Scripture Union is a global movement ministering in over

120 countries around the world. This year it celebrates 150 years

of God’s wonderful work of reaching out to children, youths, and

families with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraging them to

meet God daily through Bible reading and prayer.

SU TodaySU movements are involved in diverse, creative, and contextually relevant ministries to reach out to the younger generation and to encourage Bible engagement:

• Bible Guides – printed and digital

• Bible Ministries – helping people engage with scripture, online Bible engagement, broadcast media, bookshops

• Schools Ministries – Christian Fellowships, chaplaincy, children, and youth trainings

• Camping Ministries – holiday residential camps, campsites and centres.

• Outreach Ministries - church-based and beach missions, work with ‘at risk’ and ‘special needs’ children and youths, neighbourhood clubs

• Sports Ministries – sports clubs and KidsGames

These proliferation of programmes, activities, and resources are the results of faithful, committed men and women who believe

what God began with one man and a small group of children a hundred and fifty years ago is still the calling and mission of Scripture Union today.

How it Began – Pioneering and Innovative

1867 – Children’s Meeting Josiah Spiers believed that

children could have a personal living relationship with Jesus

Christ. He pioneered a way to share the Gospel in a way they

could understand, through telling stories of Jesus with lively

singing. This was a far cry from the somber church services

and boring sermons they had to sit through.

The first meeting had 15 children gathered in a house in

London. These meetings attracted more children than the

house could take and they had to move to a bigger room

in a school. The Children’s Special Service Mission (later

changed to Scripture Union) was born and in the next eight

years more than 200 weekly services were

held in London and

other cities.

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Reaching the NEXT Generation with God’s Word

BERItA SUINSIDEBIBLE ENGAGEMENTCHILDREN’S CORNERSTAFF MATTERS

SCRIPTURE UNION 150 YEARS

AND BEYOND

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VEM

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2017

1868 – Beach Missions Josiah Spiers began yet another innovative outreach to children on seaside beaches where many went on holidays with their parents. At Llandudno, Wales, he gathered children together, got them to do something fun by decorating a Bible text with sea shells and then told them riveting Bible stories. Thus, children’s beach missions began, bringing the Gospel to where people were.

1879 – Bible Reading The next step that defined the mission of Scripture Union was making the Bible accessible to the young as well as adults. Daily Bible reading was encouraged by getting children to read a small portion of Scripture each day. This new creative approach was an immediate hit. The first printed Bible reading cards had 6,000 members using them. Within months, it spread to other countries. The SU method of systematic, regular Bible reading has stood the test of time, and is still followed today around the globe.

Christian Camps and Schools Work The novel idea of using camps to reach out to boys (1892) was pioneered

by two students from Cambridge University. It was such an attractive approach that soon, other organisations were using it. In the 1940s, SU started schools ministry with the Inter School Christian

Fellowship (ISCF). Today, school CFs continue to operate in numerous movements across the world, including Malaysia.

God’s Work, His MissionThe growth and establishment of SU movements over 150 years and their worldwide reach can only be the work of God.

Today, the two visions of reaching the younger generation and Bible engagement have endured and captured the hearts of countless Christians

who continue to seek to fulfil them through pioneering, creative ways suitable to their contexts and challenges.

from previous page SU was in Malaysia as early as 1900 when the Bible reading notes were promoted by English missionaries in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. In the 1950s, the schools work took off. The SCF and evangelistic camps across the peninsular have been used by God to touch thousands of young people. Many church leaders and members serving today came to Christ through these SU CFs and camps.

SU Global Assembly Celebration in MalaysiaThe global community of SU will gather in Kuala Lumpur from 10-14 November to celebrate 150 years of God’s marvellous work and to look ahead to the challenges of bringing the never changing Gospel of Jesus to the younger generation in a changing digital age. 350 participants come together, affirming the common calling and vision of the Gospel and the Bible for the young world.

In conjunction with the 150th celebrations, SU Peninsular is having a fundraising dinner on 7 December at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur. We seek God’s provision to raise RM1,000,000 so that SU can carry forward in a greater capacity this calling from God for Malaysia.

INSIDEBIBLE ENGAGEMENTCHILDREN’S CORNERSTAFF MATTERS

El Salvador

BhutanRussia

Schools Work

Ghana

BE ON THE MOVE…AND OVERSEAS!The months from July-October were exciting on the Bible Engagement (BE) front. The pace of ministry stepped up with the addition of Timothy Cheang on the staff team and the assistance of Emelda Roukin, our Bahasa Malaysia (BM) Ministry Staff based in Sabah. Of significance were the opportunities to conduct the BE Training of Trainers and BE Seminar in BM and to partner with the Trinity Annual Conference, representing the English-speaking Methodist churches, to promote BE.

