Connecting You | June to August 2016

connecting you in prayer and action with Scripture Union

June – August 2016

SUper SUmmer Your pull-out r guide to all of ou ts en summer ev

dition:

Inside this e

From generation to generation We’re on a long-term mission

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Much more than books The changing landscape of mission resources

A big hit Guardians of Ancora schools resources

18/05/2016 12:23

Contents 3 4

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Welcome from National Director Tim Hastie-Smith Long-term mission – from generation to generation Your enduring support helps children discover the gift of faith, grow in it, and pass it on to the next generation

The changing landscape of mission resources Anytime, anyplace, anywhere – with your help, we’re developing mission resources that communicate the gospel in exciting new ways!

A SUper SUmmer is on its way!

Join us in prayer with your pull-out guide to every summer holiday and mission

Long-term investment

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NEW Guardians of Ancora schools clubs are a big hit!

Through your generosity, your prayers and God’s blessing our plans to introduce Guardians of Ancora into schools are happening

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Mission resources

18 Connecting You is the supporter and prayer magazine of Scripture Union England and Wales produced four times a year, bringing together news, features and comments from key volunteers and staff. We aim to keep you in touch with what God is doing through the work you support.

Connecting You magazine is also available online at: www.scriptureunion.org.uk/ connectingyou. If you have a story for Connecting You, or a suggestion on how we could improve our service to you, please contact the editor at the address to the right.

Published by Scripture Union 207–209 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2EB.

NEW Guardians of Ancora schools clubs

connecting you in prayer and action with Scripture Union

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SUper SUmmer Your pull-out guide to all of our summer events

© Scripture Union 2016 Registered Charity 213422 Limited Company 39828 Registered in England and Wales

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Inside this editio

From generation to generation We’re on a long term mission

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June – August 2016

Much more than books The changing landscape of mission resources

A big hit Guardians of Ancora schools resources

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Contents | www.scriptureunion.org.uk 18/05/2016 12:23

You can’t hurry faith

Welcome to the summer edition of Connecting You “‘But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.’” – Jesus, in Matthew 13:23

I

n the preparations for our 150th anniversary next year, I’ve recently been reflecting on Scripture Union’s history and to what extent we’ve changed in order to keep pace with the Tim Hastie-Smith modern world.

In 1867, Josiah Spiers founded the Children’s Special Service Mission (CSSM – later to become the Scripture Union).

Fifteen children attended his first Bible Study, held in the front room of an Islington home. Thirty years later, of the fourteen children still living, nine were actively involved in Christian ministry – an astonishingly high proportion.

CSSM’s mission was to share the good news of Jesus with children and young people, to teach them and help them to bear fruit, just as Jesus outlined in the passage above.

There are no shortcuts. You can become a Christian in an instant, but it takes time, commitment and humble service for faith to mature.

And so our gospel heart remains unchanged. Some of the methods are still the same, too. Children and young people still discover Jesus on missions and holidays led by able and committed volunteers (see centre spread). They still find and develop their faith through resources that we produce (see page 10). And they still learn to be fruitful through our training and through becoming junior leaders. You can read how

some of today’s Christian leaders came to faith through Scripture Union on page 4–6.

But the way that children spend time and communicate has changed dramatically, so we have introduced new technology and initiatives to reflect this. We’re also working more closely with our network of local mission partners, to identify the best new concepts in mission, to hone these and then roll them out nationally. There’s more on one such recent development on page 18.

Today, we live in a hectic consumer-driven world, where people focus on personal gratification and demand instant results.

We’ve even seen the rise of ‘consumer Christianity’ – a fast-food self-help type of spirituality that satisfies for an instant, but doesn’t nourish the soul or produce spiritual muscle, and quickly gives rise to hunger again.

You can’t hurry faith. A Chinese proverb says, ‘You never grow old until you stop learning’ – and there is always more to learn about our awesome, loving God! We’re so grateful that you recognise this too. Together, it’s our privilege and pleasure to walk with children and young people on their journey of faith today, just as we did back in 1867.

Yours in his service

Tim Hastie-Smith National Director, Scripture Union England and Wales

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Nurturing faith takes long-term investment

Your enduring support helps children discover the gift of faith, grow in it, and pass it on to the next generation.

S

cripture Union is not just a charity – it’s a mission movement of Christians who are united in our love of Jesus, and our passion for enabling children and young people to get to know him.

That work takes time and patience.

Deep-rooted, lifelong, fruitful faith of which the Bible speaks doesn’t just happen overnight. This is a long-term, multi-generational investment!

Some SU supporters invest their time, such as the many dedicated volunteers who are about to head off to lead this summer’s holidays and missions. Some supporters give donations so that, for example, we can develop and distribute high quality Biblebased resources. Many of you are faithful in prayer, regularly committing children and young people and our service of them to God for his protection and blessing.

