United Free Church of Scotland
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COMMITTEE ON EVANGELISM AND YOUTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2002 INTRODUCTION "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2:8) In those few words the Apostle Paul gives us a good example of Evangelism. It involves friendship, sharing the Gospel and building relationships. Paul reminds us that while some people are saved literally on the spot while listening to the preaching of the gospel, the experience for many others is that coming to faith in Christ was a process where relationships were important not only for exploring Christianity but also for growing as a disciple of Christ. How can we see our relationships with friends, neighbours or colleagues as opportunities to reach others with the Gospel? What can we do to encourage one another in our task? How do we build confidence in sharing our faith? These are important questions. In the School of Mission we aim to address these questions and hopefully cover some others. Recognising that, as in many things, there is no ‘one size fits all' programme, the Committee trust that there will be something of value to all in the School and that it will encourage us to grow in our faith and equip us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. EVANGELISM SCHOOL OF MISSION AND EVANGELISM The aim of the school is to provide a resource to help equip people for the work of mission and evangelism. At present there are four topics planned for the next few years. These subjects cover a wide range with the intention that these initial resources will be tools that will greatly benefit both individuals and congregations. 1 The Effective Small Groups Course provides churches with trained leaders who have the skills necessary for developing effective small groups within the congregation. The course covers: * 'COMMUNITY"...THE MISSING INGREDIENT:
This looks at the effectiveness of small groups. The course is based
on the belief that small groups are not just about Bible Study but are
also about building community.
* SEEKER GROUPS: Looks at how to build a genuine friendship bridge across the culture gap - by providing a low key, non threatening, 'safe' environment for folks to explore the Christian faith. This Course is taught as a small group and will be led by members of Evangelical Ministries who are based in Northern Ireland. Ministers will be encouraged to identify up to three suitable people from their congregation to attend the course. These trained leaders would then return to their churches to develop a small group, and once that group is running effectively more groups could be added. An introduction to the course will be given to Ministers at the In-Service Conference in September. 2 Prayer & Church Growth will explore the effectiveness of prayer in evangelism and seek to provide a biblical foundation for growth within the Church. This session will be led by Rev. Jim Martin who is based in a Baptist Church within a housing scheme in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. 3 The Network Course is designed to enable
people to discover where they are best suited to serve in the Body of Christ.
By helping them to:
The Course addresses three major questions: Where should I serve? What will I do when I serve? How will I serve? It explores these questions by identifying the participant’s God-given passion, spiritual gifts and personal style. Again it is hoped that Ministers would attend the course with teams from their own church. This course will be led by trainers from Willow Creek Association UK. 4 Styles of Evangelism: It is our intention to include 'Becoming a Contagious Christian', Navigator 2:11, Alpha, etc. It is hoped that Ministers would attend the course with teams from their own church. This would provide congregations with a broad base from which to support and encourage one another and to plan a strategy for evangelism within their own situation. ASSEMBLY OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN LEADERS This Evangelical Alliance Conference was held in Cardiff on 5 - 7 November 2001. The United Free Church was represented by the Convener and Vice Convener for Evangelism along with two representatives from the Committee on Business and Administration. The theme was "Reasons for Hope". Delegates from across the country were challenged to think 'outside the box', and to seek to discover God's agenda for his Church in the 21" century. Using Colossians as a study base, we explored Society, Truth, Discipleship and Church. LEADERS FORUM Looking ahead to the Effective Small Group Course, David Millen of Evangelical Ministries will speak at the Leaders Forum on 'Why I believe in Small Groups'. In introducing the subject of the effectiveness of small groups, it is hoped this will also provide an opportunity for those in leadership to begin thinking about the possibilities within their own setting. DAY OF PRAYER The Day of Prayer is on Sunday 8th September 2002. The pack will contain ideas for various prayer ministries that can be used for the day of prayer and beyond. The date proposed for 2003 is Sunday 6th April. YOUTH CAMPS 8 - 14 Age Range
It is encouraging that in the past two years the number of children attending Camps has increased with last year 54 attending in the North, 37 in the West, and 32 in the East. This is due in part to the restructuring of Camps on a Presbytery level but also to a very effective programme combined with the teaching skills provided by Shelagh Coulter, Richard Bisset and Rev lan Robertson. The Committee is greatly indebted to them for planning and leading attractive and stimulating Camps which allowed those attending to explore and encounter the claims of Christ. The teaching was split into two age groups - attendance at Primary or Secondary school being the dividing line. Each group followed a programme designed for their age group. The proposal that a team of three leaders would work in conjunction with local youth leaders also appears to have benefited the work as some leaders attending have been able to provide continuity of teaching after the Camp, which has borne fruit in the local church. The Committee is also grateful that all Presbyteries have now identified individuals to be responsible for organising Camps and is pleased that reunions have already taken place in the East and West Presbyteries. The 8 - 14 age Camps for 2002 are as follows: Presbytery of the North 24 - 26 May Windmill
