HappeningsSpring 2015 Volume 48 Issue 2

International Director

CBM

Pathway to

MaturityWhen we reflect on the ministry of Jesus, we clearly see that he had a ministry to the crowds and a ministry to the disciples. He reached out to the community and many thousands came to a personal knowledge and relationship with God. He also had a deep personal commitment to teach and instruct his 12 disci-ples. These two ministries were intertwined. As he ministered to the crowd, he was serving the disciples and as he was teaching the disciples he was ministering to the crowd. He didn’t serve one or the other; He served both simultaneously.There has been a strong emphasis in the church to bring peo-ple into a relationship with Jesus but we can’t leave it there!

Spiritual maturity doesn’t just happen! Jesus taught us “teach them to do all I have commanded you.” He not only taught this, he also modelled it for us in his three years of working with the twelve disciples. This calling to disciple is so important, it cannot be left to chance. Our discipleship must be intentional !

Our Disciples must Grow Up! ` “God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love ~ like Christ in everything. (Ephesians 4:15 MSG)

God wants us to grow up to maturity and develop the charac-teristics of Jesus Christ, living a life of love and service. Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up; they’restuck in spiritual infancy. “We are not meant to remain as children.”(Ephesians 4:14a Phillips).

Spiritual growth is not automatic; it takes an intentional commitment. We must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing our children and young people.

Discipleship is the process of becoming like Christ, and it always begins with a decision: “‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9b NLT, second ed).

When the first disciples chose to follow Jesus, they didn’t understand all the implications of their decision. They simply responded to Jesus’ invitation.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14) Well-known church researcher, George Barna, in his book, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, presented results of extensive research related to faith decisions in the US. He urges the reader to consider the findings:

In other words, if people do not embrace Jesus Christ as their Saviour before they reach their teenage years, the chance of their doing so is slim.He also stated “...habits related to the practice of one’s faith develop when one is young and change surprisingly little over time.”What a motivation to get stuck in and roll the sleeves up! At CBM our heart is to help you to “Reach and Grow Today’s Children”. This is why we have invested so much in publishing the ‘Life Changers’ and ‘Knowing God’ discipleship curriculum. Please continue reading about how CBM has been fulfilling these purposes.

Blessings,Mike

childrens bible ministries

“People are much more likely to accept Christ as their Saviour when

they are young. Absorption of

biblical informa-tion and principles

typically peaks during the preteen years.”

CBM Training We have seen lots of new faces coming to our one day training seminars and it is great seeing them take hold of the skills and information they glean on training days. Some feedback from recent training days:

Our two specialist courses - Ministering to Preschoolers and Special to God: Ministering tochildren with special needs – have been very beneficial to churches and preschool centres. We have made these courses available to individual churches or preschool centres where we will come to you and run a tailor-made training session.

Contact info@cbm.org.nz for more information and costs.

“Felt it was directly for

me! Addressed all the

issues I was having

in my class!”

“ Loved it! Very helpful and informative. You have a great team

who are all anointed in the ministry God has you in.”

DATES for 2016

We recently had the opportunity to conduct a tailor-made training

weekend at a large, thriving Auckland church. The Kid's

Director says, “It is so hard on a Sunday to talk to leaders

and encourage them so it was fantastic having CBM come.

The leaders loved the vision building and the practical

advice given on many different areas of kid’s ministry.

The teachers gained so much more understanding

of the spiritual impact they can make on a Sunday

morning. They still refer back to their notes from

the weekend.”

“Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, wisdom and practical tips to help

us minister better to our children. I must say that this is an excellent training!”

Church Training in

YOUR community

F e b . 2 7 F i r s t t h i n g s F i r s t : Ministry to children, sharing the gospel,

counselling children, memorizing scripture and more

A p r i l 2 M i n i s t r y t o P r e s c h o o l C h i l d r e n M a y 1 4 “ H o w t o ” D a y : Effective storytelling, managing children,

organizing an effective children’s programme, using a variety of media

J u n e 1 8 To o l T i m e : G a m e s , m u s i c , p r a y e r, a r t a s m i n i s t r y ,

u s i n g t h e B i b l e w i t h k i d s , o b j e c t l e s s o n s

A u g 1 3 Special to God: M i n i s t e r i n g t o C h i l d r e n w i t h S p e c i a l N e e d s S e p t . 3 M a s t e r S t o r y t e l l i n g : Te a c h i n g t h r o u g h s t o r i e s , u s i n g

y o u r v o i c e e f f e c t i v e l y , h o w t o d e v e l o p a m e s s a g e , s t o r i e s

t h r o u g h d r a m a

INDIA A vast harvest fieldThe nation of India not only has by far the biggest number of children in the world, but it is also CBM’s

biggest mission field. Our four CBM branches are located in strategic parts of India – Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Siliguri. From the West and Northeast branches where there is more than one staff member, they are able to reach out into surrounding states. Between them they have ministered to 8,000 children and trained 150 teachers so far this year.

