SUNZ Annual Review 2017

ANNUAL REVIEW

2017

Working with churches we create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders and influence our world.

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Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

Maureen Gunston SUNZ Board Chair

This year Scripture Union celebrates a story which has spanned 150 years and more than 130 countries. It all began in England when Josiah Spiers listened for God’s voice and trusted Him to lead in a completely new approach to working with children. In 1880 New Zealand was the first country outside the UK to distribute the Bible reading notes, and ‘the rest is history’ with beach missions, school groups, camps and so much more!

Today we still need to listen for God’s voice and allow Him to keep us on track. We don’t have to try to figure out everything on our own! We may face new challenges in our multi-cultural society but Scripture Union’s aims, beliefs and working principles have stood the test of time and encouraging Bible engagement at every stage of the journey of faith is still

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a core principle in all that we do.

It has been a great privilege to lead the Board for the past six years but, as I ‘pass on the baton’, I am thrilled to see the calibre of the people God has led to serve on our staff, our Board and our Finance Committee. And I am humbled again as I become increasingly aware of the amazing pray-ers, volunteers and supporters who so faithfully serve God in SUNZ. Neil Walbran joined the Board last year and is asking ‘all the right questions’, and we continue to actively seek others for governance positions.

Wayne Fraser has worked tirelessly for more than ten years as our National Director, embracing the challenges of new technology, the strengths of a number of long-serving staff and the need to find

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the right ‘new blood’ as together we seek God’s direction in reshaping strategic plans to better address today’s issues.

Sadly for us, our Children and Families Ministry Leader, Hilary Hague, sensed God’s call elsewhere, but she has left an amazing legacy in a team committed to working with churches and seeing our mission statement worked out in very real ways.

The formation of the NZ Children’s Ministry Network and the completion of a second survey of children’s ministry in New Zealand (He waka eke noa) have been key steps in that journey. Our Youth Team work with churches in other significant ways and continue to develop new camping initiatives. Those temporary communities are the places where children and young people can explore (and often begin) the journey of faith and have opportunities to grow as leaders. And, yes, they do go on to influence our world, many in largely unsung, but still significant, ways. We thank God that we see Him at work through Judge Andrew Becroft, Chair of TSCF and now our Children’s Commissioner who was brought up in the Scripture Union family, and many others who have gone on to be leaders in our communities.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Our own recent family experiences have made me so thankful for those who encouraged me to learn scripture as a child and to begin that journey of faith as a young teenager. Maybe, like me, you are familiar with that old hymn ’Will your anchor hold in the storms of life…?’ We know that God is ALWAYS faithful and has plans that we could never have imagined possible.

Just ask me! He is our Living Hope so I encourage each person in our SUNZ family to be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have as you continue to support this work to which God has called us.

Thank you for your support. I trust the reports that follow will cause you to give thanks and to find God’s place for you in the SUNZ journey.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

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Wayne Fraser

SUNZ National Director This year Scripture Union turns 150!

Writing ‘God Is Love’ in some sand in Wales spurned a global movement built on evangelism and discipleship. These principles remain today although we may apply them in different ways. We understand evangelism as a process rather than an event, and Scripture Union New Zealand (SUNZ) ministries model that. Coupled with this, discipleship, the simple idea of faith passed on through real relationships, is the answer to the decline of church communities around our nation.

SUNZ is about advocating for and modelling intergenerational faith formation, to grow and retain the next generation. We do not do that on our own as our mission statement says; ‘Working with churches we create opportunities…’.

The health of the church is critical to our 4

mission. Although the church in New Zealand may be declining, there is not a crisis of faith. The NZ Attitude and Values Study conducted by Victoria University concluded that New Zealand is not a secular society because more than 70% of respondents report an interest in spirituality. New Zealand is becoming a less religious nation but New Zealanders are not becoming less religious. There is plenty of interest in faith — and there is an opportunity for all of us to reimagine evangelism and discipleship.

Key to a healthy church is the authentic faith formation of children and young people. If you have not seen the research by the Children and Families team examining the state of children’s ministry in New Zealand please ask for a copy of ‘He waka eke noa’ or look for it on our website. The findings emphasise the

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need for SUNZ to provide the resources and training for genuine faith formation.

Our most effective tool for faith formation continues to be camping because of the potential to journey with young people from primary through to high school. Rediscovering how we can work with tertiary ministries such as TSCF will complete that journey. A re-reading of the parable of the sower recently highlighted for me the need to pay attention to the condition of the soil that the gospel seed is planted in. The best way to prepare the soil for the gospel is through a journey of discipleship.

Here is an opportunity for whole-of-life integration of faith and vocation, with maturity and fruitfulness being the outcome.

