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Waikato: Transitions to new spaces
An old issue of the magazine Fuel, but I am finding the advice useful for myself as we move. Check it out if you're on the move too. http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/sites/default/files
Posted by Li Lian Lim on 21/01/2012
KYCF: Flash Mob: 'You are Good'
During the RWC, 14 of us KYCFers got together to arouse some curiosity about Jesus. We performed our worship dance moves to thesong ‘You are Good’ in several places in town: Queen St, Chancery, Britomart and Albert Park. It was great to see people stop by and watch, and get support from other Christians walking past. Some came into our circle and danced with us, praising His name. As we prayed for the people’s excitement of rugby to be turned into a greater joy and passion towards God, this flash mob challenged me personally to have a more compassionate heart toward this land and it's people. I hope that more people can share in this vision, and that next time we have more people dancing with us and increase the impact we could have in this land.
Anna Ara Cho, KYCF student
Posted by Anna Cho on 15/12/2011
Hamilton: 'Hamiltron: City of the Future'?
For the last ten years, since Andrew Shepherd, there have been no TSCF staff based in Hamilton. Over the years, some students have continued to meet with supportive visits from TSCF staff workers from Auckland. Having talked with other groups in Hamilton, they and TSCF feel there are more opportunities for more student ministry. TSCF hope to send Andrew and Li Lian and their daughter Monica next year. This will mean that TSCF will have staff on every major campus in New Zealand. Canvas met with Li to find out more:
Tell us a bit about your history with TSCF and New Zealand?
Maybe the question should be answered the way I have been taught in Maori class, like a mihi that shows our whanau and our connection to the land?
We grew up in Singapore and were both school teachers before we came to New Zealand. I came to study at Vic in 1991 and was OCF President. Andrew came in 1995 and it was at Vic and OCF that we met, even though we had come from the same church in Singapore! Andrew also became President of OCF.
After we married I was a TSCF staff worker and Andrew was the warden of Kia Mia hostel though our roles overlapped and we ministered together. After finishing with TSCF I went on to do my Masters at Vic and Andrew worked as a Librarian at Wellington Teachers College.
At some stage, Andrew became a Kiwi. Coming back to NZ and being able to spend almost seven weekends in all black this year has been almost a dream, really. In short, our connection with Te Whanganuia-Tara is strong but we come from Singapore.
We returned home to Singapore, and have been there for ten years. Our daughter, Monica, was born in 2000. We have both held a variety of positions. Andrew has been a Business Development Officer for Singapore Management University, a Senior Inspector of Schools and on the NZ Trade Board. I have written assignment books and taught English as a Second Language at the National University of Singapore. As a family we have ministered to students living in Oldham Hall hostel.
If your ties to Wellington are so strong, why go to Hamilton then?
It does seem odd to go to a place where we are amongst strangers. We take comfort that there are a fair few biblical narratives that are about people going on physical journeys and in our recent visit to Hamilton we have been warmly welcomed by TSCF supporters living there. Our hope is that we will make friends who over time will become our new whanau.Andrew is excited by the pioneering work required for Hamilton. He is keen to learn and develop experience and expertise in training and resourcing student leaders. We are excited by the opportunities to work with other Christians in Hamilton to reach students in the University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology. These campuses also have international students from Asia, the Middle East and as far as Africa. We seek your prayers as we work with students to develop strategies to bring Christ into their lives.
In my mind going to Hamilton is about trying to engage with the complexities of today’s student world—a world labelled: connected, post-church, green, digital, jaded and hurt. But students are more than labels; each life is precious to God. There are many students coming from rural areas to Hamilton, and a good number coming from Christian homes. We want to give every student the opportunity to grow in their faith in Jesus.
Te Kuiti, near Hamilton, was also the place where my friend and ex-Mintern Linda Caughley and her fiancée died in a car accident in June 1999. The suddenness of her death affected her friends, students and family greatly. As school teachers, their lives exemplified “true witness” as they tried to teach, pray for and care for their students and be part of the community. Life and its uncertainties means that it is easy to fluctuate between fear in a handful of dust or certainty in the grace of a loving God.
