SUNZ Adventure Magazine May 2019

M AY 2 0 1 9

Why wouldn’t you want to hear from God? The importance of the Bible and why we need to engage with God and His Word.

INSIDE MIND THE GAP

TŌKU RAMA – MY LIGHT

MEETING GOD IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

editorial Hi everyone, This month I’ve been praying and reflecting on the Bible and the way we use it.

I was eight when I was given my first Bible and it came from my aunt. I loved getting it because I loved her, but when I opened it up I discovered that there were lots of pages with very small text and hardly any pictures.

I did give it the occasional outing to church on Sunday but, to be honest, the rest of the time it stayed forgotten on my bookshelf. I found it boring and irrelevant.

I look back and acknowledge how wrong I was.

But I also need to acknowledge that over the years my attitude has become increasingly common — now in 2019 we find Bible literacy has dropped right away as fewer and fewer people pick up the Bible and read it.

Contrast this attitude to the Bible with the conversation a child had with his mum after our recent Auckland SUPAkidz Camp...

“So Mum, can I read the Bible in the morning when I wake up - like a book?”

“Of course! Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that I found out at camp that it’s actually a really great book to just read and enjoy.”

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This story speaks to the heart of what we — and you — are doing through Scripture Union NZ (SUNZ): authentic and transformational Bible engagement.

Every year SUNZ connects with thousands of children and young people through camps and schools and leadership development — and we want these children and young people to be excited about the Bible. Not for its own sake, but because when children and young people engage with the Bible they meet God in its pages. And as they interact with God and His Story, they hear from Him and their lives are redefined in ways that are deep and change them forever. Learning to engage with the Bible well is fundamental for lifelong discipleship.

As you read this copy of Adventure, please pray for our children and young people because we want to see the attitude of that SUPAkidz camper expressed by children and young people everywhere.

HILARY HAGUE

National Director Scripture Union New Zealand

contents Features 4

WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM GOD?

Nigel Winder

10

MIND THE GAP

12

BIBLE ENGAGEMENT IN NEW ZEALAND

14

TŌKU RAMA – MY LIGHT

20

Annette Osborne

Gwen Hague

MEETING GOD IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Paul Humphreys

22

Hilary Hague

HOW DO WE READ THE BIBLE WELL?

Interviews 8 Q&A

Art and words from campers 25

LIGHT FOR THE PATH

26

OUT AND ABOUT MAY

Janice Hunt

Children’s Ministry 15

WAY2GO MAGAZINE

Resources 28

RESOURCES FOR LIFE

Produced by Jamuel Enriquez Edited by Janice Hunt Adventure Magazine Design by Anna Juden WAY2GO Magazine design by Windsor Creative MAY 2019 3

why wouldn’t you want want to hear from god?

NIGEL WINDER C H I L D R E N A N D FA M I L I E S M I N I S T R Y T E A M L E A D E R , S U N Z

“You are always telling me what I don’t want to hear!” shouted one of my children after being asked to change their attitude. My children have also been known to put their hands over their ears and close their eyes pretending I am not there when I am giving one of my famous fatherly lectures. That does tend to raise the stakes when I am already cross with them. As a child of God I know that I can respond the same way to hearing from God. Sometimes it is just easier to pretend He is not there, especially if I perceive He is wanting to tell me something I don’t want to hear.

change my attitude or tidy my bedroom (unless He is speaking directly through my wife that is).

However, not all of God’s communication with me is about telling me off or the need to

We usually can’t wait to hear from those we love and who we know love us. Remember

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A lot of what God does say to me and wants to say to me (when I am listening) is positively affirming, life-giving, hope-filling, loveabounding and quite frankly life-transforming.

Predominantly this happens for me through the engagement I have with God through His Word the Bible and the associated times of prayer that flow out of spending time reading, meditating, reflecting and seeking ways to apply what I have read.

those long phone calls and romantic walks from your dating days, spending hours getting to know each other, listening and talking? It wasn’t a chore or a task to get through. It was relationship-building motivated by love.

God is worth knowing and hearing from — I know that from what I have read about Him and discovered from reading His Word the Bible. I want to hear from God because I love Him deeply and desire the privilege of growing a closer relationship with Him. Wow — why wouldn’t you want an intimate relationship with GOD Himself? No brainer!