Whatever investment you are making, please accept our grateful thanks because

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you play a vital part in passing the baton of faith on to the next generation.

And sometimes, it’s not just one generation, but several!

“I was brought up in a Christian home so I knew about God. But it was on a Scripture Union holiday when I was eight that he became real to me.”

Dai Bryant, aged 26, is from Newport in South Wales. He is Scripture Union’s Events Coordinator, helping to oversee the holidays and missions programme, assisting with operational issues and liaising with the volunteer leaders. But his family’s association with Scripture Union started before he was even born; his father (a teacher and Methodist lay preacher) used

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to run SU’s ‘Growth into Leadership’ course for young adults.

Dai’s own experience of Scripture Union began when he was 11. A family friend was a leader on SU’s ‘Action Replay’ holiday – Dai joined his four elder brothers and sisters on it.

Then Dai’s parents said he could decide for himself whether or not to come with them to church each week. Most weeks, Dai chose to play rugby instead. His annual pilgrimage to ‘Action Replay’ became a bit of a spiritual lifeline. Dai says, ’To have those week-long intimate bursts of friends and family was invaluable. It’s a great place to explore questions of faith – you’re out of your comfort zone, but in a safe place.’

When he was 14 and on SU’s New Year holiday ‘Countdown’, he gave his life to Jesus.

Dai says, ’I suddenly crossed some sort of invisible divide. It all hit me one day in a worship session, the significance of what Jesus had done for me.’

His Christian adventure had begun, but it took several more years for Dai’s faith to develop. At 16, he (and several of his peers) graduated onto ‘Training in Action’, an SU junior leadership programme that runs alongside ‘Action Replay’. He learned how to plan activities and lead worship for the younger children with the support of volunteer leaders. And he got baptised there too, surrounded by the friends he’d made down the years. Dai says, ‘It was a really special occasion that I’ll always treasure.’

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Another special occasion from ‘Training in Action’ was when he met Amy, now his wife.

They still help lead ‘Action Replay’ each year – with the exception of 2015, when they became parents. Even so, they Dai and family took two-day-old James along to meet the ‘Action Replay’ family – perhaps he is destined to be a future ‘Action Replay’ leader himself!

I said, “God, if you created all this, then my life is yours.”’

A catalyst to wider ministry

Dai Bryant’s path of Christian service began on an SU holiday and led him to work for Scripture Union. Martyn Snow also became a Christian as a boy on an SU holiday – but his path led him to serve God in the church (he has just been appointed as the new Bishop of Leicester).

’But the biggest impact was on the development of my character – the camps were an intense experience of Christian community and we were able to observe how the older leaders behaved and what made them different, and follow their example. And that kind of character formation process is vitally needed in the wider church today.’

Martyn recalls, ’I was brought up in a Christian home so I knew about God. But it was on a Scripture Union holiday when I was eight that he became real to me. One evening I found myself outside gazing up in wonderment at the millions of stars.

With your help and with God’s blessing, we pray that we can pass on the gift of faith to many more young people on this summer’s holidays and missions. Those first steps of faith in Jesus could lead them to a lifetime of Christian service!

Later, as a teenager, Martyn became a junior leader on SU’s ‘Great Wood Camp’ in Somerset. It proved to be a hugely significant step in his life; a few years later, after graduating from university, he became an evangelist at a tiny inner-city Sheffield church and by 25 he had been ordained.

Martyn says, ’Being a junior leader at Great Wood gave me the opportunity to develop leadership skills and take responsibility at an early age. I got to share my testimony, lead worship and speak at meetings to the younger children.

Martyn (left) with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby

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Prayers: Week beginning May 29 Sunday 29

Thank God for all the children down the years who have discovered him through Scripture Union, and for his faithfulness to all generations.

Monday 30

Ask God to bless all the volunteers who are leading this year’s missions, holidays and holiday clubs, that they will be able to help children and young people to draw closer to him.

Tuesday 31

Thank God for the lives of Dai Bryant, Bishop Martyn Snow and the thousands of others who found him through Scripture Union and are now faithfully serving him with their lives.

Wednesday 1

Please pray for all the children and young people who will encounter God for the first time this summer, that they will be receptive to the amazing message of hope that Jesus offers.

Thursday 2

Please pray also that when those children return home, God will lead them so that they are able to continue on that journey into faith.

Friday 3

Give thanks to God for blessing Scripture Union with the funds to invest in the lives of children and young people, so that they can develop a lifelong, deep-rooted faith and a life of Christian service.

Saturday 4

Lift up all those young people who are going to serve as junior leaders on holidays and missions for the first time, that they will grow significantly in their understanding of God and the plans he has for their lives.

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Prayers – week beginning June 5 Sunday 5

Wednesday 8

Thank God for the thousands of children who have been helped to meet with God through holiday club resources.

