Below you’ll find the link to Marcus and Jayne’s latest prayer letter. Take the time to read it and then you’ll be able to pray more effectively for them. They’d really appreciate your prayers both in the run up to, and during, the summer months. Thanks.
Angie
The sun has been shining and we’ve had a real scorcher of a weekend here in Ireland. That can only mean one thing – it’s exam time!! Many of you are working hard, doing lots of revision, aiming to get the grades you need to get back into school or to university or to get your degree. You’ve made out your revision timetable and you’re sticking to it. And many of you will be like me – trying to do everything possible to avoid having to do any studying!! Even cleaning your room is more interesting that revising……and a 10 minute break can last up to 4 hours!!! (So stop reading this blog and get back to work!!!) I remember those days well!
The only advice I can give you is – Keep Going! Keep working hard. Do your best. Keep the end in sight, then you’ll have the whole summer to enjoy. Some of you might be thinking ”I’m a Christian so I’ll get the results God wants me to get, whether I work hard or not”? But is that right - if you don’t do any revision and get poor marks, is it God’s fault, then? I don’t think so!! 1 Samuel 2:30 has a 
lovely promise from the Lord – “…for those who honour Me I will honour…” But it’s a promise with a condition – if you honour God in everything you do, including your studying, then He will honour you. How He honours you is up to Him. For Daniel and his 3 friends it meant they were 10 times wiser that all the wise men in Babylon. Now, God may not make you 10 times wiser than everyone else doing their exams, but in some way He will honour you. Work hard at all you do. Next time you feel like you can’t be bothered to do some revision – stick at it! Do the best you can. Remember what Paul says – it includes your revising(!):
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord and not to men.”
Maybe in the back of your mind you may have that sinking feeling that when you open the exam paper you won’t be able to answer any of the questions! Help!! Well, don’t panic. Just quietly ask the Lord to bring back to your memory all you’ve learned and rely on His help. He’s not going to abandon you when you walk into an exam room – He’s right there with you.
Whatever you do through exam time, make sure you keep your time with God everyday. Don’t let the busyness of revision and exams push that time out of your life. You need to keep close to the Lord, so guard your Quiet Time each day.
Those of us in the Youth Challenge team are, and will be, praying for you throughout May and June until the exams are over. And if you want a wee break then why not come and join us for the SYC Fun Night on Saturday 12th June 2010 – more details later.
God bless.
Angie
What did you do over the Easter holidays. Some young people spent it at our Conference in Portrush. Here’s what Michael thought of it all:
After re-reading previous blogs on this website, I can finally sympathise with Mark Knox, who spoke of his millions of drafts when preparing his report! However, I’ not complaining; in compiling this summary of Easter Conference, I’ve been granted a valuable chance to truly reflect on what can only be described as an amazing few days. Life-changing in fact. But how can I summarise all that God did in those few days? It’s impossible. But I’ll give it a go.
Having conquered Teen Camp, New Year Camp and 1st Year of SOTW, I figured it was time to see what the fuss of Easter Conference was all about. I was slightly apprehensive; this would be the first CEF camp I’d been to, where I wouldn’t be enjoying Rosemary Law’s wonderful hospitality at Seaview (she told me to say that!) Apparently the format would be different, if not even slightly intense. As per usual, my worries were pointless, as I am currently looking back on an amazingly blessed number of days.
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces again upon my arrival on Friday. A group of around 35 young people (I include Angie, Marcus and Chris in this group, so that I can be invited back next year!) stayed in the youth hostel in Bushmills, a group which enjoyed great fellowship throughout the Conference. Friendships were both made and strengthened, and it was a privilege to be part of the group. After a rather relaxed Friday evening together, we eagerly anticipated plunging into the Conference itself.
