AFRICA NEWS & PRAYER BULLETIN SCRIPTURE UNION AFRICA Volume 27, Issue 46 APRIL JUNE 2014 Pray for Peace: I have been reflecting on the word peace and in the Life Application Study Bible, one of the definitions given for peace is... a state of security or order within a community; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. We need this in Africa. We need peace in Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan, Nigeria, Guinea, Kenya and even in Egypt. In CAR, Christians are killing their Muslim brothers and this is definitely a very bad testimony for the church. The story in Nigeria and Kenya is that of a suffering church in the hands of people of other faiths while in South Sudan, there is a tribal angle to the conflict. In Egypt, we have witnessed dramatic political instability with associated suffering for many. Training in progress The situation in Guinea is frightening with accompanying very draining emotions. The population has been grappling with an epidemic breakout of bleeding fever caused by the dreaded ebola virus. Recent official reports put the infected cases at 122, with about 80 dead but the reality on the ground is much worse. This is the environment in which we are operating and so let us pray for peace. Rev. David Gichung wa, Africa Region Director Madagascar: In March 2014, Madagascar had a successful training for volunteers from 17 regions within the country. The training which was conducted in the style of Shaping for Service had 60 participants. This is a good battalion for the ministry in Madagascar and it is our prayer that those trained will implement what they learned and have a positive impact to the glory of God. We have included two photos taken during the training: 1 Discussion During the Training Uganda: In December 2013, SU Uganda organized 7 End of Year Camps across the six (6) Regional Bases by the Scripture Union staff and field assistants. These camps ran under the theme Freedom in Christ Galatians 5:1. Exciting, interactive and entertaining workshops and seminars were organized where Children and youth experienced a good time with great testimonies. The Gospel was
preached and many received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior. Quiet Time, Bible Reading and prayer were also a blessing to the young people since some testified how they had never had such transforming activities. We bless the Lord for such great work through the staff and field assistants. Games and sports in one of the camps Thu 3: Clayton Fergie. The Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) partners in a South Asian initiative focused on Next Generation Scripture Engagement among young people. A multi-language research project has been taking place throughout South Asia as a lead up to a conference in Colombo (8-13 April) coinciding with the annual meeting of FOBAI. Pray for Clayton in his role as part of the leadership team. EAST/WEST ASIA REGION Fri 4: Leadership changes. A number of SU movements in the SUEWA Region are going through leadership changes. Hong Kong s new General Secretary started at the end of 2013. Indonesia and Taiwan have had new National Directors since early 2014. Japan recently appointed a new General Secretary. Please pray for God's continued blessings on these transitions. PACIFIC REGION Sat 5: Queensland: There has been a second challenge to the High Court relating to the constitutional legitimacy of Government funding for School Chaplaincy. Please pray for Peter James (CEO SU Queensland) and the legal team as they defend this valuable, life transforming ministry. PRAYER ITEMS: APRIL Tue 1: Africa Region. A Regional Council meeting is scheduled to be held June 24 27 in Nairobi, Kenya. Pray for the safety of all the participants as they travel to and from the meeting and that the decisions made during the meeting will be for the good of the SU ministry in the region and beyond. Wed 2: A1 Admin. Production of the SUI 2013 Annual Report is due to be complete in April. Please pray for Sue Stott and Ruth McIntosh as they oversee its timely translation, production and distribution. Sun 6: Janet Morgan. As Chair of the Forum of Bible Agencies International, Janet will be at their conference in Sri Lanka, April 9-13. There will be a special emphasis on Bible engagement with South Asian youth and also the first meeting of a new group developing Bible engagement with deaf people. Mon 7: Scotland. Many SU Scotland staff members are involved in delivering religious observance in schools (sch ool assemblies). Pray for clarity in presentation and for good relationships to be built with school staff. The Secular Society in Scotland continues to lobby against what they see as Christians abusing their opportunities in schools. Please pray for great wisdom in speaking about faith in these contexts. Tue 8: Nepal. Thank God for the 133 children who attended the Vacation Bible School in MirchaiyaSirha- east 2