We have continued the bi-cultural conversation that was a theme of the SUNZ AGM in 2016. At the SUNZ staff retreat this year we were challenged by our guest speaker Alistair Reese to understand how God worked among Maori to the point of establishing the Treaty of Waitangi, and to see the Treaty as a covenant with strong biblical themes woven into it including the grace God the creator extends to all peoples.

As a staff team we have committed to understanding the history of our country and, in particular, how to behave as a responsible Treaty partner. We want to know how our Treaty relationship can shape our activities so that we respect Maoritanga and acknowledge cultural practices. As we work this out through our own modelling and through resources we may develop there is a significant opportunity to help children and young people address issues of justice and

reconciliation, wherever and however we meet these issues in our ministry.

The Adventure magazine allows us to communicate with around 6700 supporters and those who have attended our events.

The mix of practical ideas and thoughtful commentary on issues around Bible engagement and ministry with young people appears to resonate with readers, and we have received very positive feedback on recent issues. We do know that many Adventure subscribers have not been actively engaged with us through events or donations in the last few years, and we are looking for opportunities to re-engage with these subscribers.

There are still other challenges in front of us.

As Auckland continues to grow in diversity and size I am challenged to consider how our resources and working principles can best meet the needs there. And there is the ever-present financial challenge which I acknowledge in the same breath as being deeply grateful for God’s generous provision. We have some strategies in place to recover lost donors and use new methods to reach a break-even budget within four years. To do this we will need to break through the current income levels, not only to be sustainable for the future but to grow ministry in strategic areas.

I am again deeply grateful to all who partner with SUNZ as staff and volunteers. May we all take the baton firmly and the run the race before us with the wind of the Spirit at our backs.

MÄ te Atua e manaaki, May God bless you.

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Nigel Winder

Interim Childrens and Families Team Leader

There has been some sad news lately with a spike in teenage suicides in Southland.

I was also saddened by the statistic that more people in New Zealand die each year from suicide than on our roads (and we don’t have great road toll statistics either).

This only reinforces for me the need for all us to have a deep reservoir of hope from a source outside ourselves and our circumstances. As we work with churches, children and young people, we are truly blessed to be able to pass on a message of hope and to help this generation get to know our great God of Hope. Many of these children and young people won’t step inside the doors of our churches. This means a dual emphasis in our work as we

seek to encourage churches to connect with their communities but also care and grow well those within their church family. This is the twofold and inseparable ministry of evangelism and discipleship.

We also firmly believe that children and families ministry is most effective when it is understood as the ministry of the whole church where rich and meaningful intergenerational relationships are formed in all areas of church life.

Resources for Life We have a growing number of amazing resources on hand available to resource those in childrens ministry. These include curriculum resources (Light, Mosaic),

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holiday programmes, after-school programme material which Annette has been adapting from our ‘in-school’ resources, and leadership resources (both theoretical and practical) for those in childrens ministry. It has been good to continue to showcase local, homegrown, resources like The Chronicles of Paki. The WAY2GO training days and regional network meetings are fabulous opportunities to profile many of these resources.

contact the network. Already the network has featured in the Christian Life magazine and on Radio Rhema. It is a privilege to provide this network for the wider church community and in particular for those involved in children’s ministry. SUNZ staff are also involved in hosting localised regional network gatherings during the year to encourage children’s ministry workers and volunteers.

New Zealand Children's Ministry Network This exciting new development was launched in September last year and continues to grow. Originally a coming together of Anglican, Baptist and Presbyterian Children’s Ministries, along with SUNZ, this network is now supported by nine organisations – Baptist Children and Family Ministries, Bible Society, CBM, Kids Friendly (Presbyterians), Messy Church, Strandz (Anglicans), The Salvation Army, Unlimited (Canterbury) and SUNZ! The intention is to provide a forum for people to make connections. The different organisations are able to advertise training events and make the events available to a wider group of people than just their own members. It is an ideal place for cooperation and collaboration.

The main focus of the network is a website which SUNZ built and hosts – www. nzcmn.org.nz. Here you can find regional contacts, training events that are coming up, job vacancies and of course, a way to ANNUAL REVIEW 2017 Annual Review 2017.indd 7

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SUPAkidz Camps This year we ran three SUPAkidz camps and two camps with Prison Fellowship, with a total of 155 campers and 78 leaders. The reports from these camps continue to tell great stories of God at work. This is the last year we will run camps in partnership with Prison Fellowship. We have valued this opportunity to work together and share the camping experience with some amazing children and leaders.

What do SUPAkidz campers love about camps?

‘Learning about God, playing cool games and making new friends’

Here are some things campers say they love about camp and what they learnt…

‘Playing Spotlight’ ‘THE FOOD!!!’

'THE LEADERS'

‘I enjoyed all of the amazing fun, most talented leaders at this camp — through them I learnt that God and Jesus will always love me.’

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SUPAkidz and SURGE Clubs

What do SUPAkidz campers learn at camp?