Saturday and Monday were similar in structure. Both days began with a voluntary prayer meeting, followed by breakfast. It soon became evident that certain individuals had not experienced this time of day for quite a while! Lead by Marcus, the prayer meetings were the perfect way to start each day, with a short devotional swiftly followed by meaningful, sincere prayers. A brush of the teeth and grab of the coat, and it was onto the bus, travelling to Portrush Presbyterian Church for the Conference itself. The Bible study, terrifically lead by Roger Carswell, was swiftly followed by a short coffee break, before we moved back into the main church for the morning seminar. Each afternoon, the young people were ‘unleashed’ into the likes of Portrush and Coleraine to spend some free time together – many good times were shared, and extraordinary beach volleyball talents were unveiled on Monday! Before we knew it, it was back to the church for tea, before the evening service kicked off. A very full and busy day away from the youth hostel finished with a brand-spanking new event called ‘Meltdown’, a more relaxed meeting for the young people, led by Angie, Chris and Marcus where we heard from various missionaries, and found ourselves being incredibly challenged. One sleepy bus ride later and we were back in Bushmills – the wise option would have been to grab a cup of tea and go straight to bed, however it was hard to resist the lure of group games such as ‘Signs’ and ‘Empires’! A couple of hours later, and it was finally time to crawl into bed. Sunday followed the same basic outline, apart from the morning, when we were able to attend a church of our own choice.
As someone who had no clue what to expect during the few days, I spent most of my first moments at the Conference with my mouth wide open – all the people I’ve ever met within CEF, all under the same roof! The names which so frequently occurred in prayer letters finally had faces!
If asked to describe the Bible studies in one word, it would be ‘refreshing’. It was universally agreed that our speaker, Roger Carswell, had been given a gift, and he was definitely using it to glorify God. He managed to connect with people of all ages within the Conference, leaving us all with a lot to ponder and causing key truths to re-emerge in our individual walks.
The seminars really stood out for me as the highlight of the few days. On Saturday morning, we discovered more about “The Past, The Present and The Future” of CEF in Ireland, from Sam Doherty, Henry Berry and Philip Annett respectively. I found this hugely informative, especially “The Past”. Whenever I’m asked to give a short presentation at church, on the volunteer work I do with CEF over the summer, I’ve always thought that it’d be more useful to include a little context. Now I feel it’s a necessity. It is astounding to hear of how CEF grew and flourished from its humble beginnings, to what it is today, under the Lord’s help and guidance. Our God is great! “I’m down! How do I get up?” by Valerie Murphy, definitely caught the eye when scanning down the programme, and it most certainly did not disappoint. Combining examples from the Bible with practical advice, God was most definitely present and speaking through Valerie that Monday morning. Evening meetings were just as mind-blowing, with the report on CEF Ireland encouraging all those present, yet making us even more determined to help continue its development. Sunday night saw a very interesting report from Pavle Kostadinov of Macedonia and finally the retiring CEF European directors, Roy and Ruth Harrison. Shortly after their presentation, and being ‘interrogated’ in a interview by Chris and Angie later in ‘Meltdown’, I can confirm that all of the young people who had never before met Roy and Ruth instantly fell in love with them, with quite a few females being quoted in saying “I want to get married, grow older, and be just like that”!!
Another personal highlight was the Saturday night meeting, which was mostly a worship session, with the highly anticipated debut of a small band made up of CEF workers. Once again, goosebumps were forming on my arms as it was very clear that we were in God’s presence that night. Finally, a huge thanks to those who spoke at Meltdown meetings; Harry and Wendy Robinson, Pavle, Stan Beamish, Roy and Ruth, Chris, Marcus and Angie. Suddenly, questions were triggered within my head: Why remain comfortable in good ol’ Northern Ireland? What is God calling me to do? Let’s serve this extraordinary God. Marcus, Chris and Angie had admitted that ‘Meltdown’ was on its trial run, and that they weren’t sure how it would turn out, or what reaction it would receive. I’ll take this opportunity to say that I thought it was the perfect way to end a day at the Easter Conference.
In finishing, I want to mention the big thing that God taught me during the course of the few days. The easiest way to explain is to take some of the lyrics from a song we sang on Friday night, during a short worship time;
“Ordinary people are the people God will choose.
Ordinary people are the people God will use.
People who are changed inside, whose hearts have been made new,
Are people who can change the world, that change begins with you,
That change begins with you.”
Time and time again, this theme of ‘ordinary people’ arose. Henry Berry often coined the expression, ‘We are simply ordinary people, serving an extraordinary God.’ Valerie Murphy’s seminar presented examples of how the people in the Bible were not massively different than us, and they suffered the same setbacks as we often do. Suddenly it hit me. Those who work for, or volunteer in organisations like CEF are not in some ‘exclusive club’. They are by no means unlike any other Christian. However, where the difference lies, is in the fact that they are fully committed to serving an amazing God. And consequently, they have been blessed. Even though we always see them up on a stage in front of lots of people, or leading a camp, amongst other things, they are simply ‘ordinary people serving an extraordinary God’.