What I have discovered is that it’s not just a want but an absolute need to hear from Him… I need to hear from God because I am a complex broken mix of pride, selfishness, sinfulness, insecurity and anxiety — and that is on a good day. (Please don’t tell anyone as I worry what that will do to my pride).

I need to read the Bible and pray to hear from God because as a committed Christian I have dedicated my life to living for God and not myself. I am under new management. This journey started when I heard the Word of God and was convicted of my sin and need for a MAY 2019 5

Saviour. This journey continues as I receive the assurance from God every day that by faith I have received God’s acceptance, unconditional grace and forgiveness.

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I need to hear from God that when I fail, He continues to love me.

I need to hear from God that when life doesn’t make sense, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow — He is still in control and can be completely trusted.

I need to hear from God that there is hope beyond this sometimes sad, confusing and unsatisfying life.

I need to hear that my life has a higher purpose in God and that He equips me for that.

I need to hear God’s desire to transform me and fill me with His Spirit.

I also need to hear, not once but regularly, that I’m not more important than anyone else and that it’s not all about me.

I need to hear God’s heart for those around me — so His heart becomes mine.

I need to hear how generous and giving God is — so I am prompted to be the same.

I need to hear His loving correction and discipline — because this shows me how much He cares and wants the best for me.

Is all this one-way traffic like merely listening to a podcast from God? No, I need to hear how much God wants to hear from me too. He wants to hear my praise, adoration, thankfulness, my ”sorry”, my questions, complaints, needs and cares.

I love the imagery of Ezekiel Chapter 37 about how God breathes life back into the dry bones in the valley. That is what His living Word by His Spirit does for me.

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Why wouldn’t you take a drink of cool water on a hot day? It is refreshing!

Why wouldn’t you hold a loved one’s hand (when you are scared)? It is comforting!

Why wouldn’t you eat your favourite food if you had a choice? It brings joy!

Why wouldn’t you receive an amazing gift from a loved one? It grows love!

Why wouldn’t you want to hear from God? Mmm, I really can’t think why not, and any excuses I might have thought up now seem rather pathetic. What do you think, God? When I wake in the morning and my head floods with a long ‘to do’ list and my anxiety levels rise, I need to open the Bible, meet with God and allow Him to centre my life in Him and give me His perspective. I need to start each day knowing it is a precious gift from Him and that His presence and love goes into each day with me.

I want it.

I need it.

I love it!

“God, here I am, your servant - I am listening.

Oh by the way, please help me to act on what you say.”

“Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:4

MAY 2019 7

Q&A

At the recent Central Easter Camp we created an interactive prayer and reflective wall. Here’s some of the beautiful art and words from the campers.

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MAY 2019 9

MIND THE GAP

BY ANNETTE OSBORNE

C H I L D R E N A N D FA M I L I E S C O N S U LTA N T, S U N Z

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Tucked away in the midst of the Pacific Ocean was a slither of rough volcanic land. Giant stands of kauri, puriri and kahikatea clothed its slopes, alive with tuatara, kākāpō, tūī and korimako.

“Dear Diary” wrote Joseph Banks in 1770, “In the morning I woke early; and, as the dawn first peeped forth, was deafened by the sound of the bellbirds. The woods, which were close by, seemed to be thronged with them. Never before had I heard so loud a chorus.”

This was the land we call home, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Even as he penned these words, the dawn chorus was just an echo of what would have been heard four hundred years before. Today only around 20% of our forests remain. And as the trees have disappeared we have lost our bird song.

Consider the place of the Bible in our churches.

According to the 2017 Bible Engagement survey from the Bible Society, 43% of Christians rarely or never read their Bible.

How does this barren landscape of Bible engagement affect the faith formation of our churches? Without the trees, the birds fall silent. What song are we losing by not engaging with God’s word?

On a recent SUPAkidz children’s camp, I led the campers through a way of reading the Bible that allowed space for silence and reflection.

Afterwards, a nine-year-old shared how God had spoken clearly to her through a particular verse, telling her she was loved and that God had a purpose for her life.

That moment has challenged me: do we always come to the Bible expecting to hear God speak in ways that deeply impact our lives?

What if we took seriously the fact that God breathes life into the words on a page? What if we prioritised the exploration of scripture, expecting to find God in its pages? What if we took the time to follow the example of the psalmist and meditate on the words? What if we read more slowly, really took notice and learned to listen?

