Prayer Diary

‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…’ (Colossians 4: 2,3)

Please join us in prayer for Scripture Union's various ministries across the world. This page updates every week, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed (see the right of the page).

28 Jun 09: Summer starts here! - 28/06/2009

Months of careful preparation are coming to fruition as the Scripture Union summer programme of holidays, missions and outreach events gets under way. There’s so much that now needs to be fi nalised – team training, safety, equipment, catering, first aid provision, bookings, travel arrangements, teaching and study materials, preparation of venues, wet weather alternatives, arts and craft supplies, duty rotas. It all needs prayer!

Discovering truth - boys reading the Bible together Discovering truth

Sunday 28: Focus for today and throughout the week

‘I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full,’ said Jesus (John 10:10). Thousands of children and young people will take part in an SU holiday, mission or club. Teams are preparing to give them a fantastic time – and to introduce them to Jesus.

Monday 29

As school and college terms come to a close, thousands of children and young people will set off on over 100 Scripture Union holidays and missions during the next few weeks. Not only will they have opportunities to do things they’ve never tried before, learn new skills, take away amazing memories and perhaps fi nd new interests – but above all, they can be themselves and discover all about God and what part they play in his plan.

Tuesday 30

Standards on Scripture Union holidays are high. Holiday leaders and team members are carefully hand-picked, with a ratio of at least one adult to every four children or young people on every holiday. All of them follow SU’s Child Protection Policy and are subject to the government’s CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks. Safety is of paramount importance and all special activities are licensed and properly insured.

Wednesday 1

As well as engaging in fun activities, children and young people have plenty of opportunity to learn about the Christian faith in ways that are relevant and engaging. Small group times around the Bible are a key part of all SU holidays and summer missions. Leaders are continually trained in effective small group work so that the spiritual content of the holidays is always improving.

Thursday 2

The volunteer events team at Queensway House are Simon Barker, Hannah Edmunds, Clare Luxton and Maxine Freeman. There are always last minute bookings for the holiday programme. Though numbers aren’t everything, Scripture Union aims to increase the capacity of its residential holidays by an additional 200 places this year, which will mean nearly 4000 children and young people holidaying with them.

Friday 3

Many holidays focus on specific sporting or artistic activities. Two annual Canal Turn boating holiday breaks on the Grand Union at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire start today – Hannah Winfield leads a group of 16-year-olds from July 3 to 6 and then Simon Barker leads a post-A Level student group from July 6 to 9. Hannah Edmunds is preparing to lead Team Spirit for older teens interested in growing leadership skills at Chellington, Bedfordshire, from July 10 to 12.

Saturday 4: International focus

Africa Region: Critical decisions on the appointment of two full-time Sub-Regional Directors need to be made by August. Political and economic stability is needed in Madagascar and Zimbabwe, where staff work in very difficult environments. In Nigeria, a staff consultation for West Central Africa is being held this month.