‘Jesus has lots of powers and loves us like heck’

‘God is everywhere’ Jesus is amazing’

‘God is like a strong tower… he has set us free from sin… we can understand how broad and long and how high and deep is his love’

It’s wonderful to visit our school clubs and see children and young people having fun exploring Bible stories whilst learning about values that will help them their entire lives.

We currently have 17 SUPAkidz clubs (primary) and 3 SURGE clubs (intermediate) across the country. While we are continuing to support SUPAkidz and SURGE Clubs with programmes, training and safety paperwork, the new clubs starting are predominately churchbased after-school clubs rather than in-school lunchtime clubs. This seems to reflect the shift in culture around the general acceptance of religious groups in schools and the difficulty of clubs being able to find enough volunteers in the middle of the day. Resourcing and supporting churches in running community-focused programmes is important to SUNZ and we want to offer a variety of options. Annette is currently rewriting and repackaging this wonderful resource for churches to use as an afterschool programme. Churches are able to purchase this material from our website.

‘I learnt to trust the Lord’

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WAY2GO Children’s Ministry Conference 2016: Into the Deep Our theme this year was to discover how faith grows when the whole church comes together. Andrew Ramsbottom spoke in both main sessions on his passion for intergenerational church life a challenging and well-received message.

Add to this people dressed as penguins, a giant iceberg and plenty of great food, and the day was a winner! The WAY2GO conferences continue to be effective, with record numbers in Dunedin and Wellington. We had over 650 people attend, plus over 50 great workshop leaders and volunteers. The feedback from the day continues to be very positive.

WAY2GO Focused The Children and Families Team was on the road again this year delivering children’s ministry training to churches in various parts of the country, including a three-day tour of Nelson, Blenheim and Greymouth. We had approximately 60 people attend across these three locations.

It was a privilege for us to offer a free day of training in Christchurch last year to mark the fifth anniversary of the earthquake — about 40 children's workers attended. There were about 40 children’s workers who attended. The WAY2GO magazine and Children’s Ministry Blog www.childrenandfamilesnz@blogspot.co.nz provide ongoing regular encouragement and ideas.

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He Waka Eke Noa In September 2016 the second round of our ‘He waka eke noa’ children’s ministry survey was launched. We began this journey in 2014 with the aim to build up a clearer picture of ministry with children across Aotearoa, New Zealand. This survey is carried out every two years, so that we are able to see trends and changes over time. It also helps inform our training and how we go about resourcing and supporting the local church. Once again we have been thrilled at the response to this survey and the wide reaching impact it has had. One finding that people have found interesting is that 25% of churches in our survey have less than ten children aged 0 to 12 years.

You’re Losing Us You’re Losing Us workshops continue to encourage churches to think through why children and young people are leaving the church. This year we have run three events with interest shown from a number of other churches who are looking to book us in later in the year to come.

Staff & Volunteers I can’t speak highly enough of the Children and Families Team and many volunteers who help with clubs, camps, training and events. They are passionate, experienced, creative people who love nothing more than seeing children and young people discover and follow Jesus. I can’t believe how much the staff team of Annette, Andrew, Paul, Alison, Liz and Nigel manage to achieve with only two full time staff (the rest being part-timers). During the year Raewyn Rowney, who had been a crucial part of the Wellington team for ten years, resigned. With our esteemed Team Leader Hilary Hague resigning at the start of the year it has been a credit to the team as they have pulled together and shared the extra work load. We are so grateful for the investment Hilary has made in each of us and in this amazing ministry. I also want to thank the wider SUNZ family, the Youth Team, support staff and National Office who undergird the ministry.

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Neville Bartley

Youth Ministry Leader

Yet again it's time to review the past year for the youth department and as you will see it has been a busy time. I reflected last year seemed to pass quickly. This year has seen both change and growth.

God is still in charge!

Our Team There have been changes to the team this year. We would like to say a big thank you to Ben Necklen for the amazing work he has done as the South Island Camps Facilitator. He and the team have really rebuilt camping in the region. Ben is moving into a part-time role for us but don't panic with the change! He is taking a sideways step to become National

Safety Advisor for the camping ministry which, with all the new and changing regulations, is a vital role and we are blessed to have Ben heading it up.

Ben’s replacement as the South Island Camps Facilitator is Paul Humphreys.

Paul is a Kiwi who has recently been running camps ministry in the United States. He has come home to join our team. Paul is based in Christchurch with his wonderful family: wife Robin and daughter Moana. Paul comes with a load of experience and is ready to pick up from Ben and continue growing camping in the South Island.

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The North Island Camps Facilitator role has been taken up by our Waikato/BOP Youth Consultant Steve Adams. Steve is still doing the Youth Consultant role so, in order to help him carry the load, we have employed a part-time personal assistant Erin Henton to support him.