Pray for the Published Resources team as they HOLIDAY CLUB make all the final changes to the 2017 material which goes to press at the end of the month.

Today Melody Cross of Local Mission Partner SPLAT is running a prayer day for a primary school in Leyland, Lancashire.

Pray that the children will understand that they can communicate with God for themselves. Pray for the team involved in running the event and the school staff who will also join in with the activities.

HOLIDAY CLUB RESOURCE MATERIAL FOR 5- TO 11-YEAR-OLDS

O

nce, the Hall of Memory in the city of Ancora was filled with wonderful story-treasures, each a reminder of one of the great stories of the Saga (the Bible). Now, many of those objects have been lost. Each day of the club, the task of the Guardians (the children at the club) will be to find a lost story-treasure, return it to the Hall of Memory and explore the story that it represents. As the Hall fills up, the Guardians will discover how each story fits together to reveal more about who Jesus is and how they might develop their own relationship with him.

GUARDIANS OF ANCORA is suitable for children with little or no experience of church, as well as those who are already part of a church community. A flexible programme, it provides everything you need to run a holiday club: craft, games, Bible discovery, smallgroup discussion, creative prayer and more!

www.scriptureunion.org.uk ISBN 978 1 78506 180 6

The programme is devised from the faith-based app game GUARDIANS OF ANCORA. It can be run without any reference to the game, but you will find suggestions in each club session for using the game to complement the other activities.

GUARDIAN’S STORIES

(for younger children)

GUARDIAN’S JOURNAL

(for older children) Two specially designed activity books including all the Bible text you’ll need for GUARDIANS OF ANCORA, together with puzzles, activities and opportunities to respond to the stories.

Use in the club and as a souvenir to take home.

INCLUDES PHOTOCOPIABLE RESOURCES AND FREE EXTRAS ONLINE

9 781785 061806

GOA A4 RB COVER REV.indd

CAN BE USED WITH THE

GUARDIANS OF ANCORA

APP

A SCRIPTURE UNION HOLIDAY GREAT NEW IDEAS, INSPIRED CLUB PROGRAMME

BY EXPERIENCE

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Thursday 9 Please pray for the SU team in Pakistan as they prepare material for Vacation Bible Schools and summer camps. There will be two camps and thirty Vacation Bible Schools where children will hear the gospel.

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Monday 6

Friday 10

Today Dan Harris is running an event with Peterborough Diocese at which youth workers from Kettering and Corby areas come together to share ideas and resources.

Toolkit Training takes place in Alnwick this evening giving practical ideas for reaching children and young people.

Praise God for the purchase of a new National Office, Trinity House, on a business park in north Milton Keynes after a long period of looking. Pray for the project team as they plan for the move later this year.

Thank God for the millions of children who have been helped to make the move to secondary school through It’s Your Move. Pray that as copies are handed out by staff, Local Mission Partners and churches over the next few weeks children will learn that God can be with them. school? You’ve So, you’re about to move to secondary round and round in probably got loads of thoughts going Will anyone tell your head! Stuff like: me where the How can I stop myself toilets are?! from getting lost?

How am I going to get there? Will anyone What will the like me? lessons (and the like? be teachers!)

Your Move is If so, you’re holding the right book! It’s to secondary your fun and friendly guide to moving lots of advice, school. Inside these pages, you’ll discover have already together with stories of real people who are poems and made the move! As well as all that, there to make this book stories, puzzles and jokes, plus space for? waiting you your very own. So, what are

Don’t worry, you’re not on your own!

Tuesday 7 Give thanks for the appointment of Chris Nuttall as Head of Mission Enabling.

Pray for Chris as he picks up his new responsibilities and for him and his wife as they look to relocate.

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Saturday 11

YOUR GUIDE TO MOVING TO SECONDARY SCHOOL

So grab your pens and PE kit, cos it’s your move!

www.scriptureunion.org.uk

ISBN 978 1 84427 887 9

9 781844 278879

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Prayers – week beginning June 12 Sunday 12

Thursday 16

Rob Steward has just finished running a half-term of Guardians’ Clubs in Fleetwood. Please pray for the children who attended the clubs, that the Bible stories they heard will make a difference in their lives and that they will continue to play on the Guardians of Ancora game and tell their friends about it. (See page 18)

Monday 13 Cambridgeshire Local Mission Partner GenR8 will be running a number of Inspire Prayer Spaces over the next two weeks. Give thanks for the way these have grown and pray that the children who attend will understand how they can meet God themselves.

Three Lifepaths take place next week: Malvern (20–24), Brinkburn (21–24) and Rushen Abbey (21). Thank God for the good relationships that exist with schools and pray that this will continue.

Please pray that the children will have a positive experience and learn something of what Christians believe. Pray too for Malmesbury Lifepath on June 28, 29.

