2013 Youth Mission Teams

MORE — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:59:00 +1000

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2013 Youth Mission Teams

Want to change the world? Want to be changed?

In January 2013 our Territory is sending out 4 teams of young Salvos to serve all around the world and you could be a part of it!

For 3 weeks your team will live in a local community, helping serve in local Salvation Army context, and being a part of what God is doing in parts of the world most people will only ever dream about.

There’s no skill requirement, you just need to be between 13-25 and have a willing heart.

The invitation is open … will you take up the challenge?

TEAMS

Australia - Outback sports ministry

Malawi – Service project

Papua New Guinea – Kalo Corps

Philippines – Joyville Children’s Home

Download an Information Pack for all the info (dates, cost, location info)

Download an Application Form to sign up:print it off, fill it out and email/fax/post it in

Want to know more? Got a question? You can contact us online or give us a call on 02 9266 9877

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Being OK about change

MORE — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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Being OK about change

Hi, my name is Caitlin Allen, and I have been an OK (Officer’s Kid) for 10 years.

Sounds like I should be in OK’s Anonymous, hey? Well, being an OK is tough and sometimes it can feel like we need therapy to cope with what happens in our life. We move house, we move schools and we move church often.

September/October holds more significance for us than the average person. It determines what the next year of our life will be like – whether it will be familiar, or whether it will be another new start.

Being an OK involves constant change and sometimes it can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling anxious, upset, alone, miserable, depressed, terrified … you get the picture. Many of us hate change because it involves so many uncomfortable things. Let’s face it – no one likes being the ‘new kid’.

There are a few things that you can do to help make those first few months of being the new kid a little easier.

PRAY!!!!! Talk to God. Be honest with him. Remember he already knows what’s ahead. He wants to help you through this – he’s just waiting for you to talk to him and to get into his word to hear his voice.

Talk to someone. Grab a parent, relative or close friend and tell them how you’re feeling. It will help you feel less anxious and they may even have some great advice for you.

If you’re starting at a new school or church, walk in with your head high. Not so high you look like a snob, but enough that you’ll look confident even if you don’t feel it. Say hi to people when you make eye contact. It’s just as hard and awkward for them as it is for you. Don’t be afraid to break the ice first.

Go in with an open heart and mind. Give yourself the chance to experience what is there. You may find you come to love it.

Don’t feel guilty about missing your old life. It’s a natural and important part of grieving. Your past helped shape who you are now. Just make sure you don’t dwell on the past too much, because you might start neglecting the future.

Finally, as a fellow OK I want to say: Hang in there!! One day you will look back on your experience knowing God had everything under control and it happened for a good reason. But until then, don’t stress. Just take a deep breath and keep moving one foot in front of the other. You will get through, I promise!

This article was written by Caitlin Allen.

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Church is Where I am

Ben Johnson — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:53:00 +1000

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Church is Where I am

Discovering Church the way God intended it. 1 Corinthians 12

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LIFE: Lessons from the Founders

Claire Hill — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:55:00 +1000

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LIFE: Lessons from the Founders

This 5-week life series looks at the roots of The Salvation Army, and the inspiration behind stories and quotes from William and Catherine Booth.

Their passion and vision for the lost, the last, and the least is motivation for this generation of young people to step up and out radically in mission.

What's inside?

Week 1: Our People

Week 2: Soup, Soap and Salvation

Week 3: I'll Fight!

Week 4: Anything For a Soul

Week 5: All That I Am

Download

As always, this youth discipleship resource is available right here as a free download.

LIFE: Lessons from the Founders.pdf

More about LIFE

Got questions? Looking for leadership tips? Head back to LIFE central

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Christine Caine

MORE — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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Christine Caine

"It’s not enough to see the future we want; we have to be deliberate about the actions we take to make this future a reality."

Christine Caine

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Hacked: Who's writing your statuses?

MORE — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:45:00 +1000

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Hacked: Who's writing your statuses?

Facebook. Need I say any more?

As of December 2011, Facebook reported that 845 million people were using the social networking site monthly, and 483 million were using it daily.

On the website it says, “Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life”.

As Christians we can use it to connect with friends and help connect our friends with Christ.

