Berita SU. Reaching Children

Transcription

1 Berita SU Reaching The Next Generation With God s Word November 2014 PP 433/01/2013 (031285) Reaching Children By Rene Low SS Gospel Centre s King s Kids visit to orang asli (indigenous people) village: Combined worship session Some years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the 4/14 window. Based on a survey done, 85% of all people who accept Christ do so between the ages of 4 and 14. This motivated me to minister to children ever since. This was why Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (Mark 10:14). This was true personally in my life as I accepted Christ through the Sunday School ministry back then. The challenges in children s ministry have always been about meeting children s needs. But what is new today is the challenge of meeting multiple needs at the same time. A group of children may have diverse characteristics these days - different school systems, languages, economic backgrounds, religious beliefs, interests/hobbies, etc. And with that come diverse needs. Some need to hear the gospel for the first time, others need to be taught the Bible, still others look for friendship, and some just need a listening ear. While those needs may take different forms, the needs of all children are ultimately love and attention. Currently, I am reminded of a child in our Sunday School who was always reluctant to leave. I was initially puzzled until I discovered he longed for companionship because he lacked attention from his parents at home. A well-planned combination of programmes, people and prayer are among the most effective strategies for children s ministry. An interesting and meaningful programme will attract and retain children in your church. Have diversity in your programs, such as Bible teaching, music & song, craft, sports & games, VBS, outings, camps, mission, etc. Strive to excel in every area of the programme as you would never know what God can use to minister to needs. A special needs child who attended our Sunday School many years ago could barely communicate or understand Bible lessons. But he was attracted to the praise & worship sessions. Somehow, God ministered to him through that channel. He accepted Christ and continues to serve Him in his youth today. Children s ministry is a team effort given the diversity of needs to meet. Select a mixture of people from different ages and backgrounds as each person will bring different experiences, skills and gifts. Finally, pray. We are in a spiritual battle for the minds of children. Pray and trust that the Holy Spirit will make God s Word real to the children. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Last year we decided to hold a prayer vigil in our Sunday School. I was initially sceptical that the children could do it. But as it turned out, each child really opened up and shared many of his intimate fears, longings and needs. In the end, we experienced such a blessed time praying for each other. Scripture Union has played a prominent role in my children s ministry journey. SU pioneered children s work in this country and continues to focus on this as one of its key ministries today. Back then when I attended Sunday School, it was run by SU staff workers. In my initial years of serving in children s ministry, much of the training and inspiration I received came from SU children s ministry workers. Even today, our Sunday School uses SU UK s Light materials as they offer some of the best children s resources in the market. N e w s l e t t e r of Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malay s i a HEAD OFFICE: 386, Jalan 5/59, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: Fax: Website: info@su.org.my IPOH OFFICE: 21B Jalan Kampar, Ipoh Perak, Malaysia. Tel/Fax:

2 UPDATES FROM THE CHILDREN S MINISTRY English SUPA Camp, Penang By Jennifer Chew 80 Wider? Longer? Higher? children and 26 volunteers journeyed together to discover What is bigger? Deeper than you can ever imagine? at the Christian Convention Centre in Batu Ferringhi, Penang. The adventure to explore this truth was done, over a four-day, three-night camp (28 th -31 st May 2014), through its theme, Mega Makers. The Bible teachings were done interactively with Professor Emily, Scientist Miko and her assistant Arcee. There were other fun and challenging sessions such as kite and lantern-making workshops, team-building games, an evening of cooking dinner and a campfire gathering. Having younger volunteers made the camp a whole lot more fun. As long as you are a mature and committed individual with a teachable heart who follows Jesus, we would love to have you as a volunteer! Here s what some said: I learned to mingle and communicate with the children and also discovered different ways to present a lesson. Volunteering at SUPA has certainly helped me personally, and I would do it all over again! ~ Wong Yew Chien, 17, from Ayer Tawar, Perak ~ It is great to continually serve God with the different skills he has blessed me with. God is always faithful and good to me, ALL the TIME. ~ Derrick Lee, 22, from Batu Pahat, Johor ~ Being patient with the children and learning to understand how they think helped me a lot in growing closer to them. ~ Koh Hui Ning, 15, from Alor Setar, Kedah ~ English SUPA Camp (28th-31st May 2014): Getting the ingredients ready for their dinner cook-out. English SUPA Camp (28th-31st May 2014): Campers following instructions while making their kites. English SUPA Camp (28th-31st May 2014): The young and helpful volunteers! UPDATES FROM THE CAMPING MINISTRY Methodist Youth Fellowship Camp, Pulau Pangkor By Edwin Khoo Scripture Union staff, Lue Jun Yi and Edwin Khoo, were invited to speak at the recent Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) camp from the 30 th May 2014 to the 1 st June 2014 at the SeaGull Resort in Pulau Pangkor. It was attended by more than 30 youths who were accompanied by adult counsellors. The camp sessions were conducted based on the WordAlive camp syllabus which focused mainly on the origin and overview of the Bible, the teaching and significance of the Old and New Testament Books from the creation of men until the redemption of men through Jesus Christ. Daily devotions were held with the youth as well. It was a meaningful camp as many youths were challenged to examine their spiritual journey with God and how they could honour God by obeying His Word in all areas of their lives. A few youths renewed their commitment to the Lord before the end of the camp. We are thankful for such an opportunity to sow into the Kingdom of God. Methodist Youth Fellowship Camp (30th May st June 2014): The youth gathered around God s Word 2 Methodist Youth Fellowship Camp (30th May st June 2014): A sharing session on God s Word

3 UPDATES FROM THE YOUTH MINISTRY Subang Combined Christian Fellowship Camp (2 to 4-Jun-14) Damansara Utama Christian Fellowship Camp (3 to 5-Jun-14) Petaling Jaya School Christian Fellowship Rally (14-Jun-14) Pastor Steven Loh sharing the Word of God WORDAlive Camp By Collene Lee Group Photo Campers enjoying the games List 20 facts about yourself and tag your 20 favourite accounts INSTAKILOGRAM NEWSFEED Write why you are here at camp Write anything Those were some of the activities campers at the WORDAlive Camp were doing in between the following sessions taught: Personal time with God through the Bible, an overview of the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, the authenticity of the Bible, and how to study the Bible. The camp, attended by 22 youths, was held at the Port Dickson Youth Champagnat Centre from September Joshua Lim, one of the participants, shared that The camp was interesting. The sessions and workshop were good; the games were fun too! The camp really inspired me to learn more about God. Group Photo Fun interactive Games Campers listening attentively to the message Campers lifting their voices up to God WORDAlive Camp (15th-18th Sept 2014): Group photo WORDAlive Camp (15th-18th Sept 2014): Bible lesson at the beach School Christian Fellowship Leaders Training By Elaine Liew As part of SU s effort to serve and support School Christian Fellowships (SCFs), this half-day leadership training was held at the Methodist College, Brickfields on July 5. About 40 students including a few teachers from schools in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya attended the training. The training focused on three aspects of leadership by the respective speakers with a tea break in between:- The Heart and Qualities of a Leader by Roshan Thiran; Leadership Roles in SCFs by Lue Jun Yi; Closing Challenge by Koh Earn Soo. Some comments from the participants on what they have learnt were that leaders need to have a close relationship with God, persevering in prayer is vital to success, a small number can make a big difference and the importance of being fishers of men in school. At the end of the training, most of the participants School Christian Fellowship Leaders Training (5th July 2014): Roshan Thiran sharing on the Heart and Qualities of A Leader responded enthusiastically to the challenge to commit themselves to be better leaders in their SCFs and be salt and light in their schools. School Christian Fellowship Leaders Training (5th July 2014): Students from KLPJ Schools 3