Centre, Arbroath
The teaching team for the next two years will
be
National 14 - 16 Camp:
In 2002 the arrangement will be:
SUMMER MISSION Summer Missions using young people of the Denomination has served the Denomination well in past years. In the early sixties and seventies many of the young people who served on these teams were called into full time ministry not only in our own churches but also in mission fields and other denominations. Summer mission proved for many a place where faith and service found expression in a way not always found in the local church and also gave a vision of the wider work of the Kingdom. It is hoped to develop summer Mission Teams over the next few years and that more of our young people will apply for Mission and more congregations apply for a Team. One of the main criteria would be that any work undertaken by the Mission Team would be carried on by the local Church after the team departed. YOUTH ASSEMBLY With the challenging theme of "A voice of one crying in the wilderness", our third Youth Assembly took place at Carronvale during 1 - 3 March. It was attended by 25 young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 and it was encouraging to see a number of new faces this year who have come through the Camps. At the first two Youth Assemblies we spent a good deal of time discussing some of the General Assembly topics from Assembly Committees. This year, however, we departed from our usual programme and used teaching sessions aimed at encouraging our young people to grow in their Christian faith and to be a voice within the church and community. The Speakers were Neil Pratt of International Christian College, Glasgow who spoke on "The Relevance of the Bible in Today's Society", and Alan Howard, Church of Scotland Youth Adviser for Glasgow Presbytery, who spoke on how the voice of young people can be heard. Both speakers brought a wealth of experience to the Youth Assembly and provided our young people with much to think about, as they were encouraged to extend their vision beyond simply their own personal or congregational boundaries and see the Church and Kingdom of God in a wider world context. Neil Pratt has agreed to be the main speaker at Youth Assembly 2003. YOUTH NIGHT Throughout our Youth Assemblies the young people have expressed the view that they do not want to be different, but they do want to be included. Following the success of last year’s Youth Night, the Committee decided to continue with a similar format where young people and older members within the Church can meet and discuss a topic raised at the Youth Assembly. It is our intention that the Youth Night would offer an opportunity for dialogue, which we hope, will benefit all who attend. This year, Neil Pratt will present a brief introduction on the topic "The relevance of the Bible in Today's Society" and then open the evening up for exploration and discussion of the subject. ORBIT Our apologies that Orbit was not available at the beginning of the Sunday School session. A review of content, presentation and publication has led to a new format for Orbit and the decision to send Orbit out as a pack twice yearly. To encourage smaller Sunday Schools the marking system has also been revised with 5 points for an entry from a Sunday School, 2 points for a winner, and 1 point for a commendation. The Committee is grateful for the work of Mr And Mrs Lawless as Markers of Orbit. This year we are pleased that Mrs Rosemary Sandell has kindly agreed to mark the competition entries (perhaps with a little help from her husband). YOUTH LEADERS MAGAZINE - StUFf Due to changing circumstances it was decided to review StUFf and submit a questionnaire to youth leaders for comments on the content and value of having such a magazine. After consideration, and recognising that there are many resources available to youth leaders today, it was with regret that the Committee agreed not to continue with the publication of StUFf. The Committee expresses thanks to Elaine and Graham Tait, Alistair Marshall, and Anne Greenwood for the work they did in producing the magazine. EASTER SCHEME The Committee expresses grateful appreciation to all the leaders and children of our Sunday School and Youth Organisations who continually support the Easter Scheme Appeals. In 2001, the incredible sum of £6,036.97 was raised for CHAS (Children's Hospice Association Scotland). Easter Scheme 2002 is for the Bongani Orphans Project, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has suffered greatly from Aids, which has left many families without any means of support because the breadwinner is sick or dead and children are left without food or shelter because no one in the village can provide for them. This project run by the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (U.C.C.S.A) now helps over 1,000 children by enabling family units in both rural and urban districts to stay together and support each other in ways which give dignity to people because they are not dependant upon handouts or charity to survive. It also provides the opportunity for children to be educated and trained for work so they can support themselves. With over 100 volunteers working in seven local branches throughout western Zimbabwe where the numbers of orphans is expected to increase over the years, the programme now requires a full time member of staff to coordinate the work. The cost of a three-year appointment would be in the region of £16,000 and the Committee is grateful to the Committee on Overseas and Inter Church Affairs for agreeing to underwrite the cost and to the Committee on Women's Home and Overseas for agreeing to support this appeal in 2004. CONCLUSION The Committee is encouraged that the work among young people at Camps, reunions, Youth Assembly and Summer Mission is progressing. There is much for which we can give God thanks in these areas and we urge congregations to encourage and involve young people within the life of the Church. Within the area of Evangelism the Committee will continue to explore ways in which we can encourage and resource the work of Evangelism within our congregations and we greatly value prayer and comments on how the Committee could help. In the name of the Committee GARY J. A. BARCLAY
Convener
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© United Free Church of Scotland 2002