WORDAlive Camp

The camp held from 30 May - 2 June was a brilliant blend of fun, community, friendship, and the life-changing Word! Sessions focussed on an overview of the Bible, BE, and applying the Bible and apologetics. Gan Jia Huey, a camp officer, says, ‘It was a great learning experience for me, as I got to be a group leader, lead worship, and plan games. I learnt that I have to be prepared to think on my feet, and I need to manage my time well. Moreover, I met many people - the SU staff and volunteers, and campers - who surprised me with their knowledge of the Word of God!”

Youth Bible Conference

Given the SU commitment to encourage young people to hear and study God’s Word, this conference, themed DEI Jesus, was held on 15 July, with Dr. Sivin Kit and Reverend Dr. Lim Kar Yong sharing fresh insights on the Gospel of Mark. A 35-day devotional was distributed to facilitate continual reading while participants who were keen to pursue the study of Colossians were invited to four sessions on Life to

the Max with Jesus Christ, from August-September in Petaling Jaya, and for the first time, in Ipoh too. These sessions have proven to be incredibly rewarding experiences, discipling the small groups as participants received vital training and sat under God’s Word together.

Taking BE to Timur Leste

BE went overseas again this year! In August, Koh Earn Soo, Executive Director, and Sandra Marcal (currently Timur Leste’s first staff worker after interning at SU last year), conducted three BE Seminars for 180 adults and youths. They also conducted a shortened version of the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) to equip local trainers to continue teaching BE there.

BIBLE ENGAGEMENT (BE)

1. ASK (Pray)

2. READ• What is the context? • What is the content?

3. THINK• What can we learn about God? • What is God saying about man and also to the

first readers? Is it a promise, warning or an example to follow?

• What is main point?

4. ACT (Respond and apply)

5. PRAY

SU’s ART of BIBLE ENGAGEMENT

YBC 2017 participants

BE Timor Leste

BE Timor Leste

There was never a dull moment for the children who attended the SUPA Camp (27-30 May 2017) and the Georgetown Baptist Church Day Camp (26 Aug 2017) that were packed with fun-filled activities, games, and lessons. One of the highlights of the SUPA Camp was ‘Fun Night’ where the staff and volunteers dressed up

as superheroes to welcome the 70 campers into the hall. The 42 campers at the Georgetown Baptist Church Day Camp explored the Bible through an Excite Discovery

V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.

A NEW MILESTONE

activity where they had to hunt for the objects around the hall. In both camps, the children were taught to eat healthily through sushi-making sessions and camp teacher, Uncle Raj, helped them learn that true Victory can come only through Jesus.

校园禾场分享会

读经会在7月22日举办了校园禾场分享会。大约有30位来自

不同学校的老师参与。我们很荣幸地邀得来自爱大华华小的

玉香老师，和来自麻坡中华基督学校的刘华老师来与我们分

享有关如何创立和运行学校基督徒团契的课题。老师们从中

彼此勉励，并相信学校是一个重要的禾场。

CHINESE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (CF) SEMINAR

On 22 July 2017, Scripture Union organised a Chinese Christian Fellowship (CF) Talk. Around 30 teachers from different schools attended it. We were very privileged to have Madam Seak from SRJK Ayer Tawar, and Madam Esther from SJKC Chung Hwa Presbyterian to share with us on how to start and run a school CF. Teachers were encouraged and believed that school is an important mission field.

基督徒教师暖心交流会

基督徒教师暖心交流会于8月19日在清福堂圣殿进行。大约

有60多位来自不同学校的老师参与。读经会借此宝贵的机

会分享了成立学校基督徒团契的重要性，并和不同的老师联

系。来自台湾的黄锦寿牧师（博士）和黄恩典博士夫妇担任

特邀讲员。他们分享了关于自己教书生涯的见证，给予了老

师们很大的鼓励。

EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR FOR CHRISTIAN TEACHERS

About 60 teachers from different schools attended an Educational Seminar that was held on 19 August 2017 at the Chin Hock Methodist Church. Scripture Union had the opportunity to share about the importance of setting up a School Christian Fellowship (CF) and connecting with different teachers. The guest speakers, Professor Eng and his wife from Taiwan, shared their teaching career testimonies and this greatly encouraged the teachers.

CHILDREN CORNER

Uncle Raj giving instructions to play an activity. searching for clues from the Bible for ‘Excite Discovery’ activity.

camp officers dressed up as Superheroes for Fun Night!

designing their own camp t-shirts…

The months of April-August were very hectic for the staff of the Youth Department. Aside from the weekly visits to School Christian Fellowships (SCFs), we also conducted and assisted in organising no less than 15 camps and events.

We thank God for His enabling, given the small staff strength of about 8 persons at any

one time including the Youth Department staff, interns and volunteers.

One of the critical challenges facing SCFs is the dwindling number of young Christian teachers joining the profession, leading to SCFs struggling following the retirement of their teacher advisors. This may even lead to the closure of the SCF by the school. Many SCFs also face difficulty in getting committed Christian students to be leaders.