Perhaps who we are is found at this moment, the now. We are poised between the many uncertainties of starting a new work and home, and the certainty that God wants us there. How does this pan out in the nitty-gritty, messiness of life? We don’t know. Please pray with us. Perhaps a Ministry home, a bi-vocational calling, faculty based studies? At this exploratory stage these are ideas that we hope will further the aims of True Witness, Global Reach, Undivided Life and Deep Thought. With such conceptually complex aims, the temptation is to overly simplify them into techniques of being a Christian.
The legacy of TSCF and IFES to us personally has been just that courage to keep things complex, authentic and avoid the pat answers – a courage nurtured within a caring, prayerful and thinking Christian community, a community which includes all you readers out there, seeking to challenge a new generation of tertiary students.
Andrew and Li Lian Lim
What can I do? Please consider supporting Andrew and Li and the work in Hamilton by praying for them or supporting them financially. For more information please contact the office at tscf@tscf.org.nz.
Posted by Li Lian Lim on 14/12/2011
A Kingly Best-Seller
How many Bibles do you have in your home? In our house of four adults and one baby we have sixteen including two audio Bibles, one children’s Bible and two Bible apps.
We are enormously privileged. Approximately 340 million people still do not have the Bible in their own language. 774 million do not have the literacy skills to be able to read it. We have easy access to Bibles, the literacy skills to be able to read and the freedom to believe what we have read. So often we take these for granted.
2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible. The first translation of the whole Bible into English was in the 1300’s by John Wycliffe. In the 1500’s William Tyndale published his New Testament. Following these several other translations were published. In 1604, King James I convened the Hampton Court conference and a decision was made to provide an entirely new translation from the original scriptural languages, to iron out the differences between the Church of England and the Puritans. The work started properly in 1607 and the first draft was available in 1609, to be redrafted the following year and finally completed for publication in 1611. Coming at a critical point in the evolution of English as a literary language it became the most popular English Bible for hundreds of years and exerted a significant influence on English language and literature.
According to Alister McGrath, Oxford University,
‘Without the King James there would be no Paradise Lost, no Pilgrim’s Progress, no Handel’s Messiah, no negro spirituals and no Gettysburg address…If any one book may be said to have shaped Western civilisation, it is the Bible.’
In celebration of the 400th year of the KJV and as an acknowledgement of those who have given us God’s word in our own language TSCF and Scripture Union are inviting people to read through the Bible in a year, starting in January 2012. We are hoping that at least four hundred school, college and university students; graduates and supporters will join us on this journey through the Scriptures.
As the early translators and distributors of the Bible took advantage of the new medium of print to widely distribute the Bible, so too do we want to take advantage of the mediums available to us today. We are working to use the technology available to us to distribute readings in as many formats as possible.
If you haven’t read though the whole of Scripture before, or haven’t done it recently, why not join us? Doing it with a friend so you can chat over what you’ve read is a great way to keep going through the year. Please pray with us that, as people delve into God’s word, they would hear the living God speak.
Posted by Rachel Turner on 14/12/2011
A New FOCUS
I had the privilege of being a volunteer in the Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS), which is the equivalent of TSCF in Uganda. My work was mainly administrative, which suited me perfectly given my personality. Yet having said that, I had the opportunity to meet with many students who said that their lives have been transformed during their time in FOCUS. Some of them were back at FOCUS as volunteers while trying to find a job in the difficult economic conditions.
Amongst all the administrative work I was doing, one thing about FOCUS which stuck out to me was the amazing alumni network they had from half a generation ago. Through my work I was able to meet several FOCUS ‘oldies’ who truly left an impression on me. These Ugandan ex-FOCUS members just absolutely love the ministry because they gained so much from FOCUS as a student. Today they are Christians who love the Lord, love people and are giving back to student ministry and society. FOCUS was facing financial hardship while I was there, and I saw this group of ‘oldies’ step up and help out with the finances. FOCUS was also going through a transitional phase, and this group stood up and offered help and advice in many ways. Giving back to our student groups after we graduate seemed so logical and natural to me while I was a student and while I was with FOCUS; but having come back from Uganda, and having started work, it doesn’t seem that natural anymore. Sometimes it seems there are no opportunities to help, sometimes it just so happens that due to whatever hurdles, we can’t help at a particular time.
Many of us are products of IFES student ministry. We feel excited when we think back to how student ministry changed our lives, and at suggestions to help out at the Fellowship. So whatever position you’re in, I believe this question is relevant to us all: how do we, graduates, give back to TSCF?
