents and others. Many of our family’s best memories are from Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ) camps where my children have tagged along as my wife, Hannah, and I have been involved in various roles. As they got older, the children attended SUPAkidz camp as official campers too, and now they are beginning to involve themselves as junior leaders. This is a pattern of faith and leadership development that we are keen to cultivate. An encouraging number of past Southland SUPAkidz campers return as leaders with the desire to give back to younger kids something of the positive faith experience they received on camp themselves as a camper. When I look at these incredible young people in action, serving and sharing their growing faith, I see the accumulation of lots of firsts and faith baby steps along the way. First of all, these young people were encouraged and enabled by someone to attend camp as a younger child. They got to experience the power of camp community, the love of older leaders, the influence of the gospel, and the tools to engage with God when they go home. Some met God for the first time at camp, and others took the next step of faith and commitment.
After they outgrew SUPAkidz camps (for primary-aged kids), many continued to grow through attending SUNZ youth camps, leadership development camps like E3 and Exodus Prime, and camp leader training weekends. Each camp, each experience builds on those that have gone before, shaping their faith and leadership. Returning as leaders on camps stretches and grows their faith muscle as they serve, share their faith stories and open the Bible with others to discover and rediscover God in community. New leaders have to be given pathways and opportunities to grow and mature. I am personally indebted to SUNZ for my own faith and leadership development, and nothing excites me more than seeing children and young people having that same opportunity to grow through the pathways that SUNZ camping provides. SUPAkidz camp is such a good investment because we get two camps for the price of one—a camp for the children who come but also a leadership development camp for the young leaders who go on to serve in their own church contexts. Older, more mature Christian leaders are paired up with the young leaders at camp to provide them with great support and role models. When I look at the children at camps, I can’t help but wonder who might be back leading on the team in three or four years’ time. When I look at the incredible young leaders, I can’t help but wonder who in the future might be doing my job, or leading a church or carrying out world-changing mission. The time, energy and investment that we put into our children and young people and our commitment to growing them as leaders can only pay future dividends. SUNZ camps are such an effective tool.
NOVEMBER 2019 13
INTR
N
atalie Duchesne, the new SUNZ North Island Camps Consultant, tells us a little about herself.
“I was born in Sydney (but don’t hold that against me!) and then quickly moved to country NSW–a place called Bega that is famous for cheese–nothing sophisticated though, just your regular block cheese. I’ve been involved with Scripture Union since I went on Girls Ag Camp when I was 13–we slept in army tents, had bucket showers and helped out on local farms around rural NSW. I committed my life to the Lord there and went back year after year. After high school I became a leader and eventually the camp director.
DUCING NATALIE interviewing Christian campsite managers, pastors and families for Christian Camping New Zealand, and I heard about this SUNZ role when I interviewed SUNZ’s Neville Bartley. I applied instantly and left it to God as to whether this leap of faith was the right one. Camps are a unique tool to experience safe community as God intended. Creation as a pathway to worship and connect with God is also something I hold close, and camps offer the time and space to explore that more. I’m so eager to give teenagers a taste of the Kingdom, and really just plan to listen to God in how He wants me to create spaces for Him to move in people’s lives– whether that’s teenagers, camp leaders, SUNZ supporters or other Christian organisations.
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CREATION AS A PATHWAY TO WORSHIP AND CONNECT WITH GOD I have a Bachelor IS SOMETHING of International I HOLD CLOSE. Development and a passion for community and leadership development, particularly when it comes to youth and women. Poststudy, I worked at Baptist World Aid Australia looking after their events, supporter trips overseas and church partnerships. I then studied with Venn Foundation in Auckland as part of a Residential Fellowship. Twelve of us lived intentionally together and were encouraged think deeply, live faithfully and serve wisely to shape Aotearoa for the glory of God. It was a life-changing eight months. I assumed I’d then head back to Australia, but I realised just how much my heart had grown for Aotearoa. Part of my study was 14 www.sunz.org.nz
Outside work, you’ll find me on a skateboard, tramping in the bush, or in the ocean—any time of the year is a good time for a swim! I’m a keen gig-goer and try to have my finger on the pulse in the local music scene. I also appreciate a good meal out– whether that’s at a friend’s house (I’ll bring dessert!), ranking the best wood-fired pizza or scouting out a great brunch spot. Thank you, everyone, for your warm welcome. I feel very privileged to be in this role and look forward to connecting with you all about our North Island camps!”
