From Spanz Autumn 2012

The Presbyterian Church is like an extended family, says its first Pasifika Misionare, Don Ikitoelagi. “The family relationship goes hand in hand with the church family.”

Don emphasises this vision to the young Pacifi c Island migrants he sees moaway from the church and more exclusivinto their own families as they adapt to life in New Zealand.

“They find themselves needing to cope with work, budgeting and so on. They realise that the immediate family is theprimary core group they take care of.

“A lot of younger people are doing quite well in their work and in their families, raising their children according to the Church’s principles, yet they are not tagged as part of the Church. We need to explore ways in which the Church can become a place that feeds their spirituality.”

Don believes that Pacific-communitycongregations are doing well in youth church attendance rates. “People could say young people come to church because they have to, and later they will make their own way and move out. That may be the case. But we need to look at ways in which moving out doesn’t mean moving away from God. They are still part of the faith. They may not come to church every Sunday, and there’s a host of reasons for that, such as work. But they come to funerals, for example, and so are parthe community’s social support mechanism that helps grieving.”

The Presbyterian Church’s AssemblyExecutive Secretary, Martin Baker, says Don’s ability to engage with young people makes him a great choice for the inaugural Paskifa Misionare, a two-year position part-funded by CWM.

Don has had plenty of experience with youth. He and his wife Ere have eight children, and they recently adopted two more infants. “An elderly lady came and said, ‘Can you take this child?’ She saw her family as so dysfunctional. It was like a Moses story. You can’t say no.” The second child was born while the mother was in jail.

Don knows from personal experiencethat threats of ‘hellfire and brimstone’ don’t keep young people in the Church.  Growing up in Niue, his father was a Congregational minister and very strict. “I took off  the minute I was old enough. I avoided the church for many years. I got married, and then quietly found that all the fundamental teaching about life in my past had meaning.”

He started attending the Presbyterian Pacifi c Islander Church in Newton while working as a tax inspector for the Inland Revenue Department. “Then I felt a strong calling to ordained ministry.”

Both he and Ere studied for the ministry and were ordained in 1995 and shared their first ministry at the Wanganui Uniting Presbyterian Church.

Don also served as co-director of the Church’s Mission Resource Team for six years. Most recently he has been the Uniting Church of Australia’s director for Cross Cultural Mission and Ministry in Melbourne while Ere has been the minister at Knox Church in Parnell, a vibrant congregation with many young families in its congregation.

In his Pasifi ka Misionare position, Don will work closely with the five Pacific Island communities within the PI Synod. “I am not here to fi x things,” he says, “but to facilitate people asking the right questions: How can we be a Church today in Aotearoa New Zealand? How are we feeding the younger people spiritually? And how can we influence those out in the community that do not express their faith in the way we are accustomed to?

“This raises the issue of the New Zealand born Pacific Island young people.  Too often the communities in the diaspora feel we have to maintain the culture in the way ware accustomed to. When people say, ‘You are not a Niuean because you can’t speak the language’, I feel sad. These ultimatums aren’t the way forward. If you have even oneiota of Niuean, this makes you part of the Niuean community.”

The Pacific Island Synod Clerk, the Rev Asora Amosa, says he hopes that even the name Pasifika Misionare will help ministries become connected – “not only between the fonos but within the Church. In the multi-cultural Church there’s atendency that when something happens in the Pacific sector, it’s their issue, they deal with it. I have long advocated that we wrestle together with these things.

“The hope of the Pasifi ka Misionare is to bring coordination to the fore.”

From Spanz Autumn 2012

When Chris Garland was eight years old, she felt God calling her to fulltime Christian ministry. She had no idea what that meant and was told by her church leaders, “You’ll grow out of it.”
That never happened. At 16, Chris was directing children’s camps and now, 30 years later, her passion for discipling young people remains unabated.
“I love it. I just love seeing the results as kids grow and step into their own light.”

Chris is the director of youth and children’s ministries at St Andrew’s Uniting Church in Whangarei, responsible for around 85 children and young people. About a third coming from community areas where life is tough and often violent.
Chris says mixing the ‘church kids’ with the ‘community kids’ has been challenging. She’s had to reassure parents, especially of younger children, while at the same time insisting on high standards of behaviour.