The connection network

Facebook is great because it allows me to stay in contact with friends scattered all over the world. The Bible is full of examples of the importance of friendship in our lives. For example in Proverbs 18:19 we are told, “Do a favour and a win a friend forever, nothing can untie that bond” (The Message).

What I love even more though is that I don’t need a Facebook account to stay connected to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “We’re speaking for Christ himself now: become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you” (The Message).

I reckon if God had a Facebook, he would be waiting for us to accept his friend request and give our lives to him!

So, if God was your Facebook friend, what would you be willing to share with him? W.W.J.P.? What would Jesus post?

Your words can bring life or death

We know spoken words are powerful, but they are spoken and then often forgotten. Written words last forever. In Hayley DiMarco’s book ‘God Girl’ she says this:

“The God Girl [or guy] is [sometimes] the only Bible that others will read. That means that as a God Girl [or guy], you must be aware that what you say; how you talk, and how you communicate with others can affect the eternity of the people around you.”

We need to be careful about what we are posting online. What we post online is just as important as the way we speak or our actions in our everyday lives. It must reflect the Christ we love and serve.

Social Media tips

Some things to keep in mind when using social networking sites:

Keep your profile private.
Don’t add randoms and don’t accept random friend requests.
One word – hacked. What is posted doesn’t always reflect who you are!
Don’t post inappropriate photos, links, or posts. Remember, WWJP?
Be an ENCOURAGER and an ENCOURAGEMENT to your friends!
Be observant – not in a stalker way. If someone is posting stuff about life struggles, perhaps catch up with them or send them a message to let them know you are thinking of them and praying for them. Take these opportunities to start God conversations!

So ... let’s connect with each other and God.

This article was written by Nathalia Rickwood.

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SALVOS: carry people to Jesus

Claire Hill — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:39:00 +1000

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SALVOS: carry people to Jesus

You might be asking, what does it mean to “carry people to Jesus”? Claire Hill explains what it’s all about through a story in the Bible of a guy who was healed by Jesus. His friends carried him in a stretcher, pushed through the crowds, and dug a hole through the roof of house so they could lower him down to meet Jesus.

How amazing are these friends! They could have easily given up when they saw the large crowds. They could have easily been scared off when people started yelling at them for pushing. And what if they ruined the house they lowered their friend into? Would the owner have demanded that they paid for damages?

These guys didn’t let any of these fears stop them. They pushed through and their friend was set free because of their actions.

What stops you from carrying people to Jesus? "Who could you invite to church? Who could you be praying for?" A Salvo is someone who helps carry people to Jesus.

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T.D Jakes

MORE — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:33:00 +1000

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T.D Jakes

"You face your greatest opposition when you're closest to your biggest miracle."

T.D Jakes

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Refugee or Asylum Seeker: What's the difference?

MORE — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:15:00 +1000

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Refugee or Asylum Seeker: What's the difference?

Luke Richmond is the Community of Practice Leader for The Salvation Army Community Detention Program. He explains the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker, talks about how this program helps asylum seekers assimilate into Australian culture, and finally how you can help! Visit www.justsalvos.com

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When your boss is a jerk

Claire Hill — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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When your boss is a jerk

Have you ever had a boss you have struggled to respect?

I had a couple when I was younger.

As a casual supermarket worker I had a boss who seemed to get a real kick out of intimidating and scaring us younger workers. I can remember more than one occasion when she yelled at me aggressively and called me ‘stupid’ in front of a queue full of customers.

Does your boss show blatant favouritism?
Do they make you work really hard while they slack off?
Are they openly racist or sexist?
Do they purposely rip off customers?
Do they talk about R rated stuff in front of you and your other really young co-workers?

If your boss does something you strongly disagree with, it can be hard to know how to respond.

I was reading the story of Daniel in the Bible this week and was challenged by what he did when faced with a bit of a dodgy boss.

Daniel’s dilemma

Daniel’s boss was committed to worshipping idols – something Daniel totally disagreed with. Because Daniel’s boss was the king, he was able to put pressure on everyone – including Daniel to join him in his idol worship.

The king also made some out-there, unreasonable decisions. Like one time he said: “Since no one can tell me what the meaning of my dream is I’m going to have every so-called ‘wise man’ killed.”

Mass murder is a pretty extreme response to people not being able to explain his dream!