ISSUE
69 Welcome! Check out our ideas! Pull it out! & Pass it around!
Joy World TO THE
The Christmas season is one of those times of the year when families head along to church either for the first time or as part of a yearly tradition. Some come to sing carols, others see it as important for their children to know the Christmas story, and others come because it’s what their family has done every year for as long as they can remember. These families may not attend church at any other time. There are a growing number of people in our communities who know very little about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. While we may have heard the story over and over to the point of complacency, for them it is new and fresh and intriguing.
As we plan for the variety of services and activities that run during Advent, it is good to make sure that we take these things into consideration. For that new family who has walked through the door for the first time: And
importmost antly,
Will they feel welcome in our church?
Will they be able to celebrate together as a family?
___ Annette Osborne SUNZ Children and Families Consultant
Will they find that the event of Jesus’ birth really is ‘Joy to the World’?
Think new As this family walk through the church door, the whole experience is new for them. • The welcome at the door is very important, with ‘just the right amount of friendly’. They should feel welcomed, but not bombarded. Why not have a family rostered on as door greeters? • Guide people through the process so they know where to sit, what to do if their baby needs a nappy change, and reassure them that their children are welcome in the church, even when they make noise.
Imagine a family. They manage to bundle all their kids out the door with promises of ice cream afterwards. The church down the road has a carol service for the community happening that afternoon. The parents in this family used to go to church as kids, and they still think the Christmas story is an important one for their own children to know. So, off they go.
• As a church, do some prep work beforehand. Talk about the fact that this is an opportunity to share with others the story of the good news of Jesus. Pray together as a church for opportunities to welcome and share with those in the community.
Think together It is much more welcoming for new families to stay together. They may not feel comfortable sending their children off with strangers to a separate space. • Plan for intergenerational services. We have some great resources and service ideas to help you. • Have activities on hand, such as a book box, colouring sheets (on the theme), and toys that don’t make noise. Have these set out at the front or to the side of the church. You could have a low-lying table and some cushions. • Prep your service leader and speakers to use language from the front that includes everyone, and avoids too much ‘Christian jargon’. Use illustrations or examples that will be understood by all.
Think simple We can tie ourselves in knots coming up with the latest and greatest take on the Christmas story. Remember that newcomers will be experiencing the story with fresh eyes, so think about keeping it simple and straightforward. • Read the story from the Bible. • Keep your dramas simple, with a simple script that includes words taken directly from the Bible. Use short lines and don’t make the children memorise them. Consider having participants act out the scenes while a narrator reads the script. • Consider a no-rehearsal approach where people are given simple props and small non-speaking roles as they arrive at the service.
Think deep It can be tempting to treat the Christmas story like a fairy-tale, about a lovely baby and bright sparkly angels. But, the event of Jesus’ birth is one of the greatest moments in human history, so make sure you balance the ‘fluff’ with depth of content. • An increasing number of people are not that familiar with the Christmas story, so don’t be afraid to allow the story to speak for itself. • Consider the challenge of Christmas. We often look to Easter as our defining story, but at Christmas, God entered into our human experience as a vulnerable baby.
• Cast a critical eye over the way the Christmas story is told. Consider how you can stay true to the facts of the Christmas story in how you present it. One example of this is the reference to an ‘inn’, which was actually referring to a guestroom in a house. See our blog (childrenandfamiliesnz. blogspot.com/) for more on this.
Think tradition In the past, carols were well known. That is not as much the case these days. However, singing carols is still a tradition that people value. • Take time to explain some of the language used in the carols, as the words or concepts might be unfamiliar. • Talk about the carols. I heard a great sermon once, based on the preacher’s favourite carol. Explore the history of a carol. Who wrote it and why? • For less well-known carols, sing them first as an item to familiarise people with them.
Resources Galore! Children and Families Blog Check out our blog for: Intergenerational service outlines
Christmas Carol service ideas
A Christmas story with photos from Israel
Background information to the events of Jesus’ birth
childrenandfamiliesnz.blogspot.com Our friends at Strandz (Anglican) and Kidsfriendly (Presbyterian) have lots of great Christmas resources listed on their websites. Check them out at: www.strandz.org.nz www.kidsfriendly.org.nz
Meri Kirihimete and Merry Christmas! from all of us in the Scripture Union NZ Children and Families Team!