On looking back upon the Easter Conference, I’m well aware that now God has made this clear to me, there’s no excuse. It’s time to truly commit to serving Him. Only then, as the song reveals, will God use me. It’s safe to say that the Easter Conference changes lives, and it’s definitely something I’d recommend to anyone with a desire to hear God speaking to them.
Michael Pollock
Looking for something to do over the Easter holidays? Why not join us for our annual Easter Conference? It runs from Friday 2nd to Tuesday 6th April 2010. The Young People’s Houseparty for those 16+ is in Bushmills. All the Conference meetings will be held in Portrush Presbyterian Church.
This is the 60th anniversary of CEF in Ireland, hence the theme is “The past, the Present…the Future?” Mr Roger Carswell will be teaching from God’s Word and Harry and Wendy Robinson from our International Headquarters will report on the work of CEF worldwide. There will also be times to focus on what God is doing throughout Europe and, in particular, Macedonia. Seminars on offer include “Spiritual values in a secular world” and “I’m down! How do I get up?” For the full programme of event look under the Camps tab and Easter Conference.
We’ve introduced a new event “Meltdown!” every evening to give you the chance to chill out and chat with other young people over some supper, praise God together and hear from some of our missionaries.
It costs £85/€95 for thse in full-time employment or £70/€80 for those in education or unemployed.
Contact us for full details. Or if you’re interested in going, print off the Application Form, complete it and return it to the address given.
So why not come along and join us for a great weekend – you will be seriously challenged! Are you up for it??
Angie
Marcus is a dad!!
On 9th January 2010 Marcus and Jayne became parents! Jude arrived weighing in at 7lb 8.5oz. Both mum and baby are doing well – and as you can see from the photos Jude is gorgeous!
Congratulations Marcus and Jayne.
Some of you are already thinking ahead to what you’ll be doing this summer. Well if you’re 14-16 years old and fancy a week’s holiday, why not think of Teen Camp. This year’s camp will be held from Sunday 22nd – Saturday 28th August 2010 (DV). For more details and an application form, go to the Camps tab and look under Teen Camp.
Laura Martin was at Teen Camp 2009. Here’s what she thought about it:
“Hello y’all. I am a Teen Camp camper and may I take this opportnity to tell you that Teen Camp is AWESOME! I doesn’t matter what you are into – whether it is walking mountanious hills, taking beach wanderings, or for the musical minded among you hanging with the guitars and keyboards, I can tell you, Teen Camp has a variety of things to do, and so there is something for everyone to immerse themselves into and enjoy.
But not only is there banter with all the friends that you make so quickly, there is deep spiritual teaching as well. Adrian Moffett was the speaker who took the morning Bible sessions last year. He took the theme ‘Ready for the Future’, and through his thought provoking words I can testify many people benefited.
So there is a very brief low-down on some of what is involved in Teen Camp. There are so many more aspects to it, such as making life-long friendships and being able to learn from the insight of your dorm leaders in the quiet time discussions. But as much fun Teen Camp is intended to be, it is also a place to get you thinking about God and what He means to you.”
Laura Martin
So why not think about coming along and joining us this year. You’ll really enjoy it.
(If you want to see more photos of Teen Camp 2009 look under the Camps tab and go to Teen Camp.)
…but can you think back to 5th December when we had our Christmas Special in Banbridge? The evening started with a sumptious hot dinner of roast beef or turkey and ham, followed by a selection of lovely desserts. How many did you have? But all the calories gained were soon worked off again with a few party games led by Colin Hylands. The evening was finished off with a time of carol singing, interspersed with some readings and then Robert Smith left us with some thoughts from Luke 2 where we read of the shepherds hearing of the birth of the Saviour. It was a great night’s fun, where we were able to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen for a while. What did you think of the night? Let us know in the comments.
Have a look at some photos below.
Roll on New Year Camp! Happy new year everyone. God bless in 2010.
Angie
Arriving at Seaview on the Friday evening, I didn’t really know what to expect, but from the reports I’d received from my friends I was assured it would be a good week. After a brief introduction to the week ahead and a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones, we went to bed to get a good night’s “sleep” to be nice an fresh for the first day of classes!