“A ratio of 70 percent church kids and 30 percent community kids is about right. The church kids learn to accept differences without being pulled down by behaviour patterns they are not accustomed to. Instead, they’re learning to reach out and help invite community kids into the light of Christ.”
Encouraging teenagers to talk to each other has slowly built trust and helped break down social barriers. Th ey’ve learnt that everyone is basically alike under the surface, with the same kinds of problems and insecurities.

Chris says she’s not interested in providing “entertainment for Christian kids”. In her experience, running youth groups focusing on social events drains leaders and produces little fruit. Her focus is discipleship and leadership development.

“I want to lead young people into a relationship with Christ. If they don’t develop that, then as far as I’m concerned,
I’m wasting their time and mine. But they’re hungry for it. I can’t keep up with how hungry young people are for depth and real-life stuff .”

Every Wednesday, St Andrew’s youth meet for an hour of “heavy duty” Bible studyfollowed by 90 minutes of lighter study and activities for new believers. Some of the older ones lead StAK (St Andrew’s Kids)and others help with music, technology or camps. Th e plan is to have every age group discipling those younger.
“It’s about deepening relationships andteaching them how to disciple others. Itmeans spending time with young people and being available. I tell them I’mlooking for FAT Christians – that stands for faithful, available and teachable – and
I need to be one too.”

Chris knows what life is like for some of the young people from the communityBeing brought up in a Christian homedid not stop her from experiencing her own tragedies.

“I’ve often been tempted to give up. What keeps me going is knowing who God is andGod’s calling on my life. Without God, Idefinitely wouldn’t survive.”

Chris says young children are having to cope with bigger problems than everincluding alcohol, family abuse and suicide.She’s stopped a fi ve year-old boy attemptingto take his own life, and knows parents who ply their youngsters with alcohol to keep them quiet. But she considers it a tremendous privilege to win young people’s trust and walk beside those who are as broken and hurting as she once was.

“Hearing their testimonies gives me hope. God is active in their lives.”

Chris’s advice for others in youth ministry is simply prayer. She has the backing of a prayer team and links every child and teenager with an older person in the church who undertakes to pray for them regularly.

“They may never have a conversation or meet their prayer-sponsor, but that’s the one thing that has made the biggestdifference. I wouldn’t dare do any of the things I do with the young people without that prayer support. And we train our kids to pray for and minister to each other too.”

St Andrew’s youth ministry is a “whole body ministry” she explains. Different people of all ages are invited to share their story with the youth and pass on their wisdom.  Another key, Chris says, is letting young people use their talents and skills to contribute to the services and life of the church. “Young people will step out into leadership if we’re willing to show them they can. Everyone has something to contribute.”

From Spanz Autumn 2012

Aaron Henderson and his wife Amy are part of a volunteer team that attracts 50 to 80 young people to its weekly youth gatherings.

The Wednesday night outreach is only part of the picture. There is also a touch rugby team, youth camps, daytime events, and other get togethers that are all regular parts of the programme.

Aaron pays tribute to the Huntly Cooperating Parish for enabling the thriving ministry, and also to the team of
people he and Amy work with.
“I’m a huge fan of the voluntary group leadership style that we’re operating. It’s great to work as a team. We all have
diff erent things we bring to the table and we encourage each other to keep going.”

The young people who attend the outreach programme are typically from homes where there is not a lot of spare money, says Aaron, and the generosity of the parish in funding things like young people attending camps is also an important part of the success of the ministry.
Passion and energy is not something Aaron is short on. When asked to name a highlight from the last year, his response
was, “Can I have three?” A barn worship night in November, where 30 young people joined for worship for one and a half hours, and the last night of Easter Camp were his top picks. Aaron described that last night of camp as “an amazing night of Jesus encounter, incredible worship and Holy Spirit moving”.
“Amy and I both love it the most when you just see young people click with their purpose and potential; when the light bulb comes on and they have an amazing awareness of who God wants them to be, and they pursue it.”