4 UPDATES FROM THE BIBLE READING MINISTRY Bible Knowledge Postal Bible Quiz By Collene Lee and Elsie Cherian Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything that is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ( Joshua 1:8) Scripture Union conducts an annual Bible Knowledge (BK) Postal Bible Quiz for secondary school students, under the sponsorship of the Malayan Christian Schools Council (MCSC). In the short term, it is hoped that students will sit for the SPM BK paper. In the longer term, however, the prayer is that young people will develop a love for the Word of God and have a daily quiet time; that they will know and experience the reality of the Word; and that they will be rooted in the Word for their continued spiritual growth as disciples of Jesus Christ. This year, the Postal Quiz, held from April 4-21, was based on Genesis 37, and Luke 1-8. Of the 5,163 participants, 66% took the quiz in English while the remaining participants took it in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. By state, participants from Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Selangor and Perak continued to dominate (71%). The Rosie Cheah Award was given to 10 participants who achieved a highly commended pass for the quiz. For Alvin Koh, who sat for his SPM BK paper in SMK Bukit Mewah, Seremban, in 2013, Studying Luke and Acts was worth it something I will never regret It wasn t only an academic subject but also a good opportunity to study the Bible and grow spiritually... I received a lot of motivation from my BK teacher, who taught us about life while teaching BK I hope you ll find joy in studying BK, because it is something special! We hope you will encourage your School Christian Fellowship or church Youth Fellowship to take part in the Quiz next year! SU Notes Available Online Scripture Union has put its Bible devotional readings online for free access to the public. Our desire is to instil a life-giving experience from reading God s Word regularly, and we hope our devotional guides can help towards this goal. We have launched the first volume of our Asian Reflections on YouVersion, renamed as Bible Reflections from Scripture Union Volume One. This is a Bible reading plan in YouVersion, the popular online Bible reading website ( reading-plans/709-asian-reflectionsvolume-one). Take a look! You can also download the YouVersion app for smartphones and tablets to access the reading plan and carry it with you wherever you go. GENERAL UPDATES Staff Retreat (13 to 15-Jul-14) Group Photo A fun night of games Staff Training on Inductive Bible Study By Elaine Liew A two-day training for SU staff on Inductive Bible Study was organized from Aug 19-20, 2014 at Luther House, Petaling Jaya. The training was conducted by an experienced Pastor and Bible teacher Reverend John Khoo from Grace Christian Church, Bukit Mertajam. A total of 13 staff members attended the training. It was a very interesting 2 days of intensive study on how to employ the basic steps of observation, interpretation, implication and application in the Staff Training (19th-20th Aug 2014): Group photo study of Scriptures. The training enabled readers to have a better understanding of biblical texts and more importantly, their application in one s life. Those who attended the training had positive comments on the training with one member expressing her intent to apply the method in her quiet time. Another member thought the training was concise and systematic in its methodology. In particular, the part on application was most useful but with a caveat of the need for greater awareness of the wider context. 4

5 GENERAL UPDATES cont. First Steps with Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary, Penang As a follow-up to the SCF Seminar held in Penang in 2013, where Dr Ken Choo from the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) attended, another smaller gathering of teachers and students was held at MBTS on the 3rd of June this year. This was to consider how we might work with the seminary to enhance the schools work in Penang in particular. Dr Ken Choo, the Academic Dean, was a teacher before taking Eager participants engaged in a discussion to enhance schools work in Penang. up theological studies and seminary teaching. He still has a heart for schools work and teachers. He offered to explore how the seminary could perhaps provide courses (with scholarships) during the holidays that can encourage teachers, or give a refreshing retreat for fellowship and relaxation. Our meeting was also in conjunction with their School of Trans-Cultural Mission (STCM) which is held in June and July every year. We had the opportunity to share the vision and mission of SU for schools work to the Malaysians as well as others from various countries attending the STCM. School Christian Fellowship Seminar, Sitiawan School Christian Fellowship Seminar, Sitiawan (27th Sept 2014): Inspiring sharing by two Sitiawan teachers (left) facilitated by Indyrany (extreme right), the GS of Teachers Christian Fellowship. Sitiawan is different from similar towns in Peninsular Malaysia in that you can find many more Christian teachers and students there than in other towns. That was why Scripture Union (SU) and the Teachers Christian Fellowship (TCF) chose to hold the School Christian Fellowship (SCF) Seminar, which we initiated last year in Sitiawan, this time on the 27th of September In spite of it being a school replacement day in the morning, more than twenty teachers made an effort to attend, with some students and an encouraging number of parents and church leaders as well, who discussed how they can be more involved in schools ministry and building up SCFs. The Sitiawan area has great potential for vibrant Christian presence and witness in its schools. We hope to make more connections to the churches there, especially the Chinese churches. ON Institute By Joanne Liaw, Edwin Khoo and Tinna Monica The term, ON Institute, was coined for two reasons to get newlyappointed staff ON with their ministries and also because the programme was held between the October to November period in its infant years. ON Institute is a comprehensive orientation training programme to educate newly-appointed staff in the Scripture Union East Asia region on Scripture Union s history, aims, mission, ethos, working principles, core ministry knowledge and skills. This programme saw its inception after Reverend Koh Gim Lam became the Regional Secretary of Scripture Union East Asia in Scripture Union Peninsular Malaysia sent two of its delegates, Edwin Khoo and Tinna Monica, to the most recent ON Institute which was held in Bangkok from the 16th-23rd of June They share below some thoughts about their time there: Edwin Khoo: Being enlightened on the aims and beliefs of Scripture Union enabled me to understand, in greater depth, the vision that God entrusted to Scripture Union over a century ago. We should continue to obey the mandate given by God to preserve the centrality of Scripture in discipleship and evangelism. It was amazing, and yet humbling, to ON Institute (16th-23rd June 2014): ON participants from the SU East Asia Region assembled under the Cross in a church in Bangkok witness how some countries, with harsh religious freedom restrictions, treasure God s Word. Devotional materials printed in their mother tongues are scarce and many depend on Scripture Union staff to translate and produce their own materials. Tinna Monica: I thank God and Scripture Union for the opportunity to join the ON Institute. It was indeed a blessing to meet people from different countries and get an overview of Scripture Union as a whole. 5

