BERItA SU JULY SPECIAL FEATURE Staff Time With Dr. Lawson Murray Volunteer s Appreciation Dinner

Transcription

1 JULY 2018 BERItA SU G ith w n o ati Gener Reaching the NEXT rd Wo s od SPECIAL FEATURE Staff Time With Dr. Lawson Murray Volunteer s Appreciation Dinner YOUTH CORNER Inter-CF Captain Ball Tournament Penang SCF Rally SU KEDAH Camp CHILDREN s CORNER Impossible Possible Children s Ministry Coalition STAFF MATTERS Meet Our New Staff SU Resources COMMUNAL BIBLE ENGAGEMENT PP 433/01/2013 (031285) pg 3 & 4

2 YOUTH CORNER SPECIAL FEATURE INTER-CF CAPTAIN BALL TOURNAMENT This is history in the making. I m referring to the inaugural Inter-SCF Captain Ball Tournament called the CAP Games, that was held at SMK (L) Bukit Bintang, P.J., on 28 April Captain ball has been a growing sport among the churches and schools over the recent years, and we decided to jump on the bandwagon to use it as a platform for the SCFs to reach out to their friends. Albeit the first time, we had a total of 20 teams from 15 schools (one all the way from Tanjung Malim!) that participated in the tournament. We thank God for the Gospel shared, protection from major injuries, meaningful fellowship, new friendships, and good weather (although it was a tad too hot, it was better than rainy weather). We hope that this will be a stepping stone for the various SCFs to continue connecting and building meaningful friendships that lead to opportunities to share Christ. Congratulations also to SMK BUD3 CF for being the maiden CAP Games champions! son Dr. Law m left) E with (fro nifer and lkha, Jen Joelle Dr. Lawson wi th Christopher at the bird park staff, gement ible Enga n with B so aw L Dr. d Joel (left) an Timothy STAFF TIME WITH DR LAWSON MURRAY ideas and thoughts on how they could be more effective with children. For Joel Wong, BE staff, one thing Dr. Lawson said remained with him, that the key to getting people to read the Bible was that they know and love Jesus first. Then the desire to read will follow. The SU staff had the opportunity to spend time with Dr. Lawson on his recent visit here. The team had an afternoon with him, and among other things he shared, he gave an impassioned call for the place of sports ministry in outreach. 80% of people in the world either participate or follow sports, making it a great way to build bridges to people outside the church. Dr. Lawson had time off to visit our National Aviary, with Christopher and Rosalind Cheah. Birds are one of his favourite pastimes, having worked in a Bird Farm before in South Africa. At meal times with smaller groups of staff, he discussed his other passions Children s Ministry and Bible Engagement. The Children s Ministry staff exchanged ALLY PENANG SCF R In recent years, the Lord has blessed SU with a pool of volunteers who serve alongside the staff. These volunteers sacrificially contribute time and effort to help out at the many SU camps, training sessions, conferences, School Christian Fellowship visits and other events. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! ents were hools. 1 Rally. Stud sc 18. rs he ac te students. rs at the annual rs, and not Worrie rio ar W be to d ge challen ) Methodist ch 2018 at SMK (P ar M 17 on lly Ra e Penang SCF e to co-organise th ion had the privileg Un re tu rip Sc. o ng wh Pena ank God for those nd time and we th ia! event for the seco or Gl. Soli Deo d attended the rally have helped out an In appreciation of their partnership, we were privileged to invite these volunteers to a dinner on 30 January Our guests were feted to a delicious spread at the spanking new outlet of Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock Restaurant in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur. AMP C H A D In an atmosphere of camaraderie, members of the SU Council and the staff enjoyed this night of warm fellowship with the volunteers, sharing good food in the cosy ambience of the beautiful restaurant. As the Lord has blessed us with volunteers in Penang and Ipoh too, we hope to fellowship and express our appreciation for these volunteers over a meal there soon. SU KE 生的布 -20岁学 2 1 合 也会 个适 学生 p 是一 m 仰 a C 信 h 督 a 比如 关于基 SU Ked 的活动 了教导 到 除 不 触 瀑 接 道营会 然 如 些日常 自 一 大 验 体 园 参观及 动物 等等 制造厂 啡 茶园 咖 园 花 参观 山 溪 爬 布 小 1 2