Erin has come through our training ranks as a participant in our Exodus Prime young leaders' programme and she is a very gifted young woman.

We have also employed Eugene Fuimaono as our Lower North Island Youth Consultant. The hiring of Eugene is an exciting development on several fronts. Not only do we have a worker in the lower North Island but he also brings some unique skills to our ministry in the areas of worship leading, Maori culture and Treaty of Waitangi understanding.

As the camps ministry continues to grow we are also taking the opportunity to teach our volunteers how to include Te Reo Maori and some Maori cultural practices into our camps.

We are a bicultural nation and we aim to honour and reflect that in all that we do.

Our other Youth Consultants, Andy Banks (Auckland) and Aaron Douglas (Otago/ Southland), Stay Real team leader Richard Starling in Christchurch, and our camps admin team of Heather Zwies and Bronwyn Withington in Invercargill all continue with their superb ministry.

I would strongly encourage you to sign up to get the newsletters that staff write four times a year. These will keep you up with events as they happen and will enable you to hear the stories of changed lives from the staff themselves.

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Our camps grew in both numbers and attendance from last year, with 25 camps across the country (compared with 16 last year), including five new camps.

Occupancy rates were 67% for winter camps, 73% for spring, then 93% for summer — and we added 15 extra places to enlarge fully booked summer camps!

546 young people attended camps during the year, compared with 453 last year. Both campers and leaders have been impacted for the Kingdom of God.

Steve Adams has been working on an intentionally small camp for young men who have no fathers or significant male figures in their lives. The first camp ran with seven boys in April 2016, and the impact of this camp has been amazing. Two camps were held over the summer attended by 7 and 9 campers respectively and we look forward to many more.

With other new camps in the pipeline, our challenge is identifying and training sufficient volunteer leaders. If you or someone you know is interested please get in touch with one of our staff. Age is not a barrier — you are never too old to be a volunteer in the camping ministry!

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This year two E3 camps for Canterbury (finishing with rafting down the Clarence River) and Otago (Mount Aspiring to Wanaka) were fully booked. The Kaikoura earthquake of 13 November wrote off the Canterbury option (the Clarence was impassible), so Ben Necklen, with nearly no time to spare, organised a substitute route in Nelson. No one dropped out and everyone loved the option! E3 continues to challenge young people to think about the mega narrative of God and creation. It is very effective.

EXODUS P R I M E

TRANSFORMING YOUNG CHRISTIAN LEADERS

Exodus Prime youth leadership training programme ran successfully again in January with 34 young leaders attending, down from the 43 who attended in 2016. A number of young people who planned to return in 2017 were awarded scholarships or given invitations for other special events so were unable to come to Exodus Prime, but are looking to return in 2018.

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Richard Starling heads up the Stay Real programme in Christchurch with youth at the margins. He is finding that the only thing constraining its growth is having enough staff to run all the potential groups in the high schools. Richard has developed training to use with churches and community groups interested in the Stay Real concept.

Andy Banks continues to lead the Youthserve programme equipping young teens to do mission in their own backyard.

This year we have run an event with Student Life in Point Chevalier in Auckland and they will maintain this as an ongoing event.

'It's Your Move' books are being used across the country as a great tool to help Year 8 students transition into high school.

Our Transitions programme for year 13 students leaving school is gaining momentum.

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Thank You

ENGAGE: The Engage daily Bible reading app is continuing to be used by young people around the country and we hope to unveil some new strings to its bow later this year.

We have had 3,180 downloads of the app now. Some camps are using it for daily devotions. The use of the app is becoming more varied. The app includes a daily audio reading and questions, a daily Bible reading plan and camps promotion tools. Over the past year the app has been opened 99,000 times with 14,000 media plays and 23,000 visits to more than one part of the app. We are still seeking to develop a long term partner for the Te Reo version.

Thank you to everyone who support us financially or through prayer — if it wasn't for you, we would struggle to do what we do. Thank you also to all of the volunteers who help make this ministry happen, you are an amazing blessing to us and to the young people we work with.

Thank you to my team and to their families for the sacrifices they make and thank you to my family for all your love and support.

We do not do this ministry on our own, and we truly are thankful for all the support we receive. Finally, we are thankful for the provisions that God continues to supply us with so we can do the ministry He has called us to do.

God bless

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Toni McDonald

Resources for Life Manager

This is my first report as Resource for Life manager! What an exciting seven months it has been since I was welcomed to the SUNZ Team. Soon after starting with SUNZ, we experienced the Kaikoura earthquake — I was expecting to see books everywhere in my precious resource centre. What a delight it was to see our building completely unscathed with only one small book falling from the shelf. God is so good. Overall sales figures for

SUNZ Resources Sales Financial Years 2015 - 2017

$160,000.00 $140,000.00 $120,000.00 $100,000.00 $80,000.00 $60,000.00

2017

$40,000.00

2016

$20,000.00 $0.00

2015 Scripture Union Brand Stock

Te Tia PaciďŹ c Bible Bible Reading Reading Card Guides

Light Curriculum All Others

Total

Resource Type

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resources have decreased during the past three years with the Bible Reading Guides (BRGs) having the largest drop, which reflects in part the loss of subscribers after deletion of Closer to God by SU England & Wales. My focus has been to proactively maintain or increase BRG and Light sales.