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.
Tonight in the Palace “The Lost Sheep series by Andrew McDonough is brilliantly written and fun for all the family. They include four Christmas editions: Bethlehem Town, Jed and Roy McCoy, The Three Wise Camels, and, my favourite, Tonight in the Palace. Not only do these little books make for a cool Christmas gift, but they are a great tool for engaging people of all ages with the Christmas story whether that be in your church or in a communitybased event or programme. You can find this resource at: www.lostsheep.com.au” Reviewed by Paul Dadd
SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz
e
e
BEHIND THE SCENES AT SUPAKIDZ CAMPS BY ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM
Children and Families Consultant, SUNZ Andrew heads up our SUPAkidz camps for primary-aged children.
H
is mum gave him a hug goodbye and reluctantly got into her car. As she drove off, she waved out of the open car window and called back,"Bye Gerald. Have a great time. I love you." The look on Gerald’s face hinted that he wasn’t convinced by his mum’s goodbye comments. The small group leader, who had earlier welcomed Gerald to camp with a big smile, noticed. He bent down and said, "Gerald your mum is awesome and we are going to have a blast this week at camp. Come on, let’s go and see what the other boys from our group are doing." At SUPAkidz camps, each camper is part of a small group (no more than six children) assigned to a particular leader. The leaders are trained to intentionally build relationships with the campers and give the children in their group a safe, fun and growth experience at camp. This is no easy task. However, it is this relationship-building that gives children like Gerald a sense of belonging and a safe place to make new friends and discover more about the God of the Bible. Relationship-building takes place as we play a wide variety of games, eat meals together, follow wake-up and bedtime routines, and
spend time exploring the Bible. Some of the games we play are just for fun and some are designed to give campers new experiences and challenges. Sometimes small groups compete against other groups and other times it is all-in-together as a camp-wide game. The daily wake-up routine is a time where we teach the children how to have a quiet time with God, with the Bible and prayer as integral parts of the process. Our hope is that children will go home and continue this faith-forming habit. We know some children, who are now adults, who started this habit at a SUPAkidz camp! Our bedtime routine again includes the Bible and prayer, along with a time of reflection and sharing about the day. During the day also, time is dedicated to exploring the Bible in creative ways that allow time and space for campers and leaders to learn for themselves who God is. Our intentional focus on relationship-building helps campers leave camp with an experience of fun in a safe environment. They have made new friends, grow in themselves and faith, and some are changed for life. Gerald didn’t want to leave at the end of camp. His mum later emailed to ask when the next camp was happening. Gerald had enjoyed camp so much that he wanted to go again!
NOVEMBER 2019 19
HIGHLIGHTS ON S
cripture Union NZ (SUNZ) has been running camps on Ponui Island in the Hauraki Gulf since 1932, facilitated and supported by the wonderful Chamberlin family. From that time, camps have developed from a boys-only camp each summer to multiple co-ed camps each year, catering for all ages. The activities available to campers have also developed as new resources and facilities have been added and the campsite on Ponui has grown into a multi-use site, used year-round by schools, churches and families, as well as each summer by SUNZ.
called Going Deeper) and in April 2019 we held our first autumn camp on the island with our first-ever Fishing Camp. This boys-only camp is obviously focused around fishing in various forms–from kayak fishing to boat- and land-based fishing off the beach or point–but its main emphasis is youth development. It’s about teaching not just fishing skills, but life skills too. Campers had to cook for themselves and plan their own overnight expedition. They had various masterclasses to gain new skills and experiences. They even had a survival challenge of swimming from the edge of the bay back into shore whilst wearing a life jacket.
Ponui is a special place, as anyone who has ever been there will tell you–often campers return year after year, and many even return beyond their school years as leaders or attend family camp or the adult Bible study camp. Many refer to Ponui as their spiritual home–a place where they get their yearly recharge and break from the reality of their daily lives to reconnect with God.