From Spanz 2012

2011 was a hard year for everyone in Christchurch, and one of the inspiring things for Leilani Lemusu, a youth worker in Rolleston, was seeing young people grow amongst the challenges presented by the earthquakes.
“Something in the resiliency and positivity of young people provides stability for us adults as we struggle through all of the earth’s movements.”

About to undertake a Master’s in Social Work, Lani’s passion is working with young people.
“I love the ‘light bulb’ moments. I love it when a young person just starts unlocking their own potential, when they start to realise what goodness they’re capable of and how they can use it to change the world and spark hope in all of society.”
Lani’s role involves getting alongside young people in school, church and out in the local community. She works closely with Living Word Presbyterian and Hornby Presbyterian Community churches.
Working together with the local school is a big part of Lani’s work.  She spends 10 hours a week running games and activities, mentoring, tutoring and coaching sports teams. Outside of these school-based activities, she runs youth groups, and mentors young people who need extra care. Lani sees churches as a great source of help and support for young people.

“Churches are places that provide an insight into the Kingdom of God and what it means to be part of the coming Kingdom. Part of that encompasses a greater sense of community where young and old are talking and learning from each other.
“We should never view young people as ‘things to be taught’, but rather as people who can teach us about life, technological advancements, society, culture, and much more.”

Attending children’s camps in her late teens inspired Lani to work with broken young people. But the young people are only part of the picture, she believes. A focus on the wider family is critical.

“Sometimes you can grow with a young person for years, but they’ll still struggle with this other world that we don’t see. I want to be part of the process that creates  means for entire families to grow together.”

From Spanz Autumn 2012

Nga Larsen, 27, is employed as a youthworker for Wellington’s Boys and GirlsInstitute, and is also the Wellington regionalyouth coordinator for the Presbyterian andMethodist joint youth ministry committee.

She believes church should provide young people with somewhere they are accepted and loved for who they are, and give them space to grow.
“What we’ve found is the wider whanau of the church is really important. Th e mix of ages is really key because it provides an environment that has young kids and the elders they can look up to.
“What captures the hearts of young peopleis serving the wider community. Th ey are really into learning and fi guring out how to live it out in their daily lives.”

Nga came to youth work through atraditional path; she became involved in a friend’s youth group at Wellington’s StJohn’s in the City Presbyterian Churchwhen she was 14. When a youth worker role came up a couple of years later, she
jumped at the chance to serve because she wanted to help others experience things like Easter Camp and weekends away,which were a key part of her faith journey.

“I think youth ministry is an important calling in itself, journeying alongsideyoung people, supporting them in any wayI can to get closer to God and get closer to who they are.”
Giving young people opportunities to leadin any way is important, Nga believes,because that is how the church getsamazing leaders.

“We have great leaders at St John’sbecause they have come to Wellingtonfor university. Th ey’ve been nurtured by other churches so we are really lucky. The reason they are such strong, amazing,loving leaders is that they have beennurtured themselves by young leaders,and they want to nurture others. They were encouraged to be leaders at a young age and can now be leaders themselves.”
In a sentiment echoed by many Presbyterianyouth leaders, Nga believes there are great opportunities in the Presbyterian Church that people can take advantage of from an early age.

From Spanz Autumn 2012

Th e church has been part of Falen Tu’uga Stevenson’s life for as long as she can remember, and she expects it to be a big part of her future as well. Together with others in her church – St Andrew’s Presbyterian in Henderson, Auckland – Falen, 22, works alongside the parish’s young people and helps coordinate a range of activities for them including games nights, trips, sports events and youth services.

“Our youth group is quite musical and really good at dancing and performing arts. We do plays. We also come up with and develop ideas, then perform them during the youth service.”

Falen speaks highly of the regional youth service, which is usually held twice a year. It’s great, Falen says, because “we get to meet other youth groups and network with them. I think the regional youth services have been really good in bringing people together.”

“I think there’s a lot of talented kids within the Presbyterian Church and I get really proud when I see them perform at the youth services. Th ey’ve got so much passion and drive. Th ey’ve got so much to give.”

Giving young people responsibility is important, Falen believes. “Church is always a good way to keep out of trouble. I’ve seen it. Some kids at my church who could have gone down that road haven’t because their confi dence levels increase. Just the little things like giving them something to do, like reading the Bible in front of the church or giving them the responsibility of setting up the mikes.”