Postage for BRGs needed to be addressed as increases in NZ Post charges meant we had been losing $1 on each book posted.

From 1 April 2017 we increased our postage price to cover our actual costs. The price of the guides themselves has been able to be held.

The Kiwi versions of Encounter with God and Daily Bread have been very well received.

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with graphic designer Lisa Martell who adds the Kiwi design elements to the text supplied from the UK. As can be seen in the graph the decline in BRG sales is slowing. SUNZ still strongly believes we have a great tool for engaging people with the Word of God. It is for this reason I am constantly working on strategies to increase our subscription base.

One new development in the coming year will be the introduction of a large print edition of Encounter with God in the last quarter of 2017. Implementing this will depend on demand. While sales in the Daily Bread large print edition have been declining, Encounter with God has a bigger subscriber base than Daily Bread and I believe there could be a bigger demand for a large print Encounter with God. I am hoping many will upgrade their subscription to the new large print edition.

Shipping delays from our suppliers continue to be a problem. After much prayer, the next UK shipment made it to our door within two

weeks of placing the order. Prayer Works!

The constantly changing book industry will always be a challenge as the culture moves towards electronic books. I believe E-Books are largely responsible for the demise of many bookshops around the nation. It has become increasingly difficult for people in the Wellington region to buy a paper Bible. Our response has been to develop a broader selection of Bibles for all age groups. One of the most incredibly generous acts I have seen since starting with SUNZ was a church member sponsoring the purchase of ageappropriate Bibles as a Christmas gift for every member of their children’s church.

What a precious gift!

Even though on-line shopping is growing as a valid buying medium, I believe people still prefer to see and touch the products they are buying. I have particularly noticed the significant increase in sales when our resource area has hosted functions. I am working to increase our range of stock, including some exciting new children’s ministry books from Scripture Union UK, and to promote resources at WAY2GO conferences — empowering the New Zealand church with new resources is core to the SUNZ calling. Our Auckland and Invercargill teams also helped to promote the large stock of Easter products we had left from 2016!

The difficulties with IT experienced last year have improved, and I hope to make some more in-roads implementing on-line digital resources. This development will need to be cautiously and wisely progressed due to its specialised nature.

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Pacific Report Sam Emery

Pacific Development Coach The big challenge for all Pacific Island movements is working with churches to understand the importance of keeping young people engaged in the church, and feeding the spiritual life of young so that they maintain their faith. Some good connections have been made towards establishing an SU movement in the Cook Islands. The combined churches leaders are supportive and a final agreement from them will set the scene for ministry to begin there.

Tonga Scripture Union New Zealand (SUNZ) continues with its Primary relationship with SU Tonga. The leader of SU ministry in the nation, Benny Tonga, continues to lead the work in his country very effectively. SU Tonga is in good heart and the ministry is growing strongly.

Benny is a teacher and has been able to use his teaching network to increase penetration of Scripture Union ministry to more schools in the past year.

At the end of last year, for the first time ever, SU Tonga held a special prize giving for SU Students from across all of Tonga.

The goal of this event was to encourage 20

students to understand that academic excellence is of real benefit when we choose to live a life glorifying God. The top students were awarded an Action Bible Handbook donated by SUNZ. This is a great reference book covering many of the questions young people may have in a simple and easy-to-approach manner.

Papua New Guinea SU PNG has had an exciting year. In this past year they have celebrated 50 years of SU in PNG with “Celebrating 50 years of God’s unending faithfulness” as their theme.

They focused on important aspects of

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c t

Progress on rebuild of SU Vanuatu campsite ministry by promoting Bible reading guides and conducting a leadership workshop. An SU Camp (at the Secondary School where SU started in PNG 50 years ago) and Prayer March were attended by students, volunteers, staff and Council.

A beach mission was held at Ela Beach in Port Moresby, where SU volunteers mobilised churches to feed the street kids and share the love of God. SU PNG has affirmed that God uses His people to reach children and young people by trusting in Christ, and volunteers too are touched by God through SU’s activities.

Vanuatu Vanuatu continues with its primary & secondary school ministries, a bookshop in Honiara, a lending library and a radio ministry. New Zealand contributions to the rebuild of the SU Vanuatu campsite (which was destroyed by Cyclone Pam) continue.

The Ngaruawahia Christian Youth Camp has made a substantial donation this year and has promised to continue. This steady giving is enabling SU Vanuatu to rebuild at a pace they have the resources to handle.