Interspersed throughout the camp were six sessions called ‘For Reel?’. We took up the fishing theme in a wordplay on ‘real’, and asked the questions: ‘is God for reel?’ and ‘if you believe He is, is your faith for reel?’ Despite all of the fishing and many different activities over the course of the camp, these teaching sessions were seen as a highlight by many of the campers. Before camp, all but a couple of campers had no interest in the Christian faith or were struggling with it. The week was a significant opportunity
SUCAMPS on Ponui have continued to develop in recent years with the development of a spring Ponui camp–Ponui Extreme (now 20 www.sunz.org.nz
ON THE JOURNEY BY ANDY BANKS Northern Youth Consultant, SUNZ
to explore, for the first time for some, the big questions of life and faith in a safe environment where the boys could be honest, challenge their current thinking and learn from each other. After camp, we heard from a parent about the change in a boy who, before camp, had not been interested at all in God. Since camp her son had been "exploring God . . . and we have been attending church (together), which is a massive step." Within Scripture Union internationally, camps are often referred to as highlights on the journey. Young people arrive at camps at various stages of their spiritual journey– some, like the boy who attended the fishing camp, have no spiritual interest at all and others are sold-out followers of Jesus. But for each one, the camp is a highlight, a significant point on their journey. It’s a place where they discover, afresh or for the first time, a God who loves them. They get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God in action by spending a week with leaders who share their faith and their lives in equal measure. Living out the words
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FOR EACH ONE, THE CAMP IS A HIGHLIGHT, A SIGNIFICANT POINT ON THEIR JOURNEY. IT’S A PLACE WHERE THEY DISCOVER, AFRESH OR FOR THE FIRST TIME, A GOD WHO LOVES THEM. of 1 Thessalonians 2:8, those leaders take up the call to share not only the Gospel of God but also their lives as well and it’s a call that is motivated by love. It’s a privilege to walk the journey of faith with young people and year by year see God use SUCAMPS to create highlights on that journey. These camps are significant milestones that build on one another as young people get to know Jesus, grow as lifelong disciples and go on to influence their world.
NOVEMBER 2019 21
WHY LEAD ON CAMPS?
L
eading on our camps isn’t easy and comes at a sacrifice of both money and time. So why do volunteers keep coming back to these jobs? Talking to some of our returning camp leaders makes it very clear why . . . because camps are a life-changing and life-giving experience–not only for campers but also for leaders!
"A VALUABLE FORM OF DISCIPLESHIP"
Scripture Union camps were a valuable form of discipleship that hugely influenced Claire Boniface’s faith formation when she was a teenage leader on Southland SUPAkidz camps.
"I definitely learnt just as much as a leader! I came back from camps excited about growing in my faith, connecting with God more through Bible reading and prayer, and being a faithful witness to Christ’s transforming work." She was inspired by leaders dedicated to helping young people encounter a God who loves them just as they are, through interactions that always demonstrate the patience, love and grace of Christ.
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"Being around them showed me how to take Christ’s call to be transformed into his image seriously in the day-to-day." The great value of daily Bible reading was also reinforced to Claire. "Telling children how much God loves them and wants to talk and be with them, drove the point home to me. The Word of God is right there, waiting for me! The best way to get to know Him is to read what He has said, to ask Him to show me how He is speaking to me now, and to start a conversation with Him in prayer. Thank you, God, for bringing Scripture Union into my life!"
"A HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR"
Millie Law has been a leader on our Ruapehu ski camps since 2017, after attending seven of our camps during her years at high school. "The reason I am so hooked on leading through Scripture Union is simple, I was influenced in such a positive way through my time as a camper on SUCAMPS by the people volunteering. I want to be the sort of person who, through camps, sparks a passion for the Lord and builds up communities of the younger generation for the future!" Each camp nurtures an environment that pushes campers to deepen their relationship
with God and their fellow campers through activities, studies, worship and conversation. Millie is excited to see young people ask questions about their faith and build friendships. "It's so rewarding being able to be a part of these young lives, to watch them grow into themselves and become fantastic people over the years! I truly can’t imagine what I would rather invest my time and energy into other than camps. Each one is a highlight of my year and I leave the camp feeling renewed and longing for the next."
"I LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT GOD AND ABOUT MYSELF"
For the last five years, 20-year-old Kate Donaldson has been involved with Scripture Union camps as both as a camper and a leader (on both youth and SUPAKidz camps). Kate reflects that camps have provided her with an environment to meet many cool people, enjoy the outdoors as a Christian learning about creation care, and growth.
"Being given an opportunity to lead has also been a special time in my relationship with the Lord and has given me a real passion for seeing children and young people have an opportunity to come to know Jesus and learn more about God.