GROWTH ChallengesRodney Devdas, coordinator of our West India branch in Mumbai, stores all the bulk stock of our discipleship curriculum in his house and is kept very busy collating and sending it all over India, apart from his training and children’s ministry responsibilities. Unfortunately houses are only rented out for one or two years, so a permanent CBM base would be ideal. Please pray for God’s will to be done in this regard.

Dollar CrisisWhile some staff support comes from within India, the bulk still needs to be raised in New Zealand. The

recent devaluation of the N.Z. dollar has left them struggling financially. In fact, they need a 20% increase in support just to keep doing their valuable work. This is a very real problem and we are seeking your help, either in sponsoring a branch for $20 a month, or through one-off donations.

International Involvement CBM N.Z. staff also visit India every year. Lyn Anderson conducted training for teachers

of young children (ages 3-6) in 7 Indian cities on a recent trip. 100s attended these courses and her teaching was very well received. Jean Morley and Hugh Dickey are in India at present, conducting five day live-in courses in Orissa (with John-Paul, one of this year’s graduates) and Delhi. They are accompanied by Denis Delaney, chairman of the

CBM Board, who will visit several parts of India with them to make a video of the CBM work there. He will also visit CBM branches in Singapore and the Philippines.

We'd ask you to please pray about how you can help us in reaching the children of India

CBM International Happenings

TravelAs always, we need assistance with airfares to and within India, along with other travel related expenses. These have increased this year due to the low kiwi dollar, but we have proceeded in faith.

The NeedThis nation of nearly 100 million people, the second largest in Africa, is on the fault line between the Muslim north and the Christian south

of Africa. The Muslims in Ethiopia are not radical, but they are still making inroads. About 55% of the people are Christians, mostly very traditional Coptics. Most conversions are amongst Coptics and the Evangelical church-es are growing rapidly.

The SolutionVery little evangelism has taken place amongst children except in areas where Sharon Children Service, an indigenous nondenominational ministry, has conducted training. Because of their wide acceptance among all the evangelical churches, CBM has partnered with them for quite some time.

New WorkersThe Director has been the only full time worker and for some time has asked if CBM could financially support two people to handle the distribution of the Life Changers Curriculum, as he cannot do it himself. We are very thankful that a N.Z. couple are providing the necessary finance for two years and another couple have underwritten the freight and part of the printing costs for the latest consignment of Amharic Curriculum we have

sent. This will enable S.C.S. to provide our material to the 73 churches who have committed themselves to work with Sharon for 5 years, so they can be effective in discipling the children.

THAILANDAt the invitation of Vision Thailand Christian Fellowship, Jean and Hugh conducted training in Bangkok in June. Under 1% of the population are Christian; churches are mainly small, and very few are involved in children’s

ministry. We imparted vision and practical ideas on how to begin a ministry. Many of those attending were church planters and leaders who will pass this on so that when we return next year, we can train those who have been selected to teach the children.

INDIA Continued...CurriculumYear 1 of the Life Changers Curriculum has recently been translat-ed into Punjabi. This is our tenth Indian language! Year 2 is now complete in Garo, thanks to the hard work of Rolland Momin and Jemia Marak (CBM graduates 2013). Their passion to see children well grounded in their faith, has given them the impetus for a very extensive work of training in their Northeastern state of Meghalaya. For example, they trained 1163 people in a recent 6 month period and led 252 children to the Lord in summer outreaches. There are 28 other graduates of our international course who continue to reach thousands of children and train many teachers in India every year.

Ethiopia

Where Memories and Friends are MadeSurvival Camp in July was one of the best we have had yet! The theme this year was:

“Your life is shaped by

The young people were very open to the Lord, and so much was accomplished in their lives. The camp was full and we had a great bunch of leaders from all over NZ. We were delighted once again to be able to part-ner with Bethlehem Training Institute who provided 4 teacher trainees. We also had a Faith Bible College student. They all testified how beneficial the camp experience was to them all.