6 New Executive Director for SU Peninsular Malaysia Left to Right: Koh Earn Soo, Executive Director; Jory Leong, Chairman; Christopher Cheah, Ministry Director Welcome to Koh Earn Soo as the Executive Director for SU since August 2014! Earn Soo was serving as the Chairman of the SU Council before joining the Staff Team. Jory Leong has taken over as the Chairman. Christopher Cheah, the former General Secretary, has been redesignated as the Ministry Director of SU. The Executive Director is another term for the position of the General Secretary, which is used commonly in other SU movements around the world. Welcome, Marianne! By Joanne Liaw It is our greatest pleasure to welcome our new staff, Marianne Liaw, to the Scripture Union family. Before her entrance into Scripture Union on the 1st of August 2014, she served as a pastoral staff in St. Mary s Cathedral in various ministries such as teaching Scripture, counselling, home visitations, youth fellowship, children s church, schools work and outreach ministries. Her invaluable years of experience in Christian ministries have enabled her to contribute much in her capacity as a Youth Ministry staff at Scripture Union in reaching out to schools, evangelising, teaching and equipping youths with Bible reading skills. Let us pray earnestly that Marianne enthusiastically sharing the Gospel with attentive students at the Christian Fellowship of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Petaling she will keep the Gospel central in everything she does and be faithful in the work that God has called her to do for the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are so few. U P C O M I N G E V E N T S DATES CAMPS / EVENTS AGE GROUP LOCATION November NSCFL Camp Youth STM, Seremban 3-13 December d NA Youth STM, Seremban Leaders and potential leaders in the School Christian Fellowship must not miss this camp. The teaching activities will help equip campers to be salt and light for Christ in their schools. D Nous Academy provides theological education tailor-made for teenagers. It is also a fellowship of like-minded youths stimulating one another to grow in Christ. The curriculum is designed to help them develop a Biblical outlook so that their Christian faith is more deeply rooted and relevant to every area of their life. Through community service, they have the opportunity to live it out immediately by learning to be caring citizens. This wholistic training is likely to make a tangible impact on them. It is significant that it happens at this formative stage of their life. - Dr. Leong Tien Fock- D Mission To forge a NEW generation of YOUNG THINKERS through the Training and Discipline of the HEART, MIND and SPIRIT. Note: If you would prefer to receive Berita SU in soft copy through rather than in hardcopy through postal mail, please notify us by at info@su.org.my. N e w s l e t t e r of Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malay s i a Published by Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malaysia, 386, Jalan 5/59, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Printed by Printmate Sdn. Bhd., 16 Jalan Industri PBP7, Taman Industri Pusat Puchong, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.