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NEWS

CHILDSAFE

ChildSafe has been launched in New Zealand and materials can now be ordered through SU Direct, our online store. ChildSafe Ltd is a Harm Prevention Charity, an initiative of Scripture Union Australia in collaboration with Scripture Union New Zealand.

ChildSafe is a safety management system for anybody working with children and young people (in whatever sector). It enables people at different levels of responsibility and accountability in an organisation to access various elements to help them work safely with children and young people. The three key elements are:

Standards - provided in printed publications
Training materials provided within the training package
Access to Safety Management Online for people at each level

We encourage you to explore the website and contact Maureen Gunston for more information - ChildSafe has so much to offer you!

Maureen Gunston (ChildSafe's NZ Representative) maureen@childsafenz.org.nz

ChildSafe Online www.childsafenz.org.nz

NEWS

HELLO OSCAR

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Scripture Union has achieved OSCAR (Out of School Care and Recreation) approval status with Child, Youth and Family (CYFs) for our primary age camps.

There are three major benefits of being an OSCAR provider:

• Subsidies from Work and Income NZ to help low income families pay camp fees.
• CYFs will be able to send more children to our camps.
• Access to up to $16,000 of Government funding annually for one series of camps (four camps run over one year).

Our very first application for funding was successful with the Ministry of Social Development granting us $15,750. This enables us to increase the level of training for our leaders as well as pay for first aid and other specialised training. It will also help towards purchasing resources for camp which are not covered by camp fees alone. Funding will also be set aside to pay for staff time and expenses and subsidising fees for team members.

This is a major development in our children’s camping programme, one that we see may also be possible for some of our teenage adventure camps (OSCAR extends to Intermediate age children as well).

Join us in giving thanks to God for this provision and for all those who donated towards this project.

Andrew Ramsbottom
Children and Families, Auckland

NEWS

WAIRARAPA SURF CLASSIC GOES OFF AT CASTLE POINT

Friday afternoon finally arrived. We had been surfing for four days and it was time for the much anticipated surf competition. Campers headed for the water to show off the skills they had been perfecting during the week. It was amazing to sit on the beach and think about how much the campers had grown in and out of the water. People who had never been surfing before were now on seven-second rides (that’s a lot) and even doing the Haka and other dance moves as they rode the waves!

I was so impressed with how well the group had done over the week, both at surfing and at being honest about their lives and opening up to God.

That evening we took our dinner to the beach and had a prize giving for the surf competition. It was a really special time to be sitting on a deserted beach, watching the waves as the sun was going down and to be worshipping the God that created it all for us. I know I am not the only one who was thinking this!

We read the Bible, learnt more about ourselves, prayed for each other and felt a little sad that this was the last night of what had been an awesome week.

God changed lives that week and I feel privileged to have been allowed to be part of that.

We had a fantastic time and can’t wait for Wairarapa Surf Classic ’09. Thanks to my amazing leaders and to the campers for making this camp a true classic.

Laura Heil
Team Leader

NEWS

WORDLIVE

w w w . w o r d l I v e . o r g . u k

I type it into my browser. Wait. It appears. Looks cool. Where do I start?

How about where it says “Start here”. That would make sense. I click it, and open up a whole new world of engaging with the Bible.

This is WordLive.

OK. Today’s reading is Deuteronomy, but it says to ‘Pray first’. Of course. I pray using the helpful verse listed.

Next, it’s onto the reading. I click on the link and the whole text appears – Deuteronomy 15:1-18. I read. It’s about forgiving debts.

From there I have a choice, as you always do with WordLive. I can read a commentary on the passage, ‘reflect on liberation’, listen to a relevant worship song or download a podcast. All at the single click of my mouse. Brilliant.

WordLive is a Scripture Union UK initiative. They’ve put an immense amount of work into it and it is very comprehensive. RSS feeds, MP3 downloads and daily emails are available. You can even access it from your mobile device.

WordLive represents a concerted effort by many Christians across the globe to utilise the web environment to help people connect with the Bible to grow their faith.

The best part is that it’s all free.

Visit WordLive.org.uk to check it out for yourself.

www.wordlive.org.uk

Stephen Opie
Marketing and Fundraising Manager

SU International

Scripture Union in New Zealand is part of a wider International Scripture Union movement, now present in over 120 countries around the world. The lamp and flame symbols represent our commitment to God's Word reflected in Psalm 119 v 105: Your Word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.

© 2007 Scripture Union in New Zealand Incorporated