Friday 17 The Go Wild Weekend, a South West regional holiday at Great Wood starts today. Please pray for the team and children that they will discover God in new ways through outdoor activities.

Saturday 18 Tuesday 14 In Vietnam, SU thank God that the VBS 2016 materials were completed and produced, and that teachers of different denominations are being trained. Please pray for more orders, strength for the team and God’s provision for churches.

SU resources produced in England and Wales are used in many parts of the world. Give thanks for Rosemary North who has looked after overseas rights for 22 years and retired recently.

Wednesday 15 Hannah Legge is heading up the Chaplaincy Central conference today. It is aimed at experienced chaplains and those interested in chaplaincy and covers all ages from primary to further education. Pray that this will result in an increasing number of chaplains around the country.

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The changing landscape of mission resources

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere – with your help, we’re developing mission resources that communicate the gospel in exciting new ways!

T

he mission resources that we create and distribute have always been a vital and integral part of introducing children and young people to the good news of Jesus. Until a few years ago, many of our resources were printed. However, the recent rise of technology has required us to adapt to new opportunities and challenges very rapidly!

Most children and young people today have grown up with computers, tablets and smartphones and a vast new array of ways and means of communicating. If we want them to listen to what we have to say about Jesus, we need to talk to them in their language, through the channels that they use. So in addition to print we’re now

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producing audio and video clips, online games and downloadable apps.

But print still has its place. For example, we print Bible comics because you can put them into the hands of a young person.

It’s a tangible, personal gift and handing a

No doubt the format of mission resources and the way we distribute them will continue to evolve in future.

But the message to children and young people will not change – the message that God loves them.

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copy over helps relationships to be built. An email or online video would probably be a poor substitute.

We used to write books. Now we create ‘content’ – and whether it’s for a printed or digital resource or both, it must be highquality, Bible-based and trustworthy. One downside of technology and the internet in particular is that a wide range of spiritual misinformation is accessible to children and young people, and they are taking this in without knowing how to judge its worth. What they learn in this way could potentially affect the rest of their lives. But there are benefits to technology too. It means we can respond to God’s stirrings as they happen. We can communicate quickly and easily with those in frontline mission to find out what the current big issues are for children and young people and we can rapidly produce appropriate resources.

A key part of SU’s mission

Most of our resources are directly related to our mission. Many are offered free

(for example, LightLive), or at the lowest possible price (such as It’s Your Move) so that together all those in the SU movement can share Jesus with children and young people, and nurture their faith. The sale of some resources (such as our Bible study guides) helps to ensure that we have the funds to produce more free or inexpensive resources to help children and young people meet with Jesus, and that is, of course, what we’re all about.

Increasingly we’re also giving resources directly to children. For example, thanks to your support we’ve distributed over 200,000 Christmas Bible Comics, so that children can learn that the most important gift of Christmas is Jesus. And our hope is that, in future, we can do the same with two brand new resources, True Story and What is being a Christian all about? (see next page).

No doubt the format of mission resources and the way we distribute them will continue to evolve in future. But the message to children and young people will not change – the message that God loves them.

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TWO NEW RESOURCES to introduce children and young people to Jesus We’re offering our two BRAND NEW evangelistic resources, True Story and What is being a Christian all about?, at a special introductory price to enable as many of you as possible to pick up these great missional resources. To get your copies at this special price, go to www.scriptureunion.org.uk/cyoffer before the end of August 2016.

How True Story came about

When SU Regional Team Leader Richard Witham planned a big outreach event for 300 young people, he wanted to give each of them a takeaway resource that would help them understand the core of the

gospel. But nothing suitable existed.

Pod Bhogal, Scripture Union’s Product Mission Leader, found that other frontline mission workers in SU’s network were just as eager to have such a resource. So he worked with experienced youth pastor and evangelist Pete Brown to create a book called True Story.

Pete, who wrote the book, says, ‘‘True Story is designed to help teenagers make sense of everyday life through looking at it through the lens of the gospel. It’s quite light and humorous, Pete Brown and it lets young people draw their own conclusions about Jesus from what the Bible says about him.’

True Story (Available June 21)

Special offer price: £3.15 each or £18 for a pack of 10

For teens

This 64-page book consists of six sessions that between them cover the gospel message. Each session uses scripture to describe an interaction between Jesus and other people. This is followed by some prompts for reflection – what is Jesus doing here? What does this say about him? What does this mean for my life? It also includes testimonies from teenagers, and space for readers to write down their thoughts. It can be used at outreach events or as a refresher course on the gospel for young Christians.

For 8-11s

What is being a Christian all about? (Available now)

Special offer price: £8.99 for a pack of ten

This 24-page booklet presents key Christian beliefs in a series of simple steps and reflections, in an attractive, contemporary design illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. It’s ideal for using at outreach and mission events.