In addition to the work in her own parish, Falen is one of two young church leaders selected by PYM and the Presbyterian Church’s Global Mission team as global mission youth ambassadors. Th is role will see Falen participate in a Global Mission opportunity.

from Spanz Autumn 2012

Rebecca Connor, 26, was pleased to learn that she wouldn’t have to give up working with young people to begin training for national ordained ministry. Rebecca is the first person to beginnational ordination training specialising in youth ministry, a specialisation available for the fi rst time this year.
It was through a chance conversation with Carlton Johnstone last year that Rebecca discovered
that the youth ministry specialisation would be available.

“I really felt that God was calling me to national ordained ministry, but I still had a passion for youth ministry. So I was hesitant.

“Th is new course was a case of divine coincidence. I had no knowledge of it, but exactly what suited me was what was happening.”

This year while doing block courses at Knox Centre, Rebecca is starting an internship at Somervell PresbyterianChurch in Remuera, Auckland. She aims to work with young people in diff erent contexts from those she’s already
experienced, as well as meeting the challenge of being a minister to all ages.
“I have a passion for seeing youth really engaged in a church context. Not ‘here’s our youth, here’s our kids’, but really involved in the congregation, in the community, and not in a back room.”

Rebecca believes engaging young people is part of the key to the future.

“Our youth numbers are dropping off . If youth drop off , they don’t become young adults, and then you’re not going to have newlyweds and couples with young kids.  They need to have a real relationship with the church community and want to be a part of it as they grow older.”

“To enhance young Aucklanders’ quality of life and help them grow into confident, healthy adults with bright futures by raising funds to support initiatives that focus on health, well-being, education and transition for children and young people.”

How and when to apply

THIS FUND IS NOW OPEN FOR 2012 APPLICATIONS.

Click here to download application form

Click here to download information about the criteria and applying

About the Fund

The Mayoress’ Fund for Youth aims to continue to raise funds each year to support initiatives that that directly benefit the health, wellbeing, educational opportunities and employment of young people living in Auckland.

As a mother and grandmother Mayoress Shan Inglis believes in an Auckland where every child has the best possible start in life and a future to look forward to.  There are many individuals and organisations across this city working tirelessly to better the lives of young Aucklanders yet New Zealand still has one of the highest rates of preventable illness and death for children in the OECD, more than 2,000 young Aucklanders are leaving school each year without qualifications and 15 to 19 year olds are the most over-represented group in unemployment statistics.[1]  For Auckland to become the world’s most liveable city, young Aucklanders must have every opportunity to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

An annual programme of fundraising events across Auckland City will benefit the Mayoress’ Fund for Youth.  Individuals and businesses are also very welcome to support or make contributions to the fund at any time.

The Mayoress’ Fund for Youth sits within Auckland Communities Foundation; an independent not-for-profit foundation providing highly efficient fund administration and grant-making expertise.  The fund has its own advisory board that takes an evidence-based approach to grant-making; ensuring that grants support initiatives with proven outcomes that address the real needs of young Aucklanders.

While the Mayoress’ Fund for Youth will distribute funds every year, it is also the intention of the Mayoress that a permanent endowment for Auckland’s young people be built over time.  To that end, a percentage of funds raised each year will be held within the fund to ensure long-term support for initiatives supporting young Aucklanders.

About the Ball

This year’s event will take place on 22 September at the Viaduct Events Centre. Tables are strictly limited, please visit www.mayoressball.co.nz or phone Madeline Erkkila on 09 309 2411 to book your table. Individual seats are also available.The main fundraiser for the Mayoress’ Fund for Youth is a glittering Charity Gala Ball held annuallly.

Contact Details

For further information regarding the Mayoress’ Fund for Youth please contact Auckland Communities Foundation Chief Executive Mark Bentley on 09 277 8833/021 737471 or m.bentley@aucklandcf.org.nz.

All letters of application, together with letters of support from parish ministers, should be sent to:

Very Rev Dr Graham Redding, Principal
Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership
Knox College, Arden Street
Dunedin 9010