from Kathmandu from November 3 5. Most of them from Maithili people, one of the least evangelized people groups in Nepal. Wed 9: Nepal. Praise God for the Teen Teachers Training last January. Pray for the Chitwan Vacation Bible School, April 16-18, where about 150 children are expected to participate. Pray for effective distribution of Bible Guides for adults and teens as we begin the new-year in April. Thu 10: Czech Republic. We are taking some Czech young people to Worthing (UK) to help run a Holiday Bible Club in a local school. We are also cooperating with the Czech Bible Society and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to run the European Bible Championship in the Czech Republic Parliament building. The winners and runners-up will win a one-week trip to Israel. Please pray that this event will fulfil the main vision of the championship: to turn attention to the book of books. Fri 11: South Africa. This year is election year and so far we have been entertained by our politicians who will never fail to amuse us. With the former ANC Youth Leader, Julius Malema forming a political party, it is going to be a year full of dramas. My prayer is that we as concerned citizens will ask God to lead us to vote for a party that will improve the quality of life for all citizens and uphold integrity and human rights. Sat12: Regional Director. Please continue praying for Paul Owen's complete recovery after he suffered a heart attack last January. He has gradually begun working again and regaining strength and his physical condition. Sun 13: Honduras. The movement is fervently serving in a very unstable social and political context, in which the country's economy has reached its lowest historical level. Please join our brothers and sisters in Honduras in prayers for a strengthening of the movement's ministry, for Heavenly protection over workers and volunteers as they travel and serve in frequently violent circumstances. Pray for finances needed to serve with excellence and efficiency. 3 Mon 14: Former Soviet Republics. Give thanks for the relationship between the SU movements in Britain and Ireland and the FSR movements and for the mutual benefit of these relationships. Pray especially for the change to a more movement to movement relationship. Any change brings its anxieties and we ask for your prayers that God will bring peace; England and Wales will link with Moscow, Tajikistan, Armenia and Siberia; Northern Ireland with St Petersburg and Scotland with Ukraine and Belarus. Tue 15: England and Wales. Please pray for Project CUBE, the digital Bible engagement project for 8-11s which is at a very important stage of development. EAST/WEST ASIA REGION Wed 16: Cambodia. There were some staff movements in SU Cambodia earlier this year. We are concerned that two of our key staff will be leaving Scripture Union. Please pray for the situation. Pray too that God will bring in suitable people to fill the vacancies. Thu17: West Asia. Jason Fong has just come back from a visit to West Asia. Among other activities, he has taught in a gathering of Bible readers. Please pray that the seeds sown will bring forth fruits. Pray too that Jason will progressively gain a better understanding of these countries. Fri 18: Denmark. We are very pleased to welcome ToveKousgaard, our new editor for the Bible reading-site El-camino.dk! Pray for God s blessing on her and the site s readers. The board has agreed on a new and ambitious strategy plan for 2014-2016. Initiatives include: new adult Bible reading notes, development of digital Bible reading, a new Bible reading resource for teenagers, improvement of our external communication and our finances. Pray for wisdom for us to see God's way forward, and courage to walk in it. Sat19: West 2 Sub-region. The Sub-regional Meeting is scheduled to take place in Freetown Sierra Leone, April 23-26. Please pray for strength and good health for the planning team members, for needed resources and for travel arrangements and all other logistics.