Michelle Ho, ex-AOCF student
Posted by Mel Mylvaganam on 14/12/2011
Rugby Heaven: The Gospel and RWC
TSCF’s desire was to see students using the Rugby World Cup as an opportunity to build relationships and to think about how they could use the event to share the gospel.
From the beginning of the year Ben Carswell, Outreach Co-ordinator, worked alongside staff and students helping them to think through how they might do this. We produced a wall planner in January to encourage students to be praying for the nations that we would be hosting, and in the autumn edition of Canvas we published articles on ‘Make Sport Your Mission’ – how sport can educate, build character and community, encourage discipline and develop perseverance - and also a testimony from world-class rower Debbie Flood on how she integrates faith with sport. (Watch a video of some of our interview with Debbie here.)
Our major initiative was to produce Godzone, a rugby-themed version of Luke’s gospel with testimonies from Christian rugby players for students to give away with a personal invitation to consider and discuss the claims of Jesus.
‘GODZONE’
Godzone is available to student groups, churches and other organisations. Approximately 17,000 copies have already been distributed – our prayer is that many of these will have been given to those who do not yet know Christ with a personal invitation to read it and talk about Jesus’ claims. The gospels are still available for those who wish to receive copies from the TSCF office or through the website.
Godzone has been well-used by Christian groups across New Zealand. A church in Te Puke took 100 people to a match and gave each one a copy of the gospel. A Mainly Music group in Christchurch gave a copy to each of their families. We have also heard of school students giving them to their classmates and teachers. We know that a good number of high-ranking players and officials were given a copy of Godzone while they were here and that there were some good conversations about Jesus as a result of this.
We are delighted that the gospels have also been distributed in a variety of countries outside of New Zealand. The Fiji rugby team took 320 gospels to give to their fans. A church worker in Cork, Ireland who helps at a rugby club is giving one to all their coaches as a Christmas gift. We know of others around the world who have used Godzone with their friends and team-mates.
EVENTS
We want to see students in our groups develop their passion for reaching their communities, their confidence in the saving power of the gospel and inviting people to find out more about Jesus in a whole range of ways – from reading the Bible one-to-one to hosting large events.
Many of the campus groups hosted an event around the rugby – for some groups this was the first time in this generation of students that a larger event had been put on so it was exciting to see groups trying new things.
We were excited to be able to partner with Fijian Rugby captain Deacon Manu who came to speak at three campus events in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland and spoke at the final night of the Pacific Students For Christ, Fiji annual conference.
Mike Summerfield, Otago VCF student said,
‘The evening before he played the All Blacks at Carisbrook, Deacon Manu was hosted by Otago VCF to talk about his life in professional rugby and his faith in God. Deacon was as zealous about Fiji’s draw with Wales as he was about things that shaped him as a person: family, education, different cultures and an unfolding realisation of who God desired him to be. Trained as a scientist, he shared how his faith was as much a reasonable response to the Bible as it was an emotional response to the God he encounters in everyday life. The Christian culture that permeates the Fijian rugby team offers him many opportunities for expressing his heart-felt desire to follow Jesus.
‘About 50 people turned up to hear what Deacon had to say, ask questions and speak to him personally at the end of the evening, and we were able to advertise some of our regular meetings; inviting people to see for themselves the God of Deacon’s salvation.’
Meredith Paterson, Vic CU student said, ‘Ben Carswell interviewed Deacon in front of a crowd of about 60 students. Many were CUers; however, it was encouraging to see the event reaching to others on campus, as a number of people came because of posters or fliers placed around uni.
‘One of the most powerful moments was when the chaplain of the Springbok team (who were due to play Fiji a few days later), was spontaneously asked to pray for Deacon and the Fijian team; a fitting reminder that faith surpasses all barriers and that, particularly in New Zealand where rugby is an obsession for many, it is God whom we worship, not any game or player.’
Reflecting on the RWC initiatives Ben said,
‘Godzone has been a positive initiative. We have given the gospel to thousands of people. Several students have taken bold steps in inviting their friends to read the gospel. We are thrilled that it has been a valuable resource for so many churches and organisations and that they have used it so well – we love partnerships like this. We are encouraged that TSCF has made a significant contribution nationally during the RWC and that this is leading to more conversations about how we can work with others to share the gospel with the New Zealand and the South Pacific through sports.’