What would it look like if we did this individually and corporately? What would happen if our church gatherings became places where the Bible was read out loud in community and discussed across the generations? What if we included silent space for reflecting on scripture?

Tiritiri Matangi, an offshore island north of Auckland that was cleared of forest, used to be described as a place of sad solitude. But, in 1971 replanting began and today the island is once again clothed in native bush. As the ferry comes into the wharf you are immediately struck by the difference from the mainland.

Birds are everywhere — flying overhead, sitting in trees — and the deafening sound of bird song is back!

Imagine this as a picture of Bible engagement: the Word of God like flourishing trees across our landscape. As the trees grow, the bird song returns. As we engage with the words of scripture, we hear God speak to us.

Imagine children, young people, families and whanau hearing the voice of God in the same way the birdsong is heard on Tiritiri Matangi.

Imagine!

MAY 2019 11

BIBLE ENGAGEMENT IN NZ In 2017, Bible Society conducted a survey to discover how many New Zealanders today engage with the Bible. As we explore the topic of Bible engagement in this issue of the Adventure we wanted to share some compelling findings from their research.

These results are from the “Bible Society New Zealand 2017 survey; New Zealanders and the Bible�. For more detail and information visit www.biblesociety.org.nz/bible-research/

3 IN 5

7%

Nearly 3 in 5 New Zealanders own a Bible

7% read the Bible daily

18%

30%

18% attend church at least once a month

30% of New Zealanders aged 13 or over identify themselves as Christian

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Bible ownership in NZ 1986

85%

2008

67%

2017

57%

Christians and Bible ownership in NZ Yes, and I read it daily

22%

Yes, and I read it weekly

15%

Yes, and I read it once a month

7%

Yes, but I rarely read it

31%

Yes, but I never read it

12%

Don’t own one, but interested

5%

Don’t own one - not interested

8%

What are the main barriers to reading/interacting with the Bible more often?

35%

I don’t feel the need to read it

35%

I have no interest in reading the Bible

33%

It’s not a priority for me MAY 2019 13

TŌKU RAMA – MY LIGHT GWEN HAGUE

An interview with Gwen Hague, who has been translating Engage Bible App into Te Reo for us.

Kia ora Gwen. Why is translating the Bible App important to you?

Ko Te Reo Māori te reo matua o Aotearoa ā ko te reo māori toku reo – ko te reo nō te Atua, nō toku tipuna. He taonga toku reo; engari ko Te Reo Māori te reo whakamōrea. E ai ki te rangahau e rua paihēneti o Māori anakae e kōrero ana Te Reo Māori i te wā katoa.

Mehemea, kāore tātou ka hurihia tēnei, kua ngaro Te Reo Māori.

Te Reo Māori is the first language of NZ and it is my language. A language from God, from my ancestors. The language is a treasure but Te Reo Māori is an endangered language.

According to research, only 2% of Māori speak Māori all the time. If we don’t turn this around Te Reo Māori will be lost.

I know it takes you ages. What does it involve?

Māku, he roa te mahi o whakamāoritia, nā te mea, kāore au ka huri ngā kupu pākehā ki Te

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Reo Māori anō; ka titiro au ki te horopaki, ā ka pānui au te pānui anō He aha te horopaki? He aha te wairua? He aha te whakaaro o te kaitito?

He aha ngā kupu tika? He aha te rerenga tika?

Ki au he mea matua tēnei.

For me, translating is a long job because I don’t just turn English words to Māori, I look at the context, read it again, and ask – What is the context? The spirit? What are the thoughts of the composer? What are the right words?

What is the right sentence? To me, this very important.

What does the Bible mean for you?

He aha te Paipera ki au? Ko te Paiperea toku rama. Ētahi o te wā, kāore au ka kite te rama, hēoi ka kitea te rama e ahau. Ko tērā te aroha o te Atua nē?

What is the Bible to me? The Bible is my light, some of the time I can’t see the light, however, the light sees me. That’s the love of God isn’t it?

The Engage Bible App is an amazing free app that you can use to engage with the Bible everyday. For more info about the app or to download it please visit www.sunz.org.nz/engage

ISSUE

67 Welcome!

Check out our ideas!

Pull it out! & Pass it around!

The

Adventure

Begins!

When I started work with Scripture Union back in 2004, I was given two books: one on the history of Scripture Union in New Zealand, and the other was a copy of ‘The Adventure Begins: a practical guide to exploring the Bible with Under-12’s’ by Terry Clutterham. This book has proven to be one of the best resources on my bookshelf.