PACIFIC REGION Sun 20: Regional Review. As a Region we plan to gather May 24-25 for consultation on the Living Hope SU global and regional Structures/Framework review. In addition in the lead up there will be other meetings of SU Australian leaders and Pacific Island leaders for networking, ministry management and planning and Shaping for Service training. Please pray for Lloyd Carter, Sam Emery and team as they plan for a productive time and the growing of our regional relationships. Mon 21: Pacific Islands Bible Engagement. The new publication Grow adapted from Khula (SU South Africa) is now being distributed widely especially in Vanuatu, PNG and Solomon Islands. Please pray as students access these books and find much help in their understanding of Scripture and growth in their relationships with Christ. SU Tonga is now being resourced by Daily Bread translations into Tongan and Fiji has published a guide as well. Tue 22: Sri Lanka. Thank and praise God for the special program prayer gives victory for school children held in January and the teacher training programme for Sunday school teachers in February. Pray for wisdom and guidance for Ayomie, Manori, Amanka and Timothy, the SU staff, as they continue to serve God through SU. Wed 23. Uganda. The Scripture Union Uganda students and Children s camps start on 25 th April in the 6 different regions of our country. Please pray for provision and transformation. Thu 24: Terry Williams is leading Trainer of Trainers weekend training events in Oslo, Norway (April 25-27) and Beirut (May 1-4). Both are partnerships between Scripture Union and other agencies and denominations. Also in May (14-15) Terry is co-facilitating Australia Talks Family - a national conversation around family drawing representatives from all denominations and para-church agencies. can contribute to bringing the Bible back to the centre of attention of our nations. Our aim is to make Bible study among churches more contemporary and popular. Pray that we will achieve our vision and aim. Sat26: Kenya. SU together with eight other organisations has been developing a curriculum for a programme of Pastoral Instructions (PPI) that has potential of being used in all the primary schools in Kenya. Thank God for the 90% accomplishment this far. Pray that the curriculum will get approval from Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Pray for the team as we embark on developing the instructional materials. Pray that we shall get partners to walk alongside us in this programme. Sun 27: Uganda. Scripture Union Uganda staff will start 40 days of prayer and fasting on 2 nd May until 10 th June. Pray that it will be an enriching and fruitful time for our spiritual lives. Mon 28: South Africa. Thank God for the many volunteers in the SU South Coast Region. Pray that they would know God s presence and inspiration. Pray also for our volunteers who give sacrificially of their time and skills to serve young people in our country. Tue 29: Hungary. We are grateful to God for providing a good and capable new staff member, KingaKristóf, who joined our team as office manager in November 2013. She was thrown in at the deep end right at the beginning, handling all the renewals of yearly subscriptions of our Bible reading notes, and preparing for the Christmas Christian book fair in December - but she did a wonderful job. We are grateful for her enthusiasm, good spirit and work! Wed 30: New SUI Framework. Please pray for Janet Morgan and the process steering team as they work on the new global framework/structure. This has come out of the Living Hope process. The regions will be looking closely at the proposals in May and June. Pray for a real sense of God s leading in the whole movement. MAY Fri 25: Latvia. The Latvian Bible championship is currently taking place March - May. Inspired by the Czech Republic experience, our vision is the same as theirs: Together we 4
Thu 1: Wendy Strachan. SU International is developing a tool to help SU movements to evaluate the quality of Bible engagement in their activities and resources. Please pray for Wendy s involvement and that the outcome will help us ensure that our use of Scripture is always engaging, appropriate to the context and loyal to our SU hermeneutical principles. Fri 2: LLB Canada. Canada is a large country and we need to establish a stronger network of representatives in French-speaking areas. We are asking God for volunteers to undertake the responsibility of visiting churches and pastors to promote the ministry. Please pray that qualified volunteers will respond to the challenge. Sat3: LLB Canada. We will begin preparation of our summer camp for underprivileged kids soon and also preparation of activities for kids in various areas this summer. Please pray for volunteers for this ministry, also for God's grace in the lives of kids that we will reach with the Gospel. Sun 4: Swaziland. Please pray for Regional family/ SU Days to be well attended and to fire up the zeal for God and SU