Volunteer teams from New Zealand also

continue to be a part of the recovery. The provision of extended land just before the cyclone has enabled a vastly improved layout for the campsite. The architect for the rebuild has used 20–foot containers as ablution blocks and built accommodation above. Camps ministry is going to be a crucial part of the future of SU Vanuatu.

Fiji SU Fiji has again run its YOUTHUNITED 180o event following the Coca Cola games in April. This annual event draws hundreds of young people who are inspired to be followers of Christ. A Christmas production was also held in Suva in December and a reunion in January. Both attracted good attendance.

Solomon Islands In the Solomon Islands an active team of volunteers and ‘student presidents’ are growing work with school students while the movement leaders are establishing more presence in the Western province and Malaita areas. Income for SU ministry is generated through tenants of units and a shop on the SU land.

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Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

For the Lord is a great God, a great Psalm 95:2-3 (NLT) King above all gods.

Volunteers

• Camp leaders freely gave time and energy to transform young live at both senior and SUPAkidz camps. With record numbers of campers this past year, and higher levels of training required by Government, we are so grateful for these volunteers.

• WAY2GO! was very well attended with Wellington totally full. Again, as in past years, many volunteers to run workshops and facilitate on the day was the key to the superb ministry that took place. Thank you!

• Eight Prayer Groups are in good heart.

Sylvia Coulter is developing strong input into the groups encouraging them to both continue and to grow.

• Administration has been blessed by significant volunteer time input over the past year.

Board • • • • • • • • 22

Maureen Gunston (Chair) Wayne Fraser (ND) Meredith MacKenzie (Deputy Chair) Kim Shaw Ruth Vercoe Neil Walbran Alastair Boult (Treasurer) Rebekah Smith (ex officio)

Supporters • 1514 individuals, trusts and businesses supported us financially during the year.

• 849 donors made more than one donation.

• 908 prayer supporters receive the bimonthly SUNZ ‘Prayer Adventure’ newsletter.

• 1563 supporters receive our staff prayer letters.

In Remembrance We are most grateful to God for the lives and valued contributions of: • Chris Currie — Council member, Bookshop Board member, prayer group leader and long-time supporter.

• Graham Fullerton — long-time Waikato/ Bay of Plenty chair, prayer supporter and sounding board for staff.

• John Judge — Office Manager and accountant from 1952-1987. John oversaw huge growth in SUNZ ministry.

• Ian Kemp — significant Christian leader and supporter of SUNZ ministries throughout his life.

• Brent Costley — Council member 19791984, ISCF advisor, holiday programme leader, prayer group convener and supporter of our local staff.

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Grants were received from the following trusts and companies:-

Trusts And Churches over $1,000 Arohanui Charitable Trust Belmont Baptist Church Board of Wellington Methodist Trust Bollard Charitable Trust Christian Youth Camps Inc. Cornelius Charitable Trust Daphne Ford Trust Decal Trust E N Lundquist Trust Eden Community Church Fountain Developments Limited Fraser Charitable Trust G & S Vickers Charitable Trust Glenfield Presbyterian Church Grace and Ransome Cooper Memorial Trust Greenlane Christian Centre Gumgo Trust Hillview Trust Homelands Trust Invercargill Methodist Parish Jones Missionary Trust KB and RJ Taylor Charitable Trust Koha Trust Leone Palmer Family Trust Lochiel Community Church Mataura Presbyterian Church Max Architectural Design Charitable Tr. Merit Car Company Nelson Christian Trust Northcote Baptist Opportunity Shop

Orini Chapel Trust Otago Foundation Trust Board Otatara Community Church Otama Missionary Trust PC & HPW Green Charitable Trust Porirua East Gospel Chapel River Valley Baptist Church Rosedale Bible Chapel Rotorua Baptist Church Safar Trust St Chad's Anglican Church St David's Outreach Fund St David's Union Parish St Michael & All Angels Anglican Church Shepton Trust Soul Purpose Trust 1999 Stoney Farm Charitable Trust Stop in Charitable Trust Taradale Gospel Chapel The Anchor Church Whitby The Ephraim Trust The Windsor Trust Titahi Bay Community Church W & M Bear Trust Wellington South Baptist Church Waidale Missionary Trust Wilberforce 21 Trust Windsor Community Church Missions Group Wood Trust Partnership

Bequests Ruth Marjorie Rowe Allan Chamberlin Moody Doris Akast John Judge Margaret G Garratt H V Glover Lucy Grace Findlay Frances Marshall Ruby Lucy Rogers

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FINANCIAL COMMENTARY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2017

Operating Results Scripture Union in New Zealand (SUNZ) has reported an overall financial loss for the 2016/17 financial year of 85,130 compared to a surplus of $447,715 in the previous year. The loss is less than the budgeted loss of $155,465. The 2015/16 surplus included a gain on revaluation of property of $183,554 and some larger one-off donations from trusts that were winding up and dispersing their capital.