However, we are thankful for the growing trend among SCFs to collaborate with other SCFs to organise events like camps or rallies. These joint efforts bring encouragement to SCFs as they plan and work together.

GROWING SCHOOL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIPSOur Reach Inside and Outside the Klang Valley

Our work used to concentrate mainly in the Klang Valley but lately, with the

addition of staff based in Penang, we were able to spread further up north.

Among the many events and camps which SU helped SCFs to organise were:-

(1) PJ Rally on 27 May held in Petaling Jaya, attended by 300 youths;

(2) Subang Rally on 29 July held in Subang Jaya, attended by 400 youths;

(3) Combined Seremban SCF Rally on 22 April, involving 100 students from six

schools;

(4) Ipoh High Praise Concert on 8 July, ministering to 50 youths;

(5) SMK Sri Aman-SMK Bukit Mewah Interschool CF Camp from 5-7 June in

Seremban attended by campers from Seremban and PJ; and

(6) SMK Air Itam Leadership Camp on 12 August for 40 campers from four schools

in Penang.

Hope for Future SCFs

A camp of notable significance was the Institute

Pendidikan Guru Camp on 12 August, attended by

about 150 trainee teachers and alumnis. Kelly Tan,

our Penang staff, shared in Chinese, and Marianne

Liaw, in Bahasa Malaysia. Marianne challenged

the campers to set up and run SCFs in schools. A

primary school teacher from East Malaysia commented ‘I really, really appreciate the camp

and hope to implement the ideas to help me make SCF meetings more interesting.’ We are

thankful and continue to look to the Lord and trust Him to take our SCF work to greater

heights.

IPG Camp

Subang Rally

SMK Sri Aman _ SMK Bkt Mewah ISCF camp

Pemberkatan dari Perjanjian Lama(Halaman 302, Sumber Ibadat, Penerbitan Scripture Union)

TUHAN memberkati kamu dan memelihara kamu;

TUHAN menyinari kamu dengan wajah-NYA dan megasihani kamu;

TUHAN menghadapkan wajah-Nya kepadamu dan memberi kamu

damai sejahtera.

Amin. (Bil 6:24-26)

YOUTH CORNER

Printed by Printmate Sdn. Bhd., 16 Jalan Industri PBP7, Taman Industri Pusat Puchong, 47100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

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

NEWSLETTER OF SCRIPTURE UNION IN SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA

DATES CAMPS / EVENTS AGE GROUP LOCATION 17 - 18 Nov 2017 RIZE Children’s Conference Adults FGT, Selangor27 Nov - 2 Dec 2017 NSCFL Camp Youth STM, Seremban7 Dec 2017 SU’s 150th Anniversary Various Kuala Lumpur5 - 15 Dec 2017 d’NA Youth STM, SerembanUP

COMI

NG EV

ENTS

SuppORT SCRIpTuRe unIOn

Sandra Marcal

Hope Wee

FORWARD PLANNING

A team of 21 staff and interns went on a retreat to Kampar from 25-27 July for forward planning. They met to plan for the longer term so that goals and programmes could be more coordinated over the coming 3-5 years. Discussions were preceded by a time of prayer, given the importance of the ministry to focus on fulfilling God’s purposes. The session on ‘Who we are and what we do’ confirmed Bible engagement and schools work as the key priorities. While the various department plans were discussed and consolidated, issues including the role of discipling, volunteer development and resources were also shared.

INTERNS

Jason Gan

1. What were some of your memorable moments at SU?I truly enjoyed serving with some of the SU staff and volunteers. Though we may come from different backgrounds, we serve in unity for the growth of the Gospel. It was a joy to be working with people of the same mindset and I have learnt much from them.

2. What are your future plans?I will be studying in university but will continue serving in Christian Fellowships (CFs), in church, and as an SU volunteer. Most of all, I will continue equipping myself with the Word of God.

Sim En You

1. What were some of your memorable moments at SU?I prepared my first sermon at SU and then delivered it in a few School Christian Fellowships (SCFs). At first, I thought that everyone would fall asleep while I was speaking, but after visiting many CFs and constantly receiving feedback, I have grown in confidence. I was also able to bond with SU staff and interns who conducted a seminar and a day camp in Alor Setar and Penang. continued next section

Jason Gan, En You, Priscillia

2. What are your future plans?I am planning to further my studies at university in the next few years, and continue to grow spiritually as well. At the same time, I also wish to bring more people, especially those of the younger generation to have a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

Priscilla Lai

1. What were some of your memorable moments at SU?The 2 months of internship in SU were definitely rich, abundant, and full. It was an experience that has changed my life in the aspect of Bible reading. I thank God for the friendships made and the memories I will hold dear to my heart.

2. What are your future plans?It is my hope that I will be able to put into practice the many things I’ve learnt when I further my studies in Sarawak for the next 3 years. Ultimately, all glory to God for the hope and joy that He placed in my heart.

STAFF MATTERS