Leading on camps has pushed me out of my comfort zone in such a good way and I am so thankful for the growth personally and spiritually as a result. There is something about being in the camp environment . . . being surrounded by a community of Christians with similar passions about the outdoors and sharing Jesus with Interested in campers. It’s an vo lunteering environment that on an SUNZ camp? every time pushes Visit www.s unz.org.nz/ me and helps me volunteer-o n-a-camp grow." to find out m ore!
NOVEMBER 2019 23
VOA L U N T E E R I NG GIFT AND A SACRIFICE
S
BY NEVILLE BARTLEY
National Youth Ministry Leader, SUNZ
cripture Union NZ (SUNZ) camps run only because of the wonderful volunteers who selflessly give up their own time to come and lead. These amazing people make many sacrifices to lead on our camps, and we honour them all–the gift of their time enables us to continue to run camps and impact the lives of the young people who attend. The world today is very different from even 20 years ago: more single-parent families; high housing costs; both parents working; students needing part-time work to finance tertiary study; extended working hours–perhaps in more than one job to make ends meet. All over New Zealand, organisations are finding it harder and harder to find volunteers and SUNZ camps are no different. The sad truth for SUNZ is that a lack of volunteer leaders has resulted in some camps being cancelled. The cost of time and finances for a volunteer is potentially substantial. Just how substantial depends on the life situation of the volunteer. Time spent leading at camp is time you cannot be at work, study, with your family or engaged in other recreational activity. For anyone who is employed, volunteering at camp usually means using up some annual leave. A married person may also have to spend time away from spouse and children. If both parents in a family are working, the other partner may also need to take leave to
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care for children or else pay for childcare. Students make up a lot our camp leaders, but they often have to take time off from study programmes–particularly as many of the school holidays when SUNZ camps run no longer coincide with tertiary holidays and study breaks. That can be hard when many courses have minimum attendance requirements. In addition, most students have part-time employment to finance their studies. To lead on a camp they may have to take unpaid time off from work–heavy cost for a student. Some students may have to forgo holiday work to be able to lead on one of our camps and that means giving up the opportunity to earn money to help with their ongoing study. Does this mean volunteers are a dying breed? We hope and pray not! But we also might need to think differently–and we encourage you to do the same. Don’t let age rule you out of helping at camp–maybe our drivers and cooks and small group leaders will be closer to retirement age than teenage years. Or maybe you could offer holiday work or sponsorship to a student who volunteers on our camps? Recruitment of volunteers might sound like a challenge and it is. We cannot thank our wonderful and selfless volunteers enough for all they do to inspire and equip another generation through Scripture Union camps. THANK YOU!
light for the path BY NATALIE DUCHESNE
North Island Camps Facilitator, SUNZ
I
FINDING DEPTH TOGETHER
’m all for immersion. Sink me deep to help my experience be a rich one. But a lot of us have lost sight of this depth–depth of community and depth of relationship with God. Despite holding the value of these things so closely, I’m a frustrating product of this world. I want to experience it all. I hop from one shiny opportunity to another and I’ve witnessed it doing damage to relationships in my life and my relationship with God. Thankfully, though, God continues to provide me with reminders to sink deep into communion with Him. Something that I find so beautiful about communion with God is that it is both personal and something we are required to do together with others–the Body of Christ, the Church. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." –Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)
I regularly turn to Jesus as an example of depth. Jesus, like us, lived within the relational fabric of community AND prioritised intimate time with the Father. Camps, in particular, have the potential to reflect a similar approach to that of Jesus– intensive time in community and intensive time alone with God. I’m particularly fond of how Joseph Ratzinger in his book Jesus of Nazareth talks about Jesus who "has eternally opened up within God a space for humanity" and "now calls the whole world into this open space in God, so that in the end God may be in all and the Son may hand over to the Father the whole world gathered in Him." When I stop and take a step back to reflect on God’s radical inclusiveness, I’m humbled by the fact we’re invited into such depth. When we intentionally choose to go deep and commit to being in right relationship with others and the Father–whether that is on a camp, during our every day, or while spending time in the Word–that’s when we experience a turning point and our faith realigns. Let’s do this together. NOVEMBER 2019 25
AUCKLAND
PAUL DADD
It’s been a busy few months for the Auckland team... Andy Banks joined Paul Humphreys at Laidlaw College in September to run the Āpōpō mental health awareness training with around sixty youth workers and pastors from across the city. Please pray for them as they seek people who can be trained to present this workshop in Auckland. Paul Dadd and Andrew Ramsbottom ran the You’re Losing Us workshop with a cluster of churches in Helensville in August. We will be journeying with them over the next 12 months as they
WELLINGTON
A great cheer went up in the National Support Centre recently after we scored 15/15 in the Wednesday morning trivia quiz from Stuff. Extra brain power from Nigel (in town for the National Leadership Team meeting) and Paul Humphreys (for an Āpōpō workshop) just might have helped! Paul was in town again with Andy Bank for another Āpōpō at a local college and North Island Camps Facilitator Natalie Duchesne came through to meet the team. Hilary has been out and about at 26 www.sunz.org.nz
OUT &
focus on some key areas of forming life-long faith with their children and young people. Annette Osborne spent time in PNG and Thailand in September with her role with SU International. Sylvia Coulter continues to support and resource our prayer groups while Glenis Silby keeps the Auckland office ticking along nicely. It has been great for us to get to know Natalie Duchesne (North Island Camps Facilitator) as she spends some time in the Auckland office before moving to the Waikato.