The nature of SUNZ income and expenses makes management of the surplus/ (deficit) difficult as our expenses are relatively stable while our income can be quite variable. Once again, we give thanks to God and to our supporters for their faithfulness. We are always mindful that without the generosity of our supporters, SUNZ and its ministries to children and youth in New Zealand and the Pacific would simply not be possible.

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While our aim is to break even in the medium term we recognise that significant one-off legacies and donations have enabled the build-up of reserves that can be drawn upon.

Donation income for the 2016/17 year decreased by $192,246 compared to 2015/16. However, it did meet budget and was consistent with the level of donations two years ago (2014/15 financial year).

Legacy income for 2016/17 decreased by $44,034, but exceeded the budget of $86,500.

Total operating expenses only increased by $17,480 in 2016/17. Salaries were significantly less than budget because of staff vacancies and regional team support donations are correspondingly lower.

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Financial Position We are grateful to God that SUNZ is in a good financial position. Total cash and investments on the balance sheet at 31 March 2017 were $1,789,645. $897,931 of the organisation’s financial resources have been allocated to the Development Fund which has been set aside for special projects in the future.

To enable SUNZ to better manage its resources and to assess the performance of the organisational activities, resources are “categorised” into the Funds documented in Table 1 below: These summary financial statements have been extracted from SUNZ full financial statements. Summary financial statements do not provide the same level of information/understanding as full financial statements. The full financial statements were approved by the SUNZ Board on 19 July 2017 and both periods covered

by the following financial summary were audited by accountants BDO who provided an unqualified audit opinion for both years.

The full financial statements for both years include an explicit and unreserved statement of compliance with Public Benefit Entity Accounting Standards Reduced Disclosure Regime and both have been prepared in accordance with these standards.

These summary financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the following accounting standard released by the External Reporting Board - Public Benefit Entity Financial Reporting Standard 43. A copy of the full financial statements can be obtained by writing to Scripture Union, P O Box 760, Wellington 6140.

TABLE 1 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE BY FUND Year to 31 March 2017 Scripture Union Total

General Fund

Team Support Fund

Development Fund

Camp Working Group Funds

Other Minor Funds

Property Revaluation Reserve

(NZ$) Reported Annual Surplus/ (Deficit)

(85,130)

(125,680)

53,746

(8,640)

(6,331)

1,774

-

Equity

3,179,150

757,360

337,522

897,931

146,698

105,901

933,737

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SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE REVENUE AND EXPENSE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2017

2017 NZD

2016 NZD

INCOME

Resources for Life Sales Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit from Trading Other Income Regional & National Personal Support Donations Camp fees/event income Other Finance income Legacies Rental Income Gain/(Loss) on sale of property

105,421 123,088 (59,164) (71,235) 46,257 51,852

755,254 845,994 566,878 759,124 194,624 179,470 11,802 12,635 55,670 66,691 127,950 171,984 44,383 47,356 525 49

Total Income

1,803,344

Employee benefit expenses Other expenses Camps - other Car Travel and other Marketing and fundraising Depreciation Office administration costs Property costs and utilities Grants made Amortisation Total Operating Expenses

1,068,191 1,131,104 173,717 159,153 188,806 157,668 66,437 65,620 123,462 122,739 80,017 69,463 47,851 41,710 79,360 64,860 20,504 20,959 37,720 40,128 1,888,474 1,870,994

Surplus/(Deficit) for the year from continuing operations Other comprehensive revenue and expense Gain/(Loss) on revaluation of property Impairment provision expense Other comprehensive revenue and expense for the year Total Comprehensive revenue and expense for the year

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2,135,155

264,161 (85,130)

183,554

183,554

447,715 (85,130)

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INCOME FOR 2016/17 FINANCIAL YEAR

Gross profit from trading Donations Other Legacies

Regional and national personal support Camp fees/event income Finance income Rental income

EXPENDITURE FOR 2016/17 FINANCIAL YEAR

Employee benefit expenses Car travel and other Office administration costs Amortisation (software) Other expenses

Marketing and fundraising Property costs and utilities Camps - other Depreciation Grants made

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SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 MARCH 2017

2017 NZD

2016 NZD

278,645

365,980

22,051

28,850

100,264

74,189

Recoverables (from non-exchange transactions)

-

114,414

Assets held for sale

-

37,326

CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents Inventory - RFL Receivables (from exchange transactions)

Investments Total current assets

1,181,000

996,000

1,581,960

1,616,759

CURRENT LIABILITIES Payables under exchange transactions Employee benefits Provision Total current liabilities Working capital