To my dismay it is now out of print. Published in 1996, this book is as relevant now as it was all those many moons ago. If you can find it in a second hand book shop I encourage you to buy it, or if you are based in Auckland feel free to come and borrow a copy from me.

This book works from the premise that God meets us in the pages of the Bible. Clutterham has this to say: “When we realise that God is on every page of the Bible, our adventure begins. We have something vital to discover about him in every part of his word. When our children realise this too, together we become a team of explorers.

Delving into the Bible with children will mean living adventurously.

Not only shall we attempt thinking, attitudes and activities that we have never tried before, but our children themselves will be giving us as much as we give them: perhaps they will bring us fresh insights and thrilling new ways of getting ‘under the skin’ of the Bible.”

In this edition of the WAY2GO mag I want to give you a couple of great ideas from the book, just in case you can’t find yourself a copy. Let the adventure begin!

___ Annette Osborne SUNZ Children and Families Consultant

Around I have used this activity countless times with children, and it works well with adults and family groups too! It is a great way to explore a passage from the Bible, and open up good conversations. You may like to use all or some of these questions depending on the time you have available, but it is great to be able to give this activity plenty of time so that the group has time to discuss and dig deep. Good things take time. Alternatively, spread the activity out over two sessions.

You will need: - Print outs of the Bible passage. Ten verses is probably the ideal length, and make sure the font isn’t too small.

You could copy-and-paste the text from an online Bible site such as www.biblegateway.com - Have wide margins, so there is space to ‘scribble around’, or glue your A4 sheet into the middle of a larger piece of paper.

- Divide the children up into small groups, with a leader.

- Give each small group the Bible passage and some coloured felt tip pens.

- Make sure each group has a Bible as well.

Instructions: 1. Circle everything Jesus did (If not using a Gospel story, circle what God is doing).

2. In the margin beside each action, draw a think bubble and write inside it (or draw a face to show) how the people in the story must have been feeling at the time.

3. Underline any words, sentences or ideas that you don’t really understand and put a question mark against them.

4. Does this story remind you of any other stories in the Bible? Write or draw these stories in the spaces.

5. If there’s a song that this story reminds you of, write its title and draw some notes around it.

You can finish this activity by sharing your responses. You might like to discuss some of the questions asked. You might like to sing one of the songs.

Reading for

READING’S SAKE “So mum, can I read the Bible in the morning when I wake up - like a book?’

‘Of course!’

‘It’s just that I’ve found out that it’s actually a really great book to just read and enjoy.”

Hilary Hague’s editorial uses this quote above. It arose from a daily practice we have developed on our SUPAkidz children’s camps. A few years back we discussed how to help children to see the Bible not simply as an instruction manual for living, or a text book to study, but as a living and exciting story. How could we help them to enter into the story and be caught up in it like they might any other story?

We introduced a daily practice into our programme, one that we have found enormously beneficial for the campers and us as leaders too! Terry Clutterham calls it the ‘Snuggle-up Value’. We want our children to read the Bible for reading’s sake, in the same way they might enjoy a good story at bedtime with their family. Here’s what we do: 1. Make sure everyone is comfortable.

Comfort is important for enjoying a good story. You might like to

provide cushions, or sit under a tree, or invite the children to lie down and close their eyes.

2. Choose a book of the Bible to read from. The gospels are a good place

to start from.

4.

Tell the children that we are going to read from the Bible and listen to it as a story. We will read it without asking questions about it.

5. Start reading from chapter one, verse one. At the end of your time, stop reading and put a bookmark in the Bible and close it.

3. Set aside ten minutes at least.

Just listen. If you have any questions that pop into your mind as you are listening, hold onto them and ask them later.

6. You may like to finish your time with a short prayer, thanking God for speaking to us through these words in the Bible.

Resist the temptation to question or study the passage. Simply let the story be. Trust that God speaks directly through the words of scripture, without explanation. We have seen this happen time and time again on our camps.

Why not encourage your families to do this as a daily practice, or set aside one day of the week to do this?

A Prayer “Lord, we pray that our children will rush to hear and respond to your word, not because they are forced to but because they want to.

Please help them to be sure that, whichever part of the Bible we are exploring together, the words hold what you, Lord, want our children to know. These words won’t turn out to be lies but truth by which they can safely live their whole lives.