‘We are thankful that a number of students grasped the vision for Godzone and used it with their friends, but we are also aware that many students still need the encouragement and help in developing friendships and seeking to share Jesus in them. We continue to build on existing work we are doing to better ready students to share Jesus as part of their everyday lifestyle.’
Thank you to our wider TSCF family who pray and give to make these initiatives possible.
Posted by Rachel Turner on 14/12/2011
SLC 2011: Mission Without Borders
Our wonderful Auckland ECF staff-worker Robyn Drake encouraged me to come along to the TSCF Student Leadership Conference this year. I was unsure as to what it would be like, whether it was relevant to me or worth the effort but I signed up anyway. Mission Without Borders, I thought, that sounds pretty interesting. Well, interesting is just one word I could use to describe the week of my first SLC!
One evening focused on global prayer, considering IFES and groups around the world like TSCF such as CECE in Ecuador. It was encouraging to realise our little CF or CU weekly meetings, our values and mission are shared by tens of thousands of students around the world too. And there was something awesome about praying together for our fellow students around the world and to feel connected with them through IFES and in Christ.
On Wednesday morning we welcomed the Borthwicks, Paul and Christie, who shared with us throughout the week. They each brought different but equally relevant insights on life and mission. Who can forget Paul’s message reiterating, ‘Whatever you do, don’t do nothing!’ The question and answer session, where they shared the mic, seemed to resonate with everyone as we could each relate to either Paul or Christie as they told stories of love, loss and learning in their lives and how they keep pursuing their relationship with God.
Toward the end of the week, I found Nigel Pollock’s session thought-provoking and also action-provoking - if I can coin such a word! His insights really got me thinking: Who is Jesus and what are some things about Him that I would want to share with others? With an ‘ordinary’ broughtup-in-a-Christian-family type testimony, I found it refreshing to hear that our testimony should be more about Jesus and not just about us and how we changed. I felt empowered to share about the Jesus I know with my classmates and flatmates.
The combination of speakers, track time, praying together, group Bible study and hanging out with other like-minded students from across NZ was a recipe for a fantastic week. I felt challenged, inspired, refreshed and encouraged for the year ahead at university. Kia Kaha!
Meredith Dale, AECF Student
Posted by Meredith Dale on 01/12/2011
IFES World Assembly Report
Wow, how do I sum up th
e 2011 IFES World Assembly? What an amazing experience: seeing and meeting the global family of which TSCF is a part – and it really is a family. About 750 delegates representing 120 countries travelled to Krakow, Poland; 150 of which were students, the highest number ever. Five staff (Nigel Pollock, Val Goold, Jane Pelz, Andy Shudall, and Tim Hodge) and three students (Michael Misomphane, Josh Irving and I) represented NZ. Unfortunately, many delegates from Francophone African countries had trouble getting visas and were unable to attend, so a collection was taken to fund a conference especially for them.
Conducted in English, French and Spanish, the theme of World Assembly was 'Jesus Christ: Lord of the Universe, Lord of the University'. This was introduced in a skit by an amazingly talented drama troupe on the first night, who continued to give moving, dramatic portrayals of various topics throughout the conference.
For the first time ever, a pre-conference student gathering was organised by a 12-person student committee representing each region of IFES, giving us preparation time for running our Student Day later in the Assembly. 12 student teams presented their experience of a topic they face in their university, such as: being a real Christian in a 'Christian' country, factors that cause Christian students to lose their faith, sharing the gospel in a hostile or persecuting environment, worldview challenges, and Christian students' understanding of homosexuality. We discovered that despite our differences, we face many of the same challenges in presenting the gospel to our friends.
Our very own Andy Shudall presented part of a session on social media, challenging us to be at its forefront in presenting the gospel. More than this, I was also challenged about how social media is going to change our world, in much same way as the printing press did. Presented by highly-educated Christians at the head of their fields, the economic justice session challenged us to think biblically about economics – not from a financial perspective, but from a relationship perspective. How does our use of money build relationships? Is the concept of private ownership biblical? Is it right to charge interest on loans?