If I was Daniel I think I might have felt tempted to:

‘Debrief’ behind the king’s back about what a crazy idiot he is!
Say to the king’s face that I’d do as he says, and then do otherwise behind his back.
Serve him with way less than 100% enthusiasm and effort.
See myself as powerless to change the situation.
But Daniel doesn’t do any of these things.

Instead, he serves him completely faithfully, looks for opportunities to tell his boss about his God (Daniel 2:28) and gathers his friends to pray with him about the situations he comes up against with his boss (Daniel 2:17-18)

And here’s the thing … God uses that powerfully!!!

The king ended up acknowledging how powerful Daniel’s God is (Daniel 2:47) and promoting Daniel, giving him opportunity to have more influence for God (Daniel 2:48).

You might feel insignificant in your workplace – but God could use you to witness powerfully.

I wonder how God might want to use you in your workplace?

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Robert H. Shuller

MORE — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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Robert H. Shuller

"I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed."

- Robert H. Shuller

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Give Poverty the Flush

Esther Pinn — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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Give Poverty the Flush

Are you wondering what the above picture of a giant toilet is all about?

Well, you can request to have the “Giant Toilet” if you hold a “Give Poverty the Flush” event.

So what’s a “Give Poverty the Flush” event?

Micah Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation is aiming to create greater public and political attention about the issue of sanitation in 3^rd world countries.

Approximately 773 million people still live without access to safe drinking water.
Approximately 2.6 billion people still don’t have access to decent sanitation
3000 children die every day from water, sanitation and hygiene related causes..

How shocking are these statistics! To think we can just turn on a tap every day and have clean, fresh water.

To help reduce these statistics, Micah Challenge is asking you to run a “Give Poverty the Flush” event at your school, church or community between now and November. The aim is to convince the Australian Government to invest $500 million annually to international aid – focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene – by 2015.

By hosting a “Give Poverty the Flush” event you will help create awareness about sanitation problems in the 3^rd world and put pressure on political leaders to take action.

Visit the Give Poverty the Flush website if you would like to host an event.

Photo was taken by Micah Challnege.

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SALVOS: hold onto God's promises

Matthew Gluyas — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:04:00 +1000

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SALVOS: hold onto God's promises

Did you know that God has promises for your life? Did you know that there is a whole book (in the Bible) full of them just for you?

Matt Gluyas shares how he didn’t know Gods’ promises for his life during high school. He says that while on the outside it looked like he had it altogether, on the inside he was completely gripped by fear. He thought God was a distant God.

Sharing the story of David from the Bible, Matt explains how David had a confidence and assurance that God was on his side – he knew and understood the promises of God.

Aspiring to be like David, Matt now chooses to draw upon the promises of God when faced with fear and has found peace, comfort assurance and confidence.

For every fear we face there's a promise of God's peace and protection. A Salvo should draw upon these promises when faced with tough situations. Do you?

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save - thomas eyles

MORE — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:54:00 +1000

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save - thomas eyles

I am 22 years and currently attend Fairfield Corps.

When I was born I was supposed to have a twin, but he died at birth. For people who are twins, they feel complete when they are near their twin, but I've sort of had this hole my entire life and I've constantly been chasing after friendships to fill what I've lost.

I'm an officer's kid and I've had to move around a lot. So, I've always had to leave my friends and this has always opened up that hole in my life. I also got bullied in high school.

After I finished school, I then met friends at TAFE, got into drinking basically because my friends were drinking and I wanted to hang out with them. Then I joined the military – that was something I wanted to do most of my life. This is where I got into the drinking and smoking scene in the Army.

However, about June 2009 I started to lose my eyesight and I didn't know what was going on until July. I found out that I inherited a disease from my Uncle and that I was going to lose my eyesight. Not only was I losing my sight but I was also going to lose my job in the Army. When I found out, I broke into tears because I was going to lose all my mates – this was hard because we were like a family there.

Around August 2009, the eye doctor told me that excessive drinking would make my condition worse. I didn't want to stop drinking because it was the only connection that I had with my mates.

It wasn't until April last year that I realised, what's the point of drinking? So, from that point onwards I gave up drinking.