So, Lord, help us to handle your word with children in such a way that they will long to be drawn into it often and be so engrossed in and shaped by thoughts that are your thoughts, that they never grow out of your word but are always growing into it.

May they be like ‘trees by a stream’ that display your glory throughout their lives.”

Terry Clutterham

Ready, Set, Go! Making disciples for Christ in all nations in the world of sport and play.

Scripture Union internationally is part of a network of organisations involved in sports ministry. If you are interested in resources for using sport and play to connect with church and community, then this website is a great place to start! It is packed full of resources that are free to download and use. www.readysetgo.ec/en

Scripture Union wants to work with your church to create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and influence the world.

Contact us and let us know how we can help you.

SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND

PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz

NOVEMBER 2018 19

Meeting God in the Great Outdoors

BY PAU L H U M P H R E YS S O U T H I S L A N D C A M P S FA C I L I TATO R , S U N Z

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t

Slogging my way up a remote mountain on a “picture postcard day” beside Lake Wanaka on an SUNZ wilderness journey E3, I found myself talking to a camper ahead of the group. The question soon arose: “have you ever felt the presence of God?” My response, as someone who uses the outdoors to facilitate faith conversations, was a combination of an answer and an open-ended question. “Yes, look where we are, how about now?” This sparked and generated even more holy conversation while the rest of the group caught up. I believe that in those moments in time God’s Spirit was present and meaningful faith formation took place… Thanks be To God! We didn’t have a copy of the Bible open with us up that mountain, but nonetheless, at that moment in time, we were still engaging with the Bible, through what it had said to us earlier that day. That morning we had talked about different ways God speaks to us and looked at scripture — singing scripture as a Psalm in Morning Prayers and using a handbook created for the 11-day life-changing E3 expedition for Year 12 and 13 students. No one had whipped out their physical Bible – can I just mention the impracticalities of carrying a heavy Bible for 11 days on your back — but did we engage with God and His word? You bet we did. Really, we didn’t stop engaging all day long.

For 14 years I served at camp in the USA as a Program Director at two different Presbyterian Camps. Imagine classic American summer camp and you’ve got it. I recall one challenging conversation with a parent who claimed that her two daughters never opened their Bible on their week at camp. My response was “…what’s your definition of opening their Bible…?”. This

conversation went back and forth with not a lot of headway or resolution… I think our definitions of Bible engagement might have differed.

I highlight this conversation because my sense is that engaging with God’s word is broader than physically opening a copy of the Bible.

And if we restrict our engagement with God’s word to times of reading the print, we might even miss just feeling the presence of God or (for the ministry that we are in) meeting God in the outdoors. We might miss a moment which, like the conversation on the side of a mountain, couldn’t have been more appointed by the Divine.

Over 11 days of hiking, paddling (kayak & rafting), mountain biking and more, E3 provides too many moments like that to mention.

Living in community and close to creation and The Creator strips away distractions and facilitates Bible engagement and prayer in a way that might not fit some definitions of Bible engagement.

However, according to one dictionary definiton, if something engages you, it keeps you interested in it and thinking about it. And so the way I see it, Bible engagement is reading the Bible… but it is also about keeping people interested in and thinking about God’s word. It is seizing the opportunities to draw God’s word into conversations and relate it to experiences and creation around us. It is looking for teachable moments for our camps (and learning moments for ourselves) where faith meets life. It is reflection and conversation as we walk and paddle and cycle. It is bringing God and His word into all we do.

MAY 2019 21

HOW DO WE READ THE BIBLE WELL?

BY HILARY HAGUE N AT I O N A L D I R E C TO R , S U N Z

It was a peaceful afternoon and I was sitting quietly when Josh banged open the door and rushed into my lounge. “Quick, quick!” he said.

“We need to build a tabernacle! Now!” As we unpacked his excited statement, it turned out that Josh wanted nothing more than to be obedient to the God he was just getting to know. So he had been reading his Bible.

He’d started at the beginning and he had just arrived in Exodus and he’d discovered God had commanded his people to build a tabernacle.

“Why don’t you have one?” he asked me.

The conversation turned into a discussion about the Bible and the place of Jesus at its center. I sent him off to read some of the letter to the Hebrews.

But he left me thinking. What is important to know as we open the Bible? How do we read it well?

There are four words that are helpful to remember when we read our Bible and they are words that begin to help us answer these questions.