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Prayers: Week beginning June 19 Sunday 19

Give thanks to God for blessing the Mission Resources Development Team with a unique combination of skills and abilities: an understanding of God’s Word, the knowledge of how to make it relevant to children and young people, and the skill at using the latest technology to do so!

Monday 20

Please pray that our two new evangelistic booklets, True Story and What is being a Christian all about?, will get into the hands of many children this summer and help them to discover that our loving God is real!

Tuesday 21

Give thanks for the benefits of technology that enable us to develop resources so much more responsively to the big issues faced by young people.

Wednesday 22

Please pray that we will continue to make the best use of further new opportunities offered by technology to share Jesus with children and young people.

Thursday 23

Ask for God to give children and young people the wisdom to distinguish between spiritual truth and falsehoods when reading information on the internet. Please pray that the resources we develop for them will stand out as being the truth and worthy of trust.

Friday 24

Please pray that God will bless us with the resources and opportunities to be able to distribute free copies of True Story and What’s being a Christian all about?, so that thousands more children and young people come to know Jesus.

Saturday 25

Give thanks to God for all our supporters who help us develop mission products, whether through making donations or purchasing our Bible study resources aimed at adults.

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Prayers – week beginning June 26 Sunday 26

Thursday 30

Today is the final day of the North West SPREE weekend camp, a partnership between SU, Urban Saints and North Western Baptist Association, aimed at 8- to 15-year-olds with older teenagers having a role on team. Pray that participants will return home with a new enthusiasm for God.

The Leadership Team are meeting today. Pray that the time they spent in reflection and prayer on an awayday last week will impact on their thinking about mission priorities. Ask God to guide them in their discussion and to make his way clear to them.

Friday 1

Monday 27 This week Local Mission Partner Graceworks hosts a prayer room in Coopers Coborn secondary school in Upminster.

Pray that the students and teachers encounter God and are open to reflecting and learning from the experience.

Tuesday 28

Saturday 2

Local Mission Partner in Stockport, Christians in Schools Trust, have recently appointed a new Senior Schools Worker, Emma Hinds. Pray from Emma as she starts, for the new Chairperson of the trust and for the ongoing work in Stockport.

This weekend is the first OneTwo sports camp, a new project involving Scripture Union and Wirral YFC aimed at children from the ongoing sports work in the area. Many are not involved in a church community; pray that they will gain an awareness of the love of God.

Wednesday 29 A team of volunteers from the South West Region led by Margaret Lilley leaves today for Cape Town to work in holiday clubs in a township and a camp in Cape Town. Pray that the team will learn much through serving and that the children who come will grow in faith.

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Praise God for the ministry to children and young people through Bible Clubs in Burkina Faso. Please pray for those who have accepted Christ after hearing the gospel, asking for protection against negative peer pressure.

Thank you for your prayers

Prayers – week beginning June 26 | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

Prayers – week beginning July 3 Sunday 3

Thursday 7

Pray for Frontline Teams that go to Hungary this month, asking for effective running of children’s holiday clubs and that the children who come, many to practise their English, will discover more about Jesus.

Pray for SU’s Geoff Brown as he works with others on the Shine In Schools project planned for November. This is an initiative to encourage young people to live for God at school and make a difference in their schools.

Monday 4 A new pop-up Lifepath day for churches to use with Year 4 children runs tomorrow in Leyland, based on CS Lewis, and in Cheshire on Wednesday looking at John Wesley. Pray that children will learn that Christian faith affects the way people live their lives and will see the importance of faith for themselves.

Friday 8 Pray that children and young people who attend the SOLID Children’s and Youth Festival this weekend will have fun and connect with God in life-changing ways.

Tuesday 5 Local Mission Partner Stort Valley Schools Trust is involved with large town-wide holiday clubs in Bishop’s Stortford and Saffron Walden attracting several hundred children and involving many helpers. Pray that in the final stages of planning all the details will come together.

Wednesday 6 Every Wednesday in June and July Local Mission Partner The Bus Stop will be on the Flaxley Road estate in Selby, working alongside Church Army officers with a community cafe during the day, and a Youth Alpha course and a youth drop-in during the evening. Please pray that God would continue to move in the lives of residents on this estate.

Saturday 9 In France a mini-catalogue of publishing products was produced for the first time this spring with an emphasis on biblical meditation books. Please pray that this will be well received, and that God will inspire the readers and renew their desire to go deeper into the Scriptures.

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Prayers – week beginning July 10 Sunday 10

Thursday 14

Jo Morley (pictured) and Dai Bryant (see page 4) will be providing support to holidays and missions during the summer, the first time for both of them; pray that they will not miss anything important and that they are able to give all events exactly the support they need.

Praise God for all those volunteers who are giving up a week or two in the summer. With two weeks to go before events start, please pray especially for the event leaders as they prepare for their holidays or mission events. Pray that all the practical things will come together.