ministry Mon 5: Scotland. Give thanks for those willing to serve as Team Leaders at SU Holidays and Missions this summer, and pray for those taking on this responsibility for the first time. Their role has many demands including ensuring that the team works well together and that the Bible is taught faithfully. EAST/WEST ASIA REGION Tue 6: Vietnam. Grace and Theresa are staff newly appointed to serve with SU in Vietnam. Please pray for good guidance and supervision from the local committees. Pray that the new staff will understand how the ministry works and learn the ropes well. Wed 7: Regional Exco and Council. As the SUEWA Exco members come together for the SUEWA Regional Council Meetings this May 30 - June 1, we thank God for the faithfulness these godly men and women have shown to our ministry. Please pray for guidance and wisdom in all our discussions and decision making. Thu 8: Regional Exco and Council. Pray too for the SUEWA Regional Ministry Team Retreat (May 26-29.) Jason Fong will be the main coordinator for this. Pray for the good review and effective onward planning of all our ministry programs. Fri 9: West 2 Sub-region. Thank the Lord for the appointment of the new National Director of SU Guinea Conakry. Please pray for strength and wisdom to lead the movement. Sat10: West 2 Sub-region. Please pray for God s guidance in establishing SU ministry in Senegal. SU Guinea Bissau has Bible Reading promotion challenges. Please pray for ways to overcome this problem. Pray for peace in Mali. Sun 11: Kenya. Thank God with us for the children we managed to reach and those who came to faith in 2013 through our various Spiritual Nurture for Children (SNC) programs. Mon 12: Kenya.Thank God for a committed team of staff, voluntary workers and Committees; pray for innovation as we explore relevant and effective ways of ministry to children, youth and families; and that this will translate to increased harvest for the Lord Tue 13: South America. The Shaping for Service course was successfully run in Kawai, Peru, for the movements in South America. Please pray for those who now have the enormous responsibility of training workers and volunteers in their movements, and to encourage and challenge them to serve with excellence. Wed 14: Republic of Ireland. SU is running a Comic Book project called 'The Pentecost Project' for selected disadvantaged schools in the Tallaght Area of Dublin and the winning school will have their comic book based on Acts 1 and 2 published. Please pray for Grace Deegan our Primary School coordinator who is leading this project. Thu 15: Republic of Ireland. Pray too for the impact of an Ecumenical Bible Week in June. SU is represented on the 5
planning group and it has the support of practically all the churches in the Dublin area and the full support of the two Archbishops of Dublin. Fri 16: Netherlands. Last year we launched a strategic plan for the next three years. Goals include strengthening our network and finances, finding volunteers to develop Leidraad, our Bible reading plan, and developing a new publishing plan for the next years. Pray too for our new children s programme for day care centres and churches, LEEF! PACIFIC REGION Sat17: New Zealand. WAY2GO Children s Ministry Conferences are held around the country each year. Please pray for their continued impact. In partnership with Kids Friendly, The Anglican Church and others, the Children s Ministry Network is also growing in Otago and Southland (South Island). Sun 18: Pakistan: Praise God for his protection for the staff as they carry out their ministry. Pray for preparation for Vacation Bible Schools and camps in the summer. Pray for the effort to develop an endowment fund to raise staff salaries and for the special Easter rallies for children and youth in different cities in Pakistan. Pray for selection of suitable staff for Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. Mon 19: Daniel Besse says, In the process of wide and deep changes we are involved in may Christ keep us from neglecting the training of writers and editors of our Bible notes around the world. Tue 20: Glenn Coombs. Please pray for Glenn and the SUSTAIN team assisting some movements in Africa, South Asia and Europe. The goal is to help them make the most of their physical resources (e.g. campsites) to achieve greater sustainability for their ministry. Wed 21: Madagascar. Praise the Lord with us, for the "Shaping for Service" training held in mind-march at SU Center Antananarivo for 60 volunteers from 17 regions. Please pray that participants will really implement this important training in their respective regions. Thu 22: South Africa. Pray for Thabo Putu (Gauteng South Director). Pray for open doors in schools we haven t run SU activities yet. Fri 23: South Africa. Thank the Lord for the School Christian Groups in the Northern Cape that meets to plan for fellowship. Praise God for leaders who stand out and stand up for Jesus in our schools. Sat24: South Africa. Please continue