3 Dive Deep in Bible Engagement seminar COMMUNAL BIBLE ENGAGEMENT RIZE Conference - Children Ministry Conference Many Christians engage with So how did we get to where the the Bible mainly by themselves. plural focus of Bible engagement We read it privately during a became more singular? quiet time, interpret it alone and experience it personally in the sanctity of our home. Which is good and fine. Or is it? Private engagement with the Bible isn t the biblical norm. In most instances when the Bible mentions press in the 15th century, engagement with the Bible became book-focused. Books facilitated the shift from the Bible mainly being heard in the community to mainly being read individually. engagement with God s Word, it s While some things are gained in the context of the community. through the process of change, God s people experienced the Bible some things are also lost. The as we, more so than me. People printing press shifted Bible would gather together, often in engagement from something that someone s home (Acts 2:44-46, was about communal formation 12:12-17), and the Bible would to something that was, according be read aloud while everyone to Glenn Paauw, more about a listened. Then, having listened to private me-and-god book. the Word, they interacted with it, processing, digesting and acting on it together. Hearing with others, rather than reading independently, was the biblical reality because it was an oral culture with very few copies of Dr. Lawson Murray With the advent of the printing the Scriptures available. So why is the privatisation of Bible engagement an issue? Shifting from private to communal Bible engagement isn t easy. New postures of thinking and acting aren t formed overnight. For communal Bible engagement to thrive, we must intentionally make it happen. And this takes fortitude, prayer, wisdom, unity, and hard work. This article is written by Dr. Lawson Murray, the President of SU Canada and author of several books including Bible Engagement Basics. Bible Engagement in BM at Sabah This book is about learning how to engage with the Bible in order to meet with Jesus and live in harmony with His Story, says Dr. Lawson. WORDAlive Camp This book is for Christians who realise that Bible reading alone is not enough, but who desire to connect with Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him. Do contact SU for copies of Bible Engagement Basics at RM30 each. Discussion in the outdoors at WORDAlive Camp Privatised Bible engagement is problematic because self-directed connections with the Bible often lead to self-oriented responses to the Bible. And mostly serving personal needs is the antithesis of biblical faith. 3 Renewal begins when we recognise that the Bible is primarily addressed to the community of faith, speaks to our shared actions and beliefs, and invites the people of God to work together to make disciples of all people. Then, with this understanding as our foundation, we imagine, explore and experience the Bible together. Experiencing the Bible together can take countless forms. It may be small groups of students gathering together on campus lawns to read the Bible, or a family discussing the Scriptures during supper. Regardless of the form, the way we experience the Bible together should include listening, learning, and living out the Bible as us. This requires humility, grace, and an openness to hear from God through what others say. WORDAlive in Chinese! Yes, the WORDAlive Camp was held for the very first time in the Chinese language this March, for about 30 youths from the Sri Botani Presbyterian Church in Ipoh. The camp, held at the SUFES campsite, saw the youths working through how they could read the Bible, how to do quiet time, and understanding God s Big Story of the Bible. The teaching sessions and workshops, interspersed with outdoor adventures and activities such as drama and dance, were fun, engaging and interactive. 4