Towards the end of last year, when I was walking home from youth one Friday night, I crossed the road and got hit by a car. I went over the car's bonnet, smashed the windscreen and landed over the other side of the car. Then, another car drove passed and hit me on the side. I was in hospital for four days, but the thing was, my only damage was a chipped tooth, a two and a half cut down my head and bruising throughout my whole body. No broken bones and no brain damage. While I was in hospital I realised that I only got flesh wounds from the accident and that God was looking out for me – God must have a plan for me. That was a semi-revelation for me.

I wasn't drinking anymore but I was still talking on the phone to friends that I shouldn't be talking to. I had been friends with them for a long time and I didn't want to hurt their feelings, plus I didn't want to lose any more friends.

When I went to Gospel Arts Camp (GAC) last year, there was a person who spoke on the Monday evening session about how she was a product of rape. She was adopted but didn't know until a certain age.

Not that I am a product of rape, but I felt like I could relate to her. It was at camp that I realised I had lost my twin and that I've got a hole inside of me. I realised that God wanted me alive and he proved that by keeping me safe when I got hit by a car, when a lot more could have happened – I could have died. Basically I realised that God has a big plan for me.

This came up again at a prayer night when someone who I had never met, prayed for me and said that God has something big planned for me – she could feel it.

I would like to leave these last words with you:

"Everyone is a hero whether they like it or not, they have someone who looks up to them. Whether big or small, no matter if we like it or not we need to be an example."

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serve - nadine sorensen

MORE — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:50:00 +1000

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serve - nadine sorensen

For me it’s always been pretty easy to believe the lie that I'm ‘too small for God’s kingdom’, by underestimating myself and comparing myself to others. In January 2012 God met with me in Kenya and completely changed my way of thinking.

Without an outgoing personality or obvious talent, I had myself convinced that I could be of no help. This was all a lie, which I was too willing to believe. God took me out of my comfort zone and even out of Australia to show me that by underestimating myself, I was being completely selfish.

While in Kenya we got to meet some really amazing people. These people had very little but they were content. We were also invited into their homes and got a small glimpse at their reality. Visiting the slums of Kenya was hard but good – we really do take things for granted.

All throughout the trip I battled with the thoughts of “Children all over the world are going hungry and have no place to sleep, no sense of safety or hope. Yet God you listen to me complain about losing my phone or about how my computer is not working".

God really pulled me back to reality, to see the bigger picture. Am I blessed? Yes. Do I know why God has blessed me? No, but I don’t want to waste another day not working with God to see change. I am a pretty basic and practical person, but that’s OK. All these kids need is the basic and practical. God is and will use me. This I am no longer unsure about.

In Matthew 13:3-8, Jesus tells the story about the farmer scattering seeds and how they each landed in different areas, but the seed that grows is the seed that allowed its roots to grow in the good earth. Just like story, I want to grow from this experience and allow God to change my life.

In January 2012, God showed me that he created me on purpose and I wasn’t a mistake, but the mistake would be to waste another day not stepping up in faith and helping others that don’t have a fair go.

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Charles Spurgeon

MORE — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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Charles Spurgeon

"Do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope."

- Charles Spurgeon

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grow - jenna newton

MORE — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:15:00 +1000

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grow - jenna newton

The thought of finally finishing uni was one of relief for me. After 4 years of full-time study, I was ready to graduate and get out into the “real world”. Despite being pleased to have finished, it was during this time that I was confronted with the thought of “what now?”

I’m the kind of person who likes to have a plan for important things like my future. I like to know where I’m headed so that I can better prepare for it. What I came to realise, though, was that I was finishing one chapter of my life with no direction for the next one - and this was a scary thought.

What became so clear to me during this period, though, was the fact that I was worrying about my future for no reason. I believed that God had my future planned out, yet I was struggling to trust him with it. I started praying daily that God would show me what he wanted me to do with my life, and provide me with the opportunities to carry out his plan – and he answered my prayers!

Within a few months of finishing uni and praying for direction, God provided me with 2 amazing opportunities for work and study. Through his provision, I have started working at THQ with the Mission and Resource Team, and I have also been accepted to do my Certificate IV in Youth Work through Edify. I know that both of these opportunities were an answer to my prayers.

These last few months have definitely been a learning experience for me and an important reminder that God has my life in his hands. I know that I can trust him with my future and therefore I can spend the present focused on serving him.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," (Jeremiah 29:11).