A typical day started off with a rise at 7am to get washed and beautified, followed with a chance to have a quiet time for half an hour; breakfast was after that, then prayer time. Before we got into the teaching classes, John Nixon gave a Bible study. He was teaching on the Tabernacle and I found this very interesting and enjoyable. It was amazing to see Christ being brought out through the deconstruction of the tabernacle. We usually had four or so classes after this, with a short break in-between each one, and this would bring us up to lunch! The afternoon varied each day – some were more class orientated and some gave us a good dose of what we felt was well deserved free time. Tea was at 5.30pm or so and after this we finished off the learning day with a few more classes or prayer and study time, ending at 8.30pm. Often after classes finished we would head down to the harbour in Kilkeel to have a time of praise before supper.
For me this was my first year at training week and throughout the week I undertook several classes. These included, “Counselling a child for salvation”, “Discipline”, “Teaching a memory verse”, “Urgency in the Gospel” and the very important “Teaching a Bible lesson”, but for me my favourite classes were on “The Roman Catholic child” and “What is the Gospel?”.
In the “What is the Gospel?” classes we considered the Gospel in four parts – God’s perfection and purity, the separating sin within us all, the Lord Jesus Christ, and responding to the Gospel. This was such a good class as it taught us how to make the Gospel understandable and clear for children, while still staying true to the Bible. The class focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ made me realise just how gracious my Saviour is, and made me more thankful for my salvation and the opportunity 
I have to minister the good news this summer.
I really enjoyed training week and I am grateful to the staff who took their time out to teach and help us. However, I ultimately thank the Lord for bringing me to the week, for using it to help equip me in the evangelising of children. I just hope and pray the He will help me to put into practice what I have learned and continue to draw me closer to Him.
Mark Ferguson
Sometimes young people who can speak another language spend some time in their summer holidays putting that language to good use in sharing the Gospel with children overseas. Sam Galloway did just that this summer. Here’s what he writes:
“From the 28th June to 11th July 2009 I was in Switzerland on a campsite called Avenches. CEF run two Holiday Bible Clubs a day there. They have been running for around 25 years, and were started by a woman from the local church. When she sadly died, she gave her caravan on the site to CEF.
The clubs take place in a large tent on one of the caravan pitches.
The Swiss HBCs are very similar to those in Ireland. However at least half the kids would shake each leader’s hand and say thank-you after the club, which was a nice change! For the first of the two weeks we had approximately 25 children at each club and for the second around 60. The week after I left there were over 100 at some of the clubs!
Each morning I was involved in a short sketch or play at the start of the club. For the first week I was Franz Forscher, an explorer archaeologist uncovering treasure in Egypt. (The Bible lessons for the first week centred on the story of Joseph.) The second week I was an Indian warrior along with my Indian Chief, Tomahawk. These sketches were great fun and helped to get the children involved in the club. I also had the opportunity to do a memory verse and to lead two of the clubs. This was really scary, to teach and lead in German, but God was with me and really did give me the words to say.
It’s a great opportunity to get to know the children on the campsite because you’re living so close to them. Literally everywhere you go you’re guaranteed to meet one of the kids. For me, this was the best part of taking part in the work at Avenches. It was amazing how God built relationships with the children and the team, and how He was willing to use me with the children. The children (and some of the leaders as well) were fascinated by this strange, tall person who couldn’t speak their language properly.
At times it was difficult, but it was where God wanted me to be. My time in Switzerland was fantastic, and I’m so glad God led me there.”
So for those of you who are studying French, German, Spanish or whatever, why not think of next year spending some time using that language to reach boys and girls with the Gospel? Keep reading this blog to see what opportunities are available.
Angie
Summer 2009 was a Spectacular Summer. It was action packed and extremely busy. The highlight of Summer 2009 for me was CEF Scottish Camp! It was FANTASTIC!
This was my first year attending Scottish Camp and I had heard a lot of good reports about it. It was rated as the best ever CEF Camp and everybody who attended it had always the same great positive opinion on this sensational camp. I had previously attended various CEF Camps (Inters and Teen) and if Scottish Camp was as good as they were, it had high standards to reach. And boy, I certainty wasn’t disappointed – Scottish Camp reached those standards and soared way above them.
I am going to try and sum up the whole Scottish Camp in 4 small points:
• Food
• Meetings
• Evening Activity
• Outings
1. Food
The food was delicious and the cooks who prepared it were terrific! They were the most cheerful and happy people at the camp (even in the early mornings). They always had a big smile on their faces or were having a laugh with the campers and leaders. Sometimes it was hard to keep them quiet during the meetings and grace!