RELATE First of all and most importantly, reading the Bible is about developing a relationship with God. We read the Bible to meet God. This means we need to pray and invite the Holy Spirit to help us as we read.

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READ Next, actually open the Bible and read it — and not just the parts that we like and are familiar with. Rather than look at verses in isolation, look at them in the context of the surrounding text. Over time we need to read all of the Bible.

This helps us understand God’s Big Story — a story that started at the beginning of time and stretches into infinity. A story that has love for us at its heart. Reading systematically also helps us understand how all the different parts fit together.

REFLECT Then allow time to listen to God as we reflect on what we have read. Here in SUNZ we talk about ‘engaging’ with the Bible. We use this word as it is richer and fuller than merely ‘reading’ the text. When we engage with the Bible the Holy Spirit is at work and we are entering a deep and life-changing process. It can be good to get a little bit of help to engage well, and that’s where Bible guides like the excellent ones we have in Scripture Union NZ come in. A good quality guide can help you understand the many different sorts of texts contained in the Bible — prose and poetry, history and revelation, parables and proverbs — as well as reflect on the context and depth of what you are reading.

RESPOND Lastly, respond to what we have read. Look for our part in God’s ongoing story. Explore what God has said to us, and pray and decide what it means as we live it out in the here and now.

Relate Read Reflect Respond These are words worth thinking about.

SUNZ values Bible engagement and we have resources that can help you engage with the bible. One of those resources is our daily bible reading guides. For more information about these valuable resources please visit www.sunz.org.nz/daily-bible-reading

MAY 2019 23

sunz - kupu ki oku - wae He rama tau

AGM 2019

SAVE THE DATE! Our upcoming AGM will be held on

Saturday, 17 August 2019 To make sure you receive all our updates for our upcoming AGM please make sure you are on our mailing list by emailing us at marketing@sunz.org.nz or keep an eye out for when registrations open on our website: www.sunz.org.nz

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light for the path

BY JANICE HUNT

EXPLORING… It was one of those sweltering Coromandel days. As we walked deeper into the gold mine the noises of the outside world faded. The temperature dropped. It became still. And then our headlights revealed pure sparkling water on the floor of the tunnel. We continued on, splashing through the water— so clear and refreshing.

The exploration suggested by our host had been quite an adventure: as we’d followed a plastic water pipe to find the source of our household water we’d climbed fences, sidled round slippery hillsides and clambered around blackberries… and now we were rewarded.

Sparkling fresh water welled out of the rock.

We stopped. We breathed in the silence and peace. We marvelled.

That water had been refreshing and sustaining us each day. Yet taking the time and effort to go deeper — to investigate more, to stop, to reflect on the wonder of what we found — brought a whole new appreciation of it. And a reminder of Jesus’ words: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

LIVING WATER God’s gift of His Living Water means we never need thirst again. But sometimes I need the reminder to slow down and drink appreciatively — to take time to delve deeper into His Word, to quietly listen as well as talk in my prayer, to be still and reflect on how God is speaking to me.

In today’s busy world geared to high sensory input it can be a challenge to find that place of quiet and stillness to stop, wait on God, and drink deeply. But when we do, silence becomes not an absence (of words, of sound) but a presence — of God’s spirit, the Living Water.

Reflect on God’s Living Water in your life– (see also John 4:4-30) • How can I build more quiet space into my life, to wait on God, to drink appreciatively?

• How can I encourage my children/young people/study group to do this?

• How is God calling me to be living water in the world?

MAY 2019 25

JAMUEL ENRIQUEZ

Our hangout space at the Central Easter Camp

Near the end of March we had our Staff Retreat held in Otaki. It was a great time to catch up with all of our staff members. We left feeling very encouraged about our ministry here in NZ. Recently we attended the Central Easter Camp in Fielding, where we had a comfortable space to hang out with teenagers attending this five day camp. We had great conversations with the campers and we estimated that approximately 26 www.sunz.org.nz

1300 young people came through our space in total!

We’re now busy preparing for the upcoming WAY2GO Children’s Ministry Conferences as well as our Winter Camps. Please pray that they will be well attended and that those who attend these events will have an excellent experience.

PonuiCamp Campchangeover changeovertime time Ponui KawakawaBay Bay atatKawakawa

AUCKLAND

ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM

Whangarei Church Camp

The Auckland office has been a hive of activity as Glenis has been juggling preparation for WAY2GO, end-of-year stock take and general office activities. Andy has also been busily preparing for the first fishing camp being run from Ponui Island during the April school holidays.