We were approached late last year about working alongside another Christian ministry who support children and families at risk in South Auckland. As a result of attending camp here is what the leader of the group had to say:

your thoughts”

“We selected 14 children from vulnerable and at risk families to attend, to give the caregivers some respite as well as providing the oppor tunity of a great camping experi-ence for the children. Firstly the kids had a blast, engaged in activities they had not tried before, had 3 square meals (and some) a day, which is not always the case at home and all in all they behaved extremely well. Out of the 14 that came 13 responded to become friends with Jesus - very cool! ..

I visited one of the families the other day to catch up and see how everyone was. The caregiver told me, “You know my boy, he’s been going around and telling everyone he’s given his life to Jesus and he’s told his teach-er, all his friends, his Dad and all his brothers. He’s really changed! That one act rippled through that fami-ly. Maria said to me “These kids (12 of them) don’t often see a lot of good things round here.”.We star ted to chat and she agreed to go to a local church. Six of the kids now also attend Sunday school with her. Jesus is Awesome! 9 of these children are attending local churches and we are still in contact with all them.

TestimonyTIME

Mobile Mission Maintenance We are so blessed to have M M M working alongside us again at Camp Raglan helping us replace most of the old windows and doors in the girls rooms near the grassed quad area. Thank you so much for your amazing heart and willing-ness to help us as we serve the Lord together. Our grateful thanks to Canaan Foundation who have helped us towards this project.

M A R K Y O U R D I A R I E S

Please consider joining us for a week as a nurse/doctor, leader or kitchen helper.

Summer Camps (Ages 7-14)Week 1 Sat, 9th -16th January Week 2 Sat 16th- 23rd January **(Book Early- Fills up QUICKLY)Autumn Camps (Ages 7-14)Week 1 Sat 16th-23rd April Week 2 Sat 23rd -30th April

Survival Camp (Ages 11-14)Sat 9th – 16th July (one week only)

Spring Camps (Ages 7–14) *This camp we often need extra leaders!Week 1 Sat, 24 Sept- 1 Oct Week 2 Sat, 1- Oct-8th Oct

Childrens Bible Ministries PO BOX 8774 Symonds St Auckland 11509 Walters Road Mt Eden ph 09.630.5271

Email: info@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

Every one of us have the wonderful opportunity to decide how we will leave a lasting legacy. Each of us have something to give and it’s important that we invest in some-

thing that will outlast us.

Making provision for CBM in your Will would be a huge blessing and a lasting in-vestment into the ministry to children and to the training of those who work with

children. WHAT COULD I LEAVE IN MY WILL?• You can choose to leave a specific amount or a nominated amount

• You can choose to leave a specific gift such as property or valuable possessions

Thank-you Lord for this testimony from Vasanthi at the CBM Singapore Branch.“The pastor of a church felt the emphasis for the young children needed to be more on the word, so I recommended the Knowing God curriculum and trained the team in its use. A teacher reports, ‘I found the pictures and notes useful and the actions to accompany the

teaching makes it interactive. It is easy to follow and I enjoyed using it much more than the old curriculum!”**Praise God for the lives that continue to be changed by God at Raglan Camp every school holidays, and for the volunteer leaders who help make this possible.

**We are thankful to the Lord for all He is doing through training and curriculum distribution internationally.

Please pray for more financial support for our India team, to counteract the decline in the NZ dollar.

**Ask God to supply our India trip airfares and expenses, and for the health of those travelling.**We are seeking assistance with the 2016 course fees of a student from India.

Thank you from the CBM TEAM

CBMchildren’s bible ministries

Spec i a l Appea lI am enclosing $_____ to help the team get to India to feed spiritually hungry teachersReference Air, A/C 03 0175 0013647 00I want to partner with CBM with a monthlyautomatic payment of $20 / $50 / $100 / $_____Reference AP-WI 12 3016 0551118 01

PTO

C h i l d r e n ’ s B i b l e M i n i s t r i e sPO Box 8774, Symonds St, Auckland 1150Phone: (09) 630 5271 Fax: (09) 630 4373

Email: info@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

Name:_____________________________Address:_______________________________________________________________Phone #:___________________________Email:______________________________

For Special Appeal see over

I am enclosing $_____ for general funds to help the ongoing work of the team at the NZ HQ in Auckland

Reference GF, A/C 03 0175 0013647 00

I am enclosing $_____towards the course fee for an international student in 2016 Reference TR A/C 03 0175 0013647 00

Children’s Bible MinistriesPO Box 8774, Symonds St, Auckland 1150Phone: (09) 630 5271 Fax: (09) 630 4373

Email: info@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

Name: Address:

Email: Phone:

Yes ! I wou l d l i ke t o suppor tCh i l d ren ’ s B ib l e M in i s t r i esCBM

children’s bible ministries