Reaching the NEXT Generation with God’s Word

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SPECIAL FEATURESocial Media for Ministry

YOUTH CORNERCamp LEGACY

d’Nous Academy (d’NA)

STAFF MATTERSAnnual Staff Consultation

SU Resources

CHILDREN’S CORNERCCC Melaka Children’s Camp

Sports Camp with Gereja Grace, Batu Pahat

CHILDREN’S COALITION FOR CHRIST

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Photo by Pedro Sandrini from Pexels

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GAME OVER. OR IS IT?

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What’s one thing that has left a lasting legacy in your life? For many who grew up in the school Christian Fellowship scene, the National School Christian Fellowship Leaders’ (NSCFL) Camp definitely has. Last November, we celebrated 25 years and the last NSCFL Camp.

The last NSCFL Camp was held from 26 November to 1 December at the nostalgic Seminari Theoloji Malaysia – the venue of the camp for the past 19 years. We had 128 campers ranging from 12 to 18 years old, supervised by 22 camp officers from all around Malaysia. Based on the theme Game Over (pun intended) from Galatians 2:20, we discovered what it meant to live a new life in Christ.

There were also plenary sessions on aspects of a leader, workshops on various ministry skills, and lots of fun over games and fellowship with one another.

d’Nous Academy ( d’NA) – Learning with Mind, Heart and Hands

On the last day, we invited the alumni for a time of reminiscing the many years of NSCFL Camp together. We even had attendees from the previously known Kem Jawatan Kuasa in the 80s and some travelled from as far as Alor Setar and Singapore! It was a good time celebrating what God has done through the camp over the many years and catching up with fellow old friends.

“What’s next?” you may ask. The NSCFL Camp will now take on a new name – Camp LEGACY, rightly representing what the camp has been to many leaders today. Camp LEGACY will be held from 25 to 30 November – to continue to serve the schools ministry and building up leaders of the next generation. May the camp live up to its name, leaving a lasting legacy for years to come just as its predecessor did.

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18 students alongside 10 officers attended DNA 2018. Despite the small group, learning was still a joy, and everyone was participative in all the activities and classes. Things learnt ranged from Old Testament and New Testament books, to the Creeds, to Sacraments, to Malaysia, to critical thinking, and even to different religions. Even excluding the daily Community Engagement visits, it is still a surprise how we managed to fit all the subjects into 11 days.

Community Engagement allowed for the students to get out of the class and engage the community in a more personal way. By going to these community centres daily, such as senior citizens homes and welfare centres for the mentally handicapped, the students were able to bond and build close relationships with the residents of these homes. They were able to serve in whatever capacity they could and bring joy and encouragement to these people, and in turn, learning to serve others from this experience.

Overall, DNA 2018 gave a very wholesome experience to the students. I can now understand why some of the students come back for 2 more years. DNA allowed them, not just to learn things but to put them into practice. This is just year one out of a 3-year program, and I’m excited to see what’s in store in the years to come!

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It is no secret that social media has taken over our world. While we hear of how social media made humans more disconnected, the ironic truth is that we live in an age where we can reach more people at a click of a button than Billy Graham could from his crusades. Social Media has given us voice and became such a powerful tool for us to be relevant agents of influence.

Over the last year, we have been strategizing ways to use these digital platforms more effectively. Recently, we surpassed our 2000-follower mark on Facebook and have targeted our Instagram follower base to surpass the 500 mark soon.

Do follow us on these social networks as we look forward to bring you bigger, better and bolder content in 2019!

by Joel Mohan, SU staff who is developing our social media platforms to connect with young people

Scripture Union Peninsular Malaysia

Social Media for Ministry

suyouth.my

Praying together in groupsSession with Ps. Samuel Nesan as the speaker

Games session

Group of officers

Community engagement visit to Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled

Session with Esmond Khoo, FES staff

by Tze Kwang, SU ministry staff

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children’s coalition for christ

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by Rene Low, treasurer of the SUPM Council and a key member of the Children’s Coalition for Christ

CHILDREN’S COALITION FOR CHRIST

Mr Ponraj, one of the main facilitators of the Children’s Ministry Training

Children’s Coalition for Christ (3C) is a platform to bring together all those who minister to children & their families to strengthen, support and spur one another on to good works. Many children ministers/workers often say they felt isolated in their children’s work within their own churches. 3C hopes to

(1) foster closer relationships among children ministers/workers by encouraging them to share and pray with one another,

(2) facilitate the training and exchange of resources & ideas to equip themselves, and

(3) speak up for children-related causes in our churches and community. The ultimate aim is for us to be more effective in reaching children with the gospel and disciple them with God’s Word.