A common sentiment was that World Assembly was like heaven will be, with so many different countries, cultures and languages, bonded together in Jesus Christ. Sitting at dinner, you would find yourself chatting with the General Secretary of a large student movement, or with a sole student leader of a very small movement. Everyone had a unique and interesting story to tell about the challenges and joys of student ministry. We welcomed three new movements to IFES: Antigua & Barbuda, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. It was a great joy to see a representative from the Serbian movement pray for the Bosnian General Secretary – there really are no barriers in Christ!
It was a great pleasure for the South Pacific region to see the induction of our own Chris Collins as Chairman of the IFES International Executive Committee for the next four years. We celebrated his induction with a haka led by Val and Josh – laughter from an audience unfamiliar with the haka was balanced by brothers and sisters from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga joining us.
The Poland ChSA team did a phenomenal job of presenting a world class conference. They expressed many times how just ten years ago it would have been unthinkable for World Assembly to be held in Poland, still struggling to recover from the fall of the Iron Curtain. Many of us had the opportunity to tour the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. There is not much one can say to communicate the horror of this place. The photographs, gas chambers and piles of belongings left behind are almost too much to take in while you are there, but in retrospect it is harrowing and something I know I will carry for the rest of my life.
Attending World Assembly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience – so often I wished all my fellow NZ students could be there to see this global movement of which TSCF is a part. It was immensely encouraging and enriching to meet so many committed Christians who care about engaging their universities with the gospel.
Posted by Charlotte Kirby on 03/11/2011
University of Auckland: Jesus Week
Run primarily by OCF, KYCF and EU with input from various other Christian groups on campus, Jesus Week was an attempt to engage the campus with the truth of who Jesus is. Student apathy and general busyness not being conducive to large events, the range of talks from Christian academics and speakers were not as well attended as hoped, but over the week perhaps 300 students engaged with the activity in some way. Many more saw flyers, our Jesus Week shirts, heard the music in the quad or overheard people talking about it. Particularly popular were the 'If you could ask God one question' BBQ, free milo between lectures and 'Grill a Christian' panel where people could ask a Christian anything. The challenge, as always, is to engage the campus effectively - to have a clear grasp of the gospel and present it in a way that makes sense to the university community.
Posted by Zachary Ardern on 03/11/2011
Interview with Raewyn
A long-time staff member of TSCF, Raewyn Taylor has lately stepped down from her role as Office Team Leader, to a more part-time administrative role. We took this opportunity to ask her for some reflections on her time in TSCF.
What was your connection to TSCF before you started working here?
Prior to joining TSCF staff I worked as a secondary school teacher. I was involved in a TSCF campus cell group when I was student at Victoria University. Also, my local church has been a long time TSCF supporter, largely due to connection through TSCF staff as church members.
What are the different roles you’ve had here?
I have worked at TSCF for nine years, in an administrator role and also as Office Team Leader.
What was your first impression of Nigel?
Hmm! (Alas, I am lost for words on this one!)
Can you think of any funny stories or fond memories from your time in TSCF?
The TSCF team are more like family than work colleagues and we typically celebrate special milestones together. I remember in my early days there was often only three of us in the office and we shared a common birthday – on that day we sat down together and sang ‘Happy Birthday to US’, with nobody else on deck to serve us!
Picture: Raewyn (2nd from right) with office colleagues.
What has encouraged you about TSCF over the years?
It has been a joy to be a part of such a talented and committed staff team, many of whom we have hosted in our home. I have been able to attend some student events and these have been incredibly encouraging. Over the time I have been involved I have observed many progress from new student, to student leader, to graduate, and sometimes to Mintern, Catalyst participant, TSCF Staff Worker, or Board member! Invariably, I have observed growth in faith, in confidence and in leadership. It has been a privilege to support this ministry.
Gina Wong, Wellington Team Leader, worked with Raewyn for five years:
'It has been such joy to spend a working day in the office with Raewyn. Everyday. She has truly been a stabilising factor for the TSCF office over the last nine years. A woman known for her integrity, knowledge, love, servant-hood, generosity, humility... and the only person who can keep Nigel in line! We shall miss her daily presence at the office; but we are sure she will continue to relish her outdoor adventures, being a grandmother, serving her church, and participate in God’s kingdom purposes.'
Posted by Mel Mylvaganam on 28/10/2011