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The Voice - Youth Councils

Jarrod Newton — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:13:00 +1000

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The Voice - Youth Councils

This June youth from the Sydney East & Illawarra Division and The Greater West Division of the Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory are going to come together for fun, worship and inspiration.

Gathering together at 7:30pm on Saturday 23rd of June at the newly renovated Salvation Army at Wollongong we will sleep over and then get into worship and the word of God on Sunday morning from 10am, followed by Lunch (there are plenty of places nearby to buy food), Electives at 12:30 (more details to come) and final worship together at 1:30pm.

For more information speak to your corps officer, centre manager, youth leader and 'like' us on facebook at facebook/YouthCouncilsTheVoice for more info on electives and ways you can get involved.

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Silent Accomplice

Nathaniel Brown — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:24:00 +1000

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Silent Accomplice

On April 6 1994 the slaughter began. No one was spared from the massacre; men, women, elderly and children. By August, 100 days later, 800,000 people had been raped, tortured and murdered. Over 300 innocent individuals were killed every hour for 100 days.

It was Rwanda and it was genocide.

The stories of grief that emerged from this broken African country in the months and years that followed could not even come close to describing the evil that took place. But perhaps the saddest story of the whole tragedy was not one that took place in Rwanda. It took place all around the world: Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe.

As early as April 10, there was media broadcast around the world illuminating the escalating violence. Despite this knowledge it was not until late June that anyone stepped in to end it. The saddest story of Rwanda is inaction.

How could people stand by for so long and not step in to help? True, it was technically a ‘civil war’ and interfering in someone else’s problems could have been a mistake but hindsight has revealed that “the price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake” (Meister Eckhart). Surely the world must take some degree of responsibility for what happened. If Rwanda has taught us anything, it’s this: spectators are silent accomplices.

Obviously I’m not suggesting that you and I could have stopped what happened Rwanda in 1994, I mean there’s not a whole lot that Australian kids could have done in that scenario. But I wonder if there are injustices taking place in your world today that you can do something about?

Standing for justice

Maybe times have changed since I was in year 8 but I’m pretty sure school is where some of the most damaging stuff goes down. The kind of bullying that helps shape an amazing potential-filled young person into a broken, insecure mess.

It’s awkward isn’t it? You can see it happening right in front of your eyes; when the overweight kid gets smashed by the guys who think they’re awesome while you’re standing nearby knowing you should probably do something but you put it off and put it off and then eventually, the harassment ends and you breathe a sigh of relief and you can stop feeling so guilty.

And it doesn’t stop when you leave school. It happens at university, at work and at home.

Do something. It’s the challenge to all of us. The Bible is pretty clear about it: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves … defend the rights of the poor and needy,” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Being inspired about it is easy because it taps into this inner desire that God has given us but we can’t just talk about, “yeah, let’s stand up for injustice” or sing about it, “everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause”. We’ve got to do it.

Following Jesus is simple but it’s not easy.

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Youth Ministry Bootcamp

Shandri Brown — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:30:00 +1000

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Youth Ministry Bootcamp

Do you want an intense, intimate youth ministry training experience?

Are you coming to the youth ministry conference but think you'd also benefit from the chance to get up close and personal with some of our amazing trainers and presenters?

The week before Youth Ministry Conference will be our next Youth Ministry Bootcamp - a week of practical training and resourcing you won't want to miss. Total value is $400 but we are going to let you register for as little as $80!! Take up the blessing, you won't regret it.

Places are limited, which means you're guaranteed of being able to ask the questions and get the advice that's relevant to your particular ministry setting.

Trainers:

Buhle Dlamini
Matt Gluyas
Nate Brown
Emma Johnson
....and more to be announced!

Venue:

School for Leadership Training, Stanmore.

Dates:

Monday 6th August to Friday 10th August 2012.

Cost:

$180 if not attending YMC
$80 if also attending YMC

This cost covers accommodation Monday to Thursday nights, course costs and most meals. Delegates will be required to purchase their own dinner meals nearby.

Register:

Download the registration form and return it to THQ Youth Team via fax or post. Please make sure you attach any relevant travel details. Further delegate information will be sent to you after your registration is finalised.

More info:

Want to know more? Got a question? Feel free to get in touch!

You can contact us online or give us a call on 02 9266 9877.

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