Beginnings

3C was formed in April 2018. The idea was first mooted during the RIZE Conference, SUPM’s Children’s Ministry Conference in

2017. It was inspired by the success of a similar grouping in Australia. This initiative was spearheaded by SUPM, which became its founding partner and driving force behind the setting up of the Coalition.

SUPM is well positioned to assume this crucial role given its many years of experience at the fore front of children ministry and schools’ work in this country. Today, several other churches in the Klang Valley have also become active partners in 3C. It is our hope that many more churches and organizations across the country will be involved in it.

What Has Been Happening?

Since the launch of 3C, several initiatives have been undertaken. One of the first was a survey conducted among children ministers/workers across the country on their main needs in children ministry.

Top of the list was for more training and equipping. Responding to this need, SUPM in partnership with 3C organized a Children’s Ministry Training on 27-28 Oct 2018. The training was well received

with 132 participants from 33 churches attending. Participants were challenged on their roles & responsibilities as children workers, as well as coached in creative methods of communicating &

teaching God’s Word to children.

To facilitate communication among members of 3C, WhatsApp chat groups were formed to notify members of upcoming events & activities as well as to enable them to

discuss relevant children ministry related matters. We have been encouraged to see churches getting to know each other in 3C, and thereafter reach out to partner each other for training, combined events and other activities.

Moving Forward

Looking into 2019, many plans have been proposed. One of them is to find ways to engage with church

leaders & pastors to impress upon them the importance of children’s ministry. Sadly, a number of children ministers/workers have lamented that their church leaders do not provide sufficient resources, funding and support for the children’s work. Consequently, they find it hard to attract new workers

to serve in this ministry and more children to come to their churches.

We believe that churches ought to prioritize children’s ministry as was the case for Jesus (Matt 18:1-5, Mark 10:13-16), as children are one of the greatest mission fields today. Studies have shown that over 70% of all decisions for Christ happen during the 4-14 age window. Indeed, as more and more churches in Malaysia face aging populations, the urgency to reach out to more children is even greater as they are the future of our churches.

The successful implementation of these and other plans will depend on the involvement of more children ministers/workers from more churches in the Coalition.

3C belongs to each one of us who care about impacting the lives of children. And it is up to us to make things happen.

Let us come together to reach the next generation for Christ!

Learning new games for their work with children

Hands-on learning for the participants

从第一本《认识耶稣》了解祂是谁之后，你可能已经决定要信靠和跟随祂。

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我们可以接着第二本《跟从耶稣》通过登山宝训（马太福音第5-7章）

的教导。使耶稣的信徒要如何与神，和世界生活的良好概述。这是耶稣给

信徒的宣言。

有意订购者，请拨电联络我们。(03-77829592)

It’s always good to go away together, away from the normal routine of our ministry, to give thought and attention to the bigger picture of SUPM’s mission and important issues for the staff team. And it helps when this is done in the pleasant surroundings of Ipoh!

At this Consultation the staff were presented with a blueprint for developing key areas of life skills and technical skills, and spiritual formation for life and ministry. These includes practical issues like setting goals, project management, problem solving, effective communication. And also to have wider perspectives in strategic thinking, understanding the ethos of SU’s ministry as well as a sound Biblical framework.

The staff team was also introduced to basic approaches to fundraising from our friends, contacts and churches. This was eye-opening in some ways but helpful to understand its important place in the organization.Staff Consultation is always a great time for the team to chill out and bond together.

ANNUAL STAFF CONSULTATION STA

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SU RESOURCESMEMPERKENALKAN YESUS

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Memperkenalkan Yesus ialah sebuah buku pembelajaran berdasarkan Injil Markus. 15 bab pembelajaran dalam buku ini akan membawa anda kepada pemahaman yang sangat asas berkenaan Yesus Kristus iaitu tentang siapakah Dia, apakah yang telah Dia lakukan, bagaimanakah anggapan orang tentang Dia, apakah pelbagai tindak balas yang Dia terima, kematian dan kebangkitan-Nya, dan banyak pelajaran lagi. Anda juga akan belajar tentang perkaitan hidup anda dengan apa yang anda pelajari tentang Yesus Kristus.