Monday 11 Explore Together enables groups of any and all ages to engage with the Bible together. Pray for training events on Wednesday in the North East and on Thursday in Yorkshire, asking that churches will catch a new vision for including people of all ages.

Tuesday 12 Lisa Jones is coordinating a meeting for Local Mission Partners in Woking today. Please pray that they will be encouraged and feel supported in their ministry with schools and communities.

Among other things they will be looking at sports ministry and using Guardians of Ancora in schools.

Friday 15 There is an opening for a new ministry to start among young Armenians who live in the bordering country of Georgia, where there is no SU movement. Please pray for the opportunity to have the first camp there this coming summer.

Saturday 16 X:site events provide an opportunity for children to hear about the love of Jesus in a fun and non-threatening environment. Pray that the teams in Keyworth and the Forest of Dean today will have energy and that they will show the love of Jesus in all that they do.

Wednesday 13 The Regional Team Leaders will be meeting today. Please ask God to guide their thinking and to help them see the strategic opportunities for developing ministry in churches and communities.

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Prayers – week beginning July 17 Sunday 17

Thursday 21

Pray for the Published Resources Team as they plan two evangelistic booklets based around the Easter story – one for 5- to 8-year-olds and one for 8- to 11-year-olds. Ask God to help them communicate the truth in appropriate and powerful ways.

Next week, as part of the developing Sports Ministry, there will be an Olympicthemed holiday club at Halebank in Widnes. Pray that the children who attend, many of whom will have no Christian background, will gain a clear understanding of the love of God through the activities.

Monday 18 In Wales bookings for Summer Salt have been coming in and a number will be taking place this summer. These are mission opportunities specifically designed for churches with limited resources. Pray that churches will be encouraged and that children will learn of the love of God.

Friday 22 The TRAC adventure holiday for years 7–11, run by Local Mission Partner PSALMS, starts tomorrow in Newent.

Please pray that in the action-packed programme God will speak to all who come and that they will have a clear understanding of his love and his purpose for their lives.

Tuesday 19 Please ask God for additional leadership for SU Ecuador and its legalisation as an organisation. Please also pray for wisdom as the floorball teams (adapted hockey) are integrated into their work with secondary school students.

Wednesday 20 Prior to today’s Board Meeting a group will meet to review fundraising; the Board will look at the year-end accounts and review our mission activity. Pray for a clear sense of unity and purpose, and for God’s guidance in all discussions.

Saturday 23 Lagger Advance (27–30 July) sets up everything needed for the junior camps. Pray for new leaders Gareth and Jacqui Hutchinson as they undertake this important work. The Lagger camps themselves also have new leaders; ask God to give them all that they need to lead and support the teams.

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NEW Guardians of Ancora schools clubs are a big hit!

In January, we shared our plans to introduce our new digital game, Guardians of Ancora, into schools, and asked for your support. Through your generosity, your prayers and God’s blessing – it’s happening!

W

e are always looking for new ways of sharing Jesus with children and young people.

Across the country, our local mission workers are out sharing the gospel with children every day, and are often the first to spot new mission opportunities and develop initiatives to use them.

So when we hear about these initiatives, we take them and turn them into something that can be shared with other churches and local mission partners, so that many more children and young people can be blessed.

In the last Connecting You, we related the story of the new national Sports Ministry which developed in just this way. And

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now there’s a new story to tell – and a new concept for you to use!

When we launched our digital game Guardians of Ancora last July, we hoped in particular it would mean that children with no church background could hear the gospel perhaps for the first time. Katy Katy Finney Finney, who works for Local Mission Partner Blackpool Schools and Youth Work (BSYW), has developed an amazing new way to do this in a schools setting.

NEW Guardians of Ancora schools clubs... | www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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Katy already runs lunch and after schools clubs for children aged 8–11. When Guardians of Ancora launched, she immediately spotted the potential for creating new clubs based on the game.

She sounded out some local schools on the idea – seven were interested straight away! Katy worked with one of them to pilot the first Guardians of Ancora club last October. Since then, six more schools have launched clubs (and there’s a waiting list of children keen to join), and a further ten local schools have asked Katy to set up Guardians of Ancora clubs for their children too!

It’s a really flexible, fun way to do mission in schools

At the outset, Katy loads the Guardians of Ancora game onto computer tablets (most schools provide these). The children start by playing the same session of Guardians of Ancora. Then Katy runs an interactive session, such as a quiz or discussion, to draw out the scriptural meaning of the games session. Katy says, ’I don’t need to say much – the children are usually really keen to share their thoughts with each other!’

What’s really exciting is that many of the children know little of Christianity and have no church background – but they go on to download and play Guardians of Ancora at home in preference to some of the most popular commercial games. And Katy knows, from the subsequent club discussion sessions, that they are learning loads about Jesus!

