CBM

childrens bible ministries

Spring

2015

Happenings

Pathway
to

Maturity
When 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 disciples. 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 didnt serve
one or the other; He served both simultaneously.
There has been a strong emphasis in the church to bring people into a relationship with Jesus but we cant leave it there!
Spiritual maturity doesnt 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 characteristics of Jesus Christ, living a life of love and service. Sadly,
millions of Christians grow older but never grow up; theyre
stuck 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.

Volume 48

Issue 2

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 didnt
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:
People are much more
likely to accept Christ
as their Saviour when
they are young.
Absorption of
biblical information and principles
typically peaks during
the preteen years.
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 ones 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 Todays 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

International Director

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:

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the weekend.

DATES for 2016

Feb. 27 Fir st things Fir st:

Ministry to children, sharing the gospel,

counselling children, memorizing scripture and more

April 2 Ministr y to Preschool Children

M a y 1 4 H o w t o D a y : Effective storytelling, managing children,

organizing an effective childrens 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,
using the Bible with kids, object lessons

Aug 13
Sept. 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
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
through drama

CBM International Happenings

INDIA

A vast harvest field

The nation of India not only has by far the biggest

number of children in the world, but it is also CBMs
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 Challenges

Rodney 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
childrens ministry responsibilities. Unfortunately houses are only rented out
for one or two years, so a permanent CBM base would be ideal. Please pray
for Gods will to be done in this regard.

Dollar Crisis

While 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
years 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.

Travel

As 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.

We'd ask you to please pray about how you can

help us in reaching the children of India

INDIA Continued...
Curriculum
Year 1 of the Life Changers Curriculum has recently been translated 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
The Need
This 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 churches are growing rapidly.

The Solution

Very 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 Workers

The 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.

THAILAND

At 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 childrens
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.

Where Memories and Friends are Made

Survival Camp in July was one of the best we have had

yet! The theme this year was:

Yo ur li fe is

shaped by
ts
h
g
u
o
h
t
r
u
o
y
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 partner 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:

TestimonyTIME

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 experience 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!
.. was. The caregiver told me, You
I visited one of the families the other day to catch up and see how everyone
know my boy, hes been going around and telling everyone hes given his life to Jesus and hes told his teacher, all his friends, his Dad and all his brothers. Hes really changed! That one act rippled through that family . Maria said to me These kids (12 of them) dont 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.

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 willingness to help us as we serve the Lord together.
Our grateful thanks to Canaan Foundation who have helped us towards this
project.

MARK YOUR DIARIES

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 714) *This camp we often need extra leaders!
Week 1 Sat, 24 Sept- 1 Oct

Week 2 Sat, 1- Oct-8th Oct

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.

very one of us have the wonderful opportunity to decide how we will leave a lasting
legacy. Each of us have something to give and its important that we invest in something that will outlast us.

aking provision for CBM in your Will would be a huge blessing and a lasting investment 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 from the CBM TEAM

Childrens Bible Ministries
PO BOX 8774 Symonds St Auckland 1150
9 Walters Road Mt Eden ph 09.630.5271
Email: info@cbm.org.nz
Website: www.cbm.org.nz

CBM

childrens bible ministries

Yes ! I w o u l d l i ke t o s u p po r t
C h i l d re n s B i b l e M i n i s t r i es
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
Name:
Address:

Childrens Bible Ministries

PO Box 8774, Symonds St, Auckland 1150

Phone: (09) 630 5271 Fax: (09) 630 4373
Email: info@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

CBM

Email:
Phone:

For Special Appeal see over

Special Appeal

childrens bible ministries

I am enclosing $_____ to help the team get to

India to feed spiritually hungry teachers
Reference Air, A/C 03 0175 0013647 00
I want to partner with CBM with a monthly
automatic payment of $20 / $50 / $100 / $_____
Reference AP-WI 12 3016 0551118 01

Childrens Bible Ministries

PO Box 8774, Symonds St, Auckland 1150
Phone: (09) 630 5271 Fax: (09) 630 4373
Email: info@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

Name:_____________________________
Address:____________________________
___________________________________
Phone #:___________________________
Email:______________________________
PTO