92,982

157,883

173,369

173,059

-

-

266,351

330,942

1,315,609

1,285,817

1,512,898

1,568,096

NON-CURRENT ASSETS Property, plant and equipment Intangible assets Investments Total non-current assets

94,216

134,344

330,000

355,000

1,937,114

2,057,439

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Employee benefits

73,573

78,976

73,573

78,976

Net assets

3,179,150

3,264,280

Equity

3,179,150

3,264,280

Total non-current liabilities

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SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2017

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES CASH WAS RECEIVED FROM: Regional & National Personal Support Donations Receipts from customers Camp fees Grants & legacies Rent Other income Interest CASH WAS APPLIED TO: Payments to employees Payments to suppliers Grants Net GST Net cash flows from operating activities

NZD 2017

NZD 2016

755,254 566,878 96,423 194,624 279,690 44,383 11,802 45,458

845,994 759,124 135,550 179,470 20,244 47,356 12,635 92,060

(1,073,283) (796,900) (20,504) (6,866) 96,959

(1,138,425) (639,444) (20,959) (7,722) 285,883

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Cash was received from Sale of property, plant and equipment Sale of Term Investments Cash was applied to: Purchases of property, plant and equipment Purchase of Term Investments

(25,374) (160,000)

Net cash flows from investing activities

(167,586) (184,294)

(46,746)

Net cash flows from financing activities

-

-

(87,336) 0 3365,981 278,645 (87,336) (87,336)

239,135 126,844 365,981 239,135 239,135 239,135

Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents Opening cash and cash equivalents Closing cash and cash equivalents Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

1,080 105,000 (151,746) (46,746)

(105,192)

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SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2017

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016 BALANCE AT BEGINNING OF YEAR

GENERAL FUND

TOTAL NZD

2,816,565

836,295

TEA SUPP FUN

ICT RESERVE

REVALUATION RESERVE

750,183

16,345

Reserve trfrs in

(171,984)

Reserve trfrs out

Surplus or deficit from continuing operations

264,161

218,730

Other comprehensive revenue and expense - Gain/(Loss) on revaluation of property

183,554

183,554

- Impairment provision expense

447,715

46,747

183,554

-

BALANCE AT END OF YEAR

3,264,280

883,041

933,737

16,345

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2017

TOTAL NZD

TOTAL RECOGNISED INCOME/(EXPENSE) FOR THE YEAR

GENERAL FUND

3,264,280

883,041

Reserve trfrs in

42,690

8,930

Reserve trfrs out

(42,690)

Surplus or deficit from continuing operations

(85,130)

BALANCE AT BEGINNING OF YEAR

TEA SUPP FUN

ICT RESERVE

REVALUATION RESERVE

933,737

16,345

(134,610)

Other comprehensive revenue and expense - Gain/(Loss) on revaluation of property

-

- Impairment provision expense TOTAL RECOGNISED INCOME/(EXPENSE) FOR

(85,130)

(125,680)

-

-

3,179,150

757,360

933,737

16,345

THE YEAR BALANCE AT END OF YEAR

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Y TEAM SUPPORT FUND

CT ERVE

16,345

J& M LAIRD FUND

262,221

7,248

TENNENT KERSLEY FUND

76,862

DEVELOPMENT FUND

718,180

CAMP AND WORKING GROUPS FUND

149,235

171,984

21,555

317

3,357

16,408

3,794

-

21,555

317

3,357

188,392

3,794

16,345

283,776

7,565

80,218

906,572

153,029

TEAM SUPPORT FUND

CT ERVE

16,345

J& M LAIRD FUND

283,776

7,565

TENNENT KERSLEY FUND

80,218

DEVELOPMENT FUND

CAMP AND WORKING GROUPS FUND

906,572

153,029

(30,000)

(12,690)

33,760 19,986

(981)

2,754

21,360

6,360

-

53,746

(981)

2,754

(8,640)

(6,331)

16,345

337,522

6,584

82,972

897,931

146,698 ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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He rama tãu kupu ki õku wae

National Support Centre (Wellington) e: info@sunz.org.nz p: (04) 385 0485 p: 0508 423 836 PO Box 760 Wellington 6140 9A Oxford Terrace Mt Cook Wellington 6021

Northern Regional Office (Auckland) e: info.auckland@sunz.org.nz p: (09) 379 9363 PO Box 112123 Penrose Central Auckland 1642 60 Rockfield Road Penrose Auckland 1061

Southern Regional Office (Invercargill) e: info.southern@sunz.org.nz p: (03) 214 1834 PO Box 7 Invercargill 9840 137 Yarrow Street Invercargill 9810

He rama tāu kupu ki ōku wae - Your word is a lamp for my feet - Psalm 119:105 SUNZ is a member of the Scripture Union International Family Front & back cover image by Ben Necklen. Producer: Paul Martell, Editor: Janice Hunt, Designer: Lisa Martell sunz.org.nz

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