to pray for SU Glenhaven staff as they forge ahead in their efforts to reestablish Glenhaven. Sun25: Peru. We would very much appreciate your prayers for the movement in Peru and especially for their Board as they listen to God for guidance and wisdom for the appointment of a new National Director. Please also pray for the very important decisions needed to be made as financial constraints impact on the nationwide ministries. Mon 26: England and Wales. Work has begun on marking the 150 th anniversary in 2017. Please pray that this would truly celebrate what God has done and will also be a major spur to future ministry. EAST/WEST ASIA REGION Tue 27: ON Institute: Jason Fong and Hans Wuysang are now finalizing preparation for the coming ON Institute (June 16-23). This induction course for new council, staff and volunteers, will be held in Bangkok. Pray for the various trainers and facilitators who will be working on their teaching materials as well. Some 15 ON Institute participants will be travelling from various countries to Bangkok. Wed 28. Portugal. Pray for a new National Director; positive results from the fundraising campaign; training workshops for summer camps and enough leaders and teams; the formation of a new company in the area of literature work. 6
Thu 29: Central West Sub-region. Pray for our efforts to strengthen national committees especially in Niger, Chad and Gabon in order to ensure healthy growth. We also plan to strengthen organizational leadership and management practices for smooth and effective operations. Fri 30: India. Pray for Vacation Bible School preparations to be conducted in more than 300 churches; for the special training programme for North India staff in June (about 20 staff will attend this) and for the new academic year which starts in June. Our staff are to venture into new schools for missions.` Sat31. The Global Children's Forum meets in London June 1-5. Many exciting collaborative projects have emerged. Pray for Terry Williams as he heads up the Family Project Work Team and Wendy Strachan who is leading the group that is developing the GCF Leadership Course. JUNE Tue 3: Former Soviet Republics. Please pray for political stability in Ukraine and no curtailing of freedom for the churches and for SU as it seeks to share the love of Christ. Wed 4: Former Soviet Republics. Praise God too for the winter camp in Novosibirsk, Russia at the beginning of January which had a twin track programme for children and teenagers with some joint evening celebrations. Young leaders were very active and the whole team was much encouraged. Thu 5: Former Soviet Republics. Thank God for the growth in the team in Moscow and pray for a new venue for winter camps. They have outgrown the present one! Fri 6: Kenya. Pray for the process of Strategic Plan review and formulation that start in earnest in April. Pray for funds to carry out the exercise and for Gods clear leading. Sat7: Kenya. Pray for our literature ministry; that the Lord will guide us in reaching many through the sale and distribution of Christian literature and for profitability: Sun 1: Chile. We are very encouraged with the steady growth of the Pro-family programme, which has now extended to Maipu, one of the sectors of greatest population of the city of Santiago, and where we already have a Pro-family centre. Please pray for the new team in formation, for the children and their families and schools which this centre will be serving and the financial provision needed for its operation. Mon 2: Swaziland. Thank God for all our achievements of the year 2013: support from all SU supporters, success of the children s camp, of the gender equality project, of the last national committee meeting. We thank God for the harvest of new souls in the kingdom of God in 2013. Pray for continuous support and for more open doors for ministry in schools, media and churches. Sun 8: Romania. We are planning two new activities! We will go every week or two to visit a hospice for the elderly and a prison for teenagers. We want to have fellowship with the elderly people and youngsters also, people that are in need, people that are lonely. Mon 9: Region. Pray for the South Asia Youth conference organised by the Forum of Bible Agencies in Sri Lanka in April. Pray for the South Asia Regional Council meeting in June this year in Bangkok. Pray for the Regional Director as he travels to India and Bangladesh in the first half of this year. Tue 10: USA. Praise God that SU s Essential Jesus Reading Plan was selected to support the Son of God feature movie, released nationwide on February 28. Pray that many would be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ. 7