Andrew has travelled both south (to Christchurch) and north (to Whangarei) in the

past month, to facilitate the Bible engagement sessions at two church camps. At both camps, he modelled how to open the Bible intergenerationally, with all ages together, interacting with each other.

Annette has just returned from key meetings with the international team in Athens. We look forward to using some of the resources they have developed for use across the world.

NIGEL WINDER

Some of our staff at our recent staff retreat

A successful summer camps season has come and gone. Bronwyn and Karen beavered away behind the scenes while Lizzie was at the coal front leading Wild Wanaka before heading to Wellington to assist with the discipleship leadership camp Exodus Prime. Lizzie was also part of the team running Re:Gen, the interdenominational youth leaders’ training

day. We all enjoyed meeting up with the rest of the SUNZ team at Otaki for staff retreat. For me, it’s crunch time for finalising programme and workshop content for the Way2Go children’s ministry training conferences. We are hoping to restart a Southland prayer group.

Please contact us if you are interested.

MAY 2019 27

ORDER NOW ONLINE AT www.suresources.org.nz

NUA GUIDE AND USB

NUA is a film series that encourages questions, acknowledges doubt, and offers an engaging perspective on the Christian faith. NUA equips you with the ability to intelligently explore and understand what you believe. We give you tools to discuss your worldview with credibility and confidence, while encouraging you to wrestle with the things that just don’t seem to make sense. At the end of the day, this film series is about impact—immediate and personal, as well as the long-term, life-changing experience of working out your faith. For more information about NUA please visit www.sunz.org.nz/nua

$44.99 IT’S YOUR MOVE

It’s Your Move! is there to reassure children embarking on the next part of their educational journey (from intermediate school to high school), reminding them that God is always with them. In the UK over 1 million students have benefited from the advice and guidance It’s Your Move! contains, and through this brand new Kiwi version of the book, students across New Zealand can benefit from the same great advice. It’s Your Move! is a vital tool in helping students during an important time of change, but the effects last much longer than the weeks in between leaving one school and starting another.

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28 www.sunz.org.nz

$22.99 each

T R U E S T O R Y ( 1 0 PA C K )

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.

True Story is an ideal gift for unchurched young people, seekers and new Christians who are exploring the message of Christianity. It is ideal for youth groups, residential summer camps and youth outreach events and is perfect for: * giving to enquirers for their personal use;* reading oneto-one with a teenager or together as a family;* using in a small group church-based course or a school club setting.

$30.00 for a pack of 10 YOU & GOD

You & God is a prayer book for 11 to 14s, but it is not a traditional kind of prayer book! Rather than being full of prayers for young people to read, You & God encourages the user to pray in many different ways, thinking about all the different parts of their life. Written in a journal style, young people are encouraged to write, draw and stick things in as they pray and look for God’s answers to their prayer.

$12.98 each

MAY 2019 29

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These are quarterly Bible reading guides (they cover three months’ worth of bible reading) that will challenge, encourage, surprise and inspire you.

These guides are designed to lead you to a deeper understanding about what God is saying to you and His world today. The aim of these books is to attract readers who have used bible reading guides before, but also readers who are in the are trying bible reading notes for the first time.

$15.99 each for a single quarter $56.99 for a full year subscription

AIRLOCK SERIES

For 14’s and over. Provides three months’ worth of undated, themed Bible readings, which work systematically through different Bible books. They are designed to challenge and deepen our relationship with God. Step into Airlock and relieve the pressure. In this volume we come to the end of Abraham’s story, and continue with Psalms, Isaiah, Hosea, Obadiah, Matthew, Acts & 1 Corinthians.

$15.99 each

30 www.sunz.org.nz

Cut off your donation form here and return

D A I LY B R E A D A N D E N C O U N T E R W I T H G O D D A I LY B I B L E READING GUIDES

Cut off your donation form here and return

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Support our ministry Your support helps us to work with churches and in our ministry to children and youth in your neighbourhood and in communities all around New Zealand.

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PO BOX 760, Wellington 6140 | 0508 423 836 | info@sunz.org.nz He rama t찾u kupu ki 천ku wae | Your word is a lamp to my feet. Psalm 119:105 SUNZ is a member of the Scripture Union International Family