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Rob Steward, SU’s schools worker in the area, heard about this success and wondered if it would work elsewhere too. He and Katy shared the Guardians of Ancora school clubs concept Rob Steward with other local mission partners, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

something you have to commit to do long term. You could just go in for a term, try it out and see how it goes.

Katy says, ’It’s a really flexible, fun way to do mission in schools. If you’ve not worked with schools before but are keen to do so, this club might work really well for you. It’s proved to be really popular with schools and with the children, but it’s not

So together Rob, Katy and the Ancora team turned the Guardians of Ancora schools club idea into a package that other churches and mission workers can easily access – and we’re delighted to announce that it’s ready to use!

’It really is so easy to set up and run. If you’re not comfortable with technology, don’t worry – the schools are usually happy to do the setting up for you.

You just need to introduce the game using the online materials, and run the complementary activity afterwards. It’s flexible, it’s fun – so have a go!’

FREE to Download

Get the free school club plans

Guardians of Ancora is a great way to get children into the Bible, and it works brilliantly in schools. The plans to help you use it in this setting are now available completely free of charge at www.guardiansofancora.com/schools.

Guardians of Ancora isn’t just for schools, though. Remember to download the game from your device’s app store and let the children in your life discover the good news of Jesus for themselves in this exciting way.

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Prayers: Week beginning July 24 Sunday 24

Praise God for the success of the Guardians of Ancora game – that it is helping children who don’t yet know him to discover that he loves and cares for them.

Monday 25

Give thanks to God for the creative inspiration that he gives to our local mission partners, and in particular for inspiring Katy Finney of Blackpool Schools and Youth Work to develop the Guardians of Ancora schools club.

Tuesday 26

Praise God for inspiring and enabling Rob Steward from SU’s North West Regional Team, and Maggie Barfield from SU Head Office to take Katy’s idea and turn it into something that other mission partners across the UK can use.

Wednesday 27

Pray for the children in Katy’s clubs, that they will continue to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God.

Thursday 28

Pray for Katy and Blackpool Schools and Youth Work as they seek to introduce the Guardians of Ancora schools club concept into new schools in the area – that God will bless their work, and that more children will come to know him as a result.

Friday 29

Pray also that the relationships between these schools and Blackpool Schools and Youth Work continues to grow and flourish, and that other new opportunities arise to share God’s good news with children in the area.

Saturday 30

Please pray that churches and local mission organisations across the country will find many doors open to them as they look to use the new Guardians of Ancora schools plans to replicate the success that Katy has had in Blackpool.

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Prayers – week beginning July 31 Sunday 31

Wednesday 3

With the holiday and mission programme moving into full gear, pray for health and safety across the summer so that children can focus on having fun, building friendships and growing in their faith.

Give thanks for the publication of two booklets What do you believe? and What is being a Christian all about? Pray that SU holiday and mission teams will use them this summer to introduce many children to Jesus and to what Christians believe.

Thursday 4 Often new published-resource ideas develop out of face-to-face ministry.

Pray that God will guide SU’s Regional Teams and Published Resources Teams as they work together to create the most inspirational, practical publications to grow the mission of SU.

Friday 5

Pray for Schools is a partnership initiative whose vision is that every school is prayed for. Pray for the preparation of a video to encourage churches to participate and to share the vision. Pray for wisdom and creativity – and that the video will be ready for September.

Simon Barker, East Region Team Leader, is on Sabbatical until October.

Ask God to refresh and renew him and pray for those who will take on extra duties in the East and the Midlands (which Simon has been overseeing until a new Team Leader is appointed).

Tuesday 2

Saturday 6

In Wales there is a lot of excitement following the national football team’s qualification for the European Cup finals.

‘The Games: Euro 2016’ programme is designed to combine sport and faith in a school setting. Pray that ‘The Games’ events will enable many to hear of the love of Jesus.

Praise God for the opportunity to grow ministry in Victoria, Australia through breakfast clubs. Please pray that God will raise up volunteer teams to serve students and impact school communities through this programme.

Pray for the schools staff as they equip and support these teams.

Monday 1

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Prayers – week beginning August 7 Sunday 7

Wednesday 10

The Sutton-on-Sea Mission are planning a day of celebration for their 30th anniversary culminating in a thanksgiving at which Tim Hastie-Smith will be speaking. Give thanks for all those who have served on the mission and for all those who have heard about God’s love.

Pray that Marion ZebedeeTopham, Publishing Administration Manager, will have wisdom in balancing the work of the published resources administration team, so that each team member can give their best and be inspired in their work, uploading LightLive and WordLive, supporting Guardians of Ancora and handling many other detailed admin tasks.

Thursday 11 The move to the new National Office will hopefully take place at some time in the next few weeks. Pray that all will go smoothly and that staff will settle into the new environment quickly.