JANICE HUNT
churches and Neville was on team at the Ruapehu ski camp. The Marketing Team have been busy with summer camp publicity and the latest round of Team Support letters. Anitha held the fort in accounts with Xiang away for several weeks in China, then it was a turn-around with Xiang back and Anitha away for October.
T & ABOUT CHRISTCHURCH
We are delighted to welcome Ben Necklen (former South Island Camps Facilitator) back to SUNZ as our part-time Health and Safety Officer, working from home for 8 hours a week. Christchurch is home base for Paul Humphreys too, but as you can probably guess from other articles, he has been doing a lot of travelling round the country with Āpōpō, as
JANICE HUNT
well as camps (Gain in Marlborough) and E3 administration. We praise God for the generous support of the Longview Trust helping us to develop the future of our E3 wilderness journeys.
SOUTHLAND/OTAGO
KAREN POY
Before camps can happen, camp training begins! We were recently able to collaborate with Camp Columba in Gore and provide leadership training to a group of 40 young leaders. The weekend was full-on and had all kinds of workshops for pre-camp training and personal development. We were also able to bless participants by surprising with them a delicious thank you desert evening with key local volunteers as well. Lizzie is busy out and about supporting youth groups and is getting ready to run Wild Wanaka in early January. Nigel is recovering from running a SUPAKidz camp at Edendale during the holidays. He continues to be really busy supporting the Children and Families Team and planning future events. Registrations for Summer Camps and providing admin support for the growing Āpōpō Programme are keeping me busy.
NOVEMBER 2019 27
ENGAGE
Each Engage book is Bible study aid designed to help young people understand and apply the WHOLE Bible. No chapter has been left unexplored, no subject left by the wayside. Engage helps young people connect to the source of life by encouraging them to handle, question and explore God's message.
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Engage helps young people live life to the full: Engages helps young people to deal with real life: Stuff - articles on issues such as the environment and pornography Tricky - tricky questions that confuse us all tackled
Real lives - true stories revealing God's work in people's lives Essential - articles on basic Bible truth such as the trinity Toolbox - full of fools to help you understand the Bible
DISCOVER
Discover aims to build young lives firmly on the gospel and a knowledge of the Bible. It's jammed full of straightforward, no-nonsense explanation of God's Word. Bursting with puzzles, questions and top teaching to help the reader get stuck into the Bible.
28 www.sunz.org.nz
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NUA GUIDE AND USB NUA is a film series that encourages questions, acknowledges doubt, and offers an engaging perspective on the Christian faith. NUA equips you with the ability to intelligently explore and understand what you believe. We give you tools to discuss your worldview with credibility and confidence, while
encouraging you to wrestle with the things that just don’t seem to make sense. At the end of the day, this film series is about impact— immediate and personal, as well as the long-term, life-changing experience of working out your faith. For more information about NUA please visit www.sunz.org. nz/nua
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NOVEMBER 2019 29
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WELLINGTON AUCKLAND
13-17 JAN 20-24 JAN BROOKFIELD KARANGA OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRE 562 Moores Valley Rd Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt 5373
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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
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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