Wed 11: USA. Thank God for the release of the Youth Edition of the E100 and Essential Jesus DVDs in March, and that He would draw many into a Bible reading revival through it. Pray that funding would be used wisely to advance this goal with 10 million adults, youth and children across the country. Thu 12: USA. Praise God for the children who have been reached through Prime Time programme partnerships in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Texas. Praise God for the training sessions held in February in preparation for SuperKids programmes this summer. Fri 13: Uganda. The SU Uganda 2014 two-week annual mission will start 16 th June in North-Western Region (West Nile). Pray for the team that will go for the mission. Sat14: East Sub-region. Pray for improved financial and human resources that will enable different movements to come together and share experiences from each other, and think strategically. PACIFIC REGION Sun 15: Fiji. Give thanks that the Board of Trustees who will oversee the property development has now been registered with the government (normally an 8 year process!) Please pray as the trustees begin in earnest to consider the possibilities for developing the donated a piece of land near Nadi for a Camp site and Conference Centre. Mon16: Victoria. David Tolputt has concluded as Director of SU Victoria. Justin Simpson commenced as Director in January. Please pray as he continues to orientate to the work and is established in the leadership of the SU team. The work has grown significantly in recent years with the expansion of Elevate Secondary Schools programs, Children at Risk programs and School Chaplaincy. Tue 17: Kenya. For the last 3 years we have been involved in pioneering SU work among the Muslim dominated communities in the remote North Eastern parts of Kenya: thank God for the children that have so far been reached and for continued support of the Pastors Fellowships (PF). Pray with us for providence to establish Bible Clubs in schools and churches and for God s favour as we work with the local communities. Pray for God s intervention among the warring pastoralist communities. Wed 18: Kenya. For sustainability and wider reach this year, we plan to establish and enhance collaborations and networks with like-minded organisations. Pray that the Lord will lead us in this respect. PACIFIC REGION Thu 19: Northern Territory. Thank God for the Christmas Craft Club last December where 60 children attended and many leaders and helpers spoke about the real story of Christmas Fri 20: Northern Territory. Please pray for Kids Games in Darwin June 23 27, for preparation of material, training of young leaders and those who attend. Pray God will challenge those children who take part. Sat21: India. Praise God for the blessed advance level Training Camp for 38 Tamil speaking staff held in February and for the successful distribution of Bible Reading notes for 2014 through many churches and meetings. Thank God for His provision as we ended the year without a deficit budget. Sun 22: Bangladesh. Praise God for the Christmas program organized for children in December. Praise God for the successful printing of Daily Bread 2014 in Bangla and for the distribution. Thank God for the partnership of SU Bangladesh with Faith Comes By hearing Audio project from March Mon 23: Bangladesh. Pray for Gaurave Onie who took his role as SU Field coordinator from October 2013. Pray for the SU children club and youth Bible study group he has formed in the last few months. EAST/WEST ASIA REGION Tue 24: Peninsula Malaysia. We thank God that SU Peninsula Malaysia has worked with YouVersion Bible App to make one of their daily devotional materials available. Please pray that this effort will indeed help more people engage God's Word every day. 8
Wed 25: Northern Ireland. It s Your Move RE lessons, for children about to leave Primary School, have become a popular and regular part of our Schools Ministry from April - June. Pray for the Schools Staff as they work with local volunteers to take these practical, bible-focused lessons into Primary Schools across the country. The feedback from pupils and teachers is that this is just what the children need at this time of year. providing support systems and capacity to parents for positive parenting. Mon 30: Kenya. Pray that the Lord will provide funds to embark on our assets development projects this year. Thu 26: Uganda. Thank the Lord for the 7 End of Year Camps across the six (6) Regional in 2013. The camps ran under the theme Freedom in Christ Galatians 5:1. Praise God for children and youth who received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Pray for them to grow strong. Fri 27: Swaziland. Pray for our Week of Sacrifice from 30 June-5 July. Pray that this will give honour to the Lord, and that it will be a turning point in the lives of many people. Sat28: Swaziland. Due to financial constraints, we are planning to start an income generating project. Pray for God s leading to the right people to support this project. Sun 29: Kenya. Pray for God s favour as we establish an active Family Ministry department with the overall goal of Scripture Union Africa, PO Box 52443-00200, Nairobi, KENYA Tel: +254 20 2715494 info@su-africa.org Web site: su-africa.org 9
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