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Monday 8 Fusion, a North West Region holiday for school years 8–12 which started yesterday, attracts young people from a variety of backgrounds. Pray that Christians will be challenged to follow Jesus more closely and that those who aren’t yet Christians will consider trusting and following Jesus for themselves.

Tuesday 9 Pray for the group meeting to discuss a Welsh language version of Guardians of Ancora which could have a huge impact in Welsh-speaking schools. This will make big demands; ask God to give wisdom and direction and provide all that is needed to make this happen.

Trevor Ranger of Local Mission Partner Synergy is planning a training day for anyone working with children and young people in Chippenham on October 1 featuring Bob Hartman. Pray that as he plans he may be led to a programme that will inspire, encourage and inform.

Saturday 13 Praise God for 50 Children’s Community Clubs operating in Myanmar with over 2,000 children and many leaders. Thank God that SU Singapore helps raise the funds to support the Children’s Community Club Ministry.

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Prayers – week beginning August 14 Sunday 14

Wednesday 17

The North West musical holiday, ‘Voice Residential’ starts today. Thank God that the numbers have grown every year and pray that as the young singers and musicians rehearse contemporary music, specially arranged for choir and orchestra, and study the Bible together, the fellowship and music will refresh and renew their relationship with God.

Thank the Lord for the 55 special camps for deprived communities throughout Ghana held in 2015. Praise God for nearly 1,800 who gave their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Thursday 18 Give thanks for Jenny Hyatt, who has stepped down from her role as Daily Bread Editor after six years. Pray for a smooth transition as a new freelance editor takes on this key role. Pray too for all those who use Bible Reading Guides every day that they will experience the life-changing power of the Bible.

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Monday 15 A team from the South East starts a visit to Romania today where they will help out at a youth camp. Pray for the young people they will be working with and for the team and leaders, that God would use them.

Thank God for all those who give so generously to ensure that the work of God through Scripture Union moves forward. Pray that God will continue to meet all the Movement’s needs.

Tuesday 16 Scripture Union’s Light Sunday group resources for April to June 2017 go to press on 22 August. Pray for the final details to fall into place, and for the children and leaders who will use the material, that as they do so they will grow in understanding and faith.

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Saturday 20 Please pray for the South Cotswolds Team Ministry (Local Mission Partner) as they continue to advertise for a second young leader to join the 10:2 training scheme working in the local churches and schools in rural Gloucestershire.

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Prayers – week beginning August 21 Sunday 21

Wednesday 24

Some grandparents recently told the Guardians of Ancora team, ‘When our granddaughter comes to stay she loves playing Ancora which we have downloaded on our iPad – but we have yet to get her to download it on hers. So this is our next prayer target.’

Guardians of Ancora is a Bible-themed app that appeals to non-Christian children: please pray for the game to have a successful mission impact.

The South West Region have increasingly been working in partnership with South West Youth Ministries. Please pray that through this partnership more churches will draw upon SU development workers to develop ministry into schools.

Thursday 25 South Cotswolds Local Mission Partner start their holiday club, one of hundreds taking place this summer, many of which will use SU material. Pray that these clubs will have a lasting impact on children’s lives.

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Monday 22 Please pray for Margaret Lilley as she meets with local churches and individuals who work with refugee or asylum-seeking families looking for ways of giving support and developing ministry such as residential activities, holiday clubs and children’s events.

Tuesday 23 Many young people are becoming increasingly disaffected with education and doubtful about their future prospects. Pray for all those working with such young people that they might see breakthroughs and transformation and be able to bring hope.

SU in Korea ask us to pray for the many teams who work with children, youth, young adults and college students, and pastors and seminary students. Please pray that God will enable them to work enthusiastically, learn effectively and develop the ministry.

Saturday 27 Pray for children and young people who have attended an SU activity this summer as they face life back home and prepare to return to school. Ask God to help them remember what they have learned and to keep them true to him in what are often challenging situations.

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? r o y t s o r u What's y TRUE STORY is a short evangelistic booklet that helps your church introduce teenagers to the message of Christianity.

Written by youth pastor and evangelist Pete Brown, TRUE STORY invites teenagers to reflect upon six key interactions Jesus has with characters from the Gospels.

FEATURES INCLUDE: • Rich and contemporary visual language.

• Interactive components, including questions for reflection and space to write notes.

• Accessible format where the Bible text is presented in manageable sections within a specially designed internal booklet.

PERFECT FOR: • Giving away to youth with minimal Bible knowledge.

• Holiday clubs and mission.

• Small group sessions.

True Story (10 pack) RRP £20 but see page 12 for our special Connecting You online offer!

True Story single RRP £3.50 but see page 12 for our special Connecting You online offer!

Order from your local Christian bookshop | Order from Scripture Union: 01908 856006 | Order online www.scriptureunion.org.uk

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