ReAChINg CHILdREN THROUGH CAMPS

City Community Church Melaka Children’s Camp

It was good to be back volunteering with SU. This time it was a children’s camp with CCC, Melaka.

The camp theme “Heroes For Christ” left a strong impression on me. Picture this: creative decorations complimenting the theme from the entrance of the hall to the food at every meal and snacks, a jam-packed schedule of excitement and fun learning.

The camp lessons revolved around Bible stories demonstrating God using ordinary people to do the extraordinary. The camp teacher’s presentation and activities captivated the kids, even the volunteers!

Out of sixty-three children; a handful was from other churches, while some were from a community outreach of City Community Church. My heart was warmed to see evangelism taking place among the community children and we all mingled together, campers and volunteers.

I did a kid-friendly Nutrition Workshop with a Sushi-making session and a Superhero-themed Fun Night. Being around with children revived the hidden child in me, inspired me to approach God in a child-like way.

Sports Camp with Gereja Grace, Batu Pahat

SU ran a two-day sports camp with Gereja Grace Batu Pahat last November. Two-thirds of the ninety children who came were from the community. We used both Mandarin and English to communicate. The sports camp brought different characters together, exposing them to sports and godly values. Besides frisbee, we played tchoukball and football. We ended each day with a Bible lesson on how we can be part of Jesus’ team and sticking to the team. The good news was shared on the last day and each one went home with a gold medal!Jotham Jeremy, a SU volunteer from Ipoh went all the way to Batu Pahat to help with teaching frisbee. He has this to say, “The kids were cooperating, yet some were naughty! Well, I guess that’s what makes them kids while enjoying the two-days of Sports Camp. During the lessons, I was amazed to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the kids. Those kids reminded me of who I was when I was their age.”

第二本《跟从耶稣》华文版本已经出炉！适合教会的青少年团契，

学校基督徒团契！

Kids listening to session by Jeyanthi

Jotham is teaching the kids to play frisbee

Discussion on staff matters

A beautiful view from the hotel

by Siau See Yuan, SU Volunteer

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D A T E S C A M P S / E V E N T S A G E G R O U P L O C A T I O N

25 - 28 Mar 2019 SU Kedah Camp Youth SUFES Campsite, Tapah

29 Mar - 15 Apr 2019 National Bible Knowledge Postal Quiz

Youth Various

24 - 25 May 2019 Nurturing A Digital Generation workshop

Adult Penang

1- 4 June 2019 SUPA Camp Children SUFES Campsite, Tapah

1 June 2019 Children’s Ministry Training Adult Ipoh

• We are thankful to the Lord that at the operational level we ended with a surplus of RM12,180. Many thanks to all who have contributed to SUPM.• We are looking to the Lord for RM2 million for growth and greater reach so that many more young lives can be reached with God’s Word.

SUPPORT SCRIPTURE UNION

Published by Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malaysia, 386, Jalan 5/59, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

NEWSLETTER OF

SCRIPTURE UNION IN

SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA

Nurturing A Digital Generation workshop

Where does discipling start, home or church? We invite you to come as a Christian community (pastors, parents, teachers, children ministers) to find out more on raising and nurturing our children in the faith.

Children’s Ministry Training

Looking to nurture your children with fresh ideas and to help them engage with the bible creatively? Here’s a training suitable for Parents, Teachers, Ministry Leaders and Pastors.

SUPM OPERATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORT AS OF 31 DEC 2018

Printed by E-Print Sdn BhdNo.3, Lorong Brunei Tiga, Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

SUPA (Scripture Union Primary Age) CAMP

The fun-filled teaching and activities in this camp aim to help children (aged 8-12 years old) know the Bible and follow Jesus.

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, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, payable to ‘The Scripture Union in Semenanjung Malaysia.’Or Bank in to HSBC Bank: 302-035670-001 / Maybank: 5141-6964-1884

Please notify us on the payment details at info@su.org.my or 03-7782 9592. Thank you.