4 CHILDREN S CORNER 64 campers aged 8-12 years old from Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Seremban, Johor, and even as far as Vietnam, and a total of 19 staff and volunteers, participated in the SUPA camp from March 2018 in El Sanctuary, Melaka. A handful of campers joined us for the very first time. From the theme talk, Impossible Possible, the campers learnt that nothing is impossible when you surrender everything you have to God (Matthew 19:26), just like how God multiplied the 5 loaves of barley bread and 2 fish that the small boy willingly gave to Jesus to feed the multitude who followed Him (John 6:5-13). The campers learnt that they are in God s big story from the BE session, some useful sign language from the worship songs they sang, and how to compete graciously and bond with their team members during the outdoor games session. They also learnt basic hip-hop dance grooves from various workshops, creativity from modelling with paper clay, how to face their fear of the dark from the night hike and how to be independent from climbing up and down the hill, baking cookies and mapping. During Fun Night, they MEET OUR NEW STAFF What made you join SU? Growing up, I was deeply impacted by Scripture Union (SU) camps. I attended my first SU camp when I was 14, the National School Christian Fellowship Leaders (NSCFL) Camp. Since then, I attended the camp yearly until I was 16 and after that, I helped at the camp for 4 years. My close connection with SU, coupled with the impact it has been for young Christians, encouraged me to go full-time in SU. had fun dancing and singing around the campfire. Many campers told their group leaders that they wanted to come back again next year. There were also campers who received Christ as their Lord and Saviour and we are praying that they will continue to be strengthened in their faith in knowing God. Chai Tze Kwang What are you looking forward to in your ministry at SU? To be able to sow seeds into young Christians and see them grow and give back to Christian teens like how SU previously did for me. The opportunity to sow seeds into the lives of young Christians gives me the motivation to continue in this ministry. What made you join SU? I sensed God s leading to lead young people and I m excited about the next generation and ministries to help this generation flourish in the Gospel and in the Word. I also have a burden for urban teens, who face a whole set of different issues and struggles, compared to those in the outskirts and rural areas. SU was a door God opened for me. What are you looking forward to in your ministry at SU? I hope to see many young people s lives transformed by the Gospel, by God s Word, and through the Holy Spirit - creating a ripple effect to those we may not be able to reach ourselves. CHI LDREN'S MIN IST RY COALITION learning to use compass session Following the RIZE conference in November 2017, a ca ll was made for children s minist ers to form a coalition with the purpose of exchanging ideas an d resources to share and build on e another in children s ministry work in Malaysia. If you are keen to be a part of this coalition; kindly sign up at coalition for further updates. games - blowing ping pong on water morning exercise 5 Joel Mohan SU RESOURCES Tumbuh Dalam Firman 2 Tumbuh Dalam Firman 2 disediakan untuk membiasakan diri membaca Alkitab dan sangat sesuai bagi mereka yang baru mula mengenal Tuhan Yesus. Buku ini menyediakan jadual pembacaan dan isi huraian yang singkat dan sari fikiran yang sederhana. Pembaca dapat meneliti seluruh pokok inti Perjanjian Lama dan Perjanjian Baru. Buku ini dapat membantu kita mempelajari Firman-Nya secara teratur setiap hari, meneliti petikan utama, disegarkan secara rohani dan dapat memupuk disiplin berdoa dan membaca Firman Tuhan setiap hari. 6 STAFF MATTERS IMPOSSIBLE POSIBBLE

5 u p c o m i n g events DATES CAMPS / EVENTS AGE GROUP LOCATION 14 July 2018 KL/PJ SCF Leaders Training Youth KL-PJ Aug 2018 SU Brigade Youth (SUBY) Camp Youth SUFES Campsite, Tapah Aug 2018 SU-DUMC WORDAlive Conference Youth Petaling Jaya 26 Nov - 1 Dec 2018 NSCFL Camp Youth STM, Seremban 4-14 Dec 2018 d NA Camp Youth STM, Seremban NSCFL CAMP 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. WORDAlive Conference At this conference, youths will discover treasures in the Word of God, as God s Big Story unfolds. Realising that their individual life story is inextricably linked to God s Big Story, the Word comes alive! Interesting workshops will equip them to continue engaging with the Word post-conference. This discipleship camp, jointly organised by SU and FES, is actually an academy for the training of the spirit, heart, and mind; so as to nurture a young generation of leaders and critical thinkers. The d Nous Academy is run on a 3-year / stage cycle. SUPPORT SCRIPTURE UNION Please prayerfully consider supporting us in any way you can. If you decide to give a donation, you can send a cheque to Scripture Union, 386 Jalan 5/59, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, payable to The Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malaysia. Or Bank in to HSBC Bank: / Maybank: Please notify us on the payment details at info@su.org.my or Thank you. SUPM OPERATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORT AS OF 31 MARCH 2018 NEWSLETTER OF SCRIPTURE UNION IN SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA Published by Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malaysia, 386, Jalan 5/59, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.