On the days that we were leaving the camp centre, we were given a fry with cereal, fruit and tropical fruit juices for breakfast. Those breakfasts were the best, and really set you up for the day’s activity. However, my favourite meal was the banoffee pie because of my sweet tooth – it was delicious!
2. Prayer Meetings / Bible Study / Praise / Discussion time
Every morning before breakfast there was a prayer meeting which I found very fulfilling and helpful. I believe that it set you up for the day and I would truthfully recommend attending these, even though you have to get up a wee bit earlier.
Then we had our morning Bible Study in which David Crutchley lead us and taught us through the highs and lows of the life of David. These lessons were fantastic because they related to us in our everyday lives. I personally found that the ‘Giant Killing’ lesson was very helpful and beneficial as I had been trying to knock down one or two of my own ‘Giants’.
Then in the evening, usually after supper, we had our praise time which was when we got to pick and sing our favourite songs. (I would recommend picking 230, it’s my favourite!) This was a wonderful time of praise and fellowship together.
At the end of the day we had our discussion groups with our dorm and our leader. I found this time to be very beneficial because it gave the opportunity to talk about and discuss any matters that were on your mind and also to discuss the various teaching and experiences throughout the day.
The leaders at Scottish camp aren’t really your leaders – they are more like big campers. They are really great fun and are so passionate and enthusiastic about what they are doing. They set a great example for us campers to look up to.
3. Evening Activity
The evening entertainment was always brilliant fun and always got everyone laughing. It consisted of volleyball (I would recommend anyone to play the volleyball – it is so much fun and by the end of the week you can get really good at it!), football, group board games, social, Edinburgh Tattoo, Concert and much more.
Every evening there was something different and fun to do. The social was so much fun and I won a few different games. I also got to wear my cool checked shirt and then I released I was the only fella wearing a shirt, but I was proud to be different and unique!!
I also thoroughly enjoyed the Edinburgh tattoo. It was one of the many highlights at camp for me. This was my very first time attending it and I sort of expected to just see and hear bagpipes playing the same tune over and over again… but boy was I wrong! There was loads of various displays including RAF military band, TOP SECRET drum group (they were amazing), Chinese display, Caribbean display, military display with guns and army jeeps, fireworks and so much more. It was an amazing time at the Tattoo and I hope to attend again in the future (hopefully next year at Scottish Camp 2010).
On the final evening of Scottish camp there was a concert for the campers to participate in. Each dorm could make up their own little act and perform it in front of the rest of the camp. Our dorm jumped at the occasion and we performed ‘Hit me baby one more time’ by Britney Spears. It was so much fun, I loved it! We were slightly out of tune and high pitched in places but we still managed to win over the audience – it was brilliant! Other acts included:
• The Proclaimers ‘I will walk 500 miles’.
• ‘Weast of the Bann’ by the Girls from the West and East of Northern Ireland.
• A tribal percussion and dance group which had very impressive costumes.
• Some crazy Scottish dancing.
• A singing girl group from Cookstown who made up a very catchy Scottish camp song.
• Blind date with a twist – which included 3 very charming men from Russia, France and Espana and 1 lovely lady from Northern Ireland! I was involved in this act and I was Juan Carlos from Espana! I really enjoyed acting this one out, I had so much fun and it was so funny! I have never laughed so much in all my life!!
4. Outings/Day Activity
On the Saturday we went into Glasgow and did a bit of shopping. Then in the afternoon we all met up and went to M&D’s, Scotland’s Theme Park. We were given a day pass and we could go on all of the rides as many times as we wanted.
I would recommend going on the water rides, the swings and the roller coasters. Watch out for the magic carpet and the pirate boat – they both look relaxing but before you know it you can feel your stomach moving.
Another day we went to Xscape and it was amazing! I have never seen anything like it. It was a huge place and it had loads of things to do at it which included snowboarding, skiing, and tobogganing on real snow inside, bowling, cinema, rock climbing and a skypark, soccer circus, Robocoaster, mini golf, laser station, fun station, and shopping and restaurants. And this was all under the one roof – it was brilliant. We went tobogganing and it was brilliant fun. It ended up turning into a huge snowball fight. Well, we used the toboggans as shovels and threw snow with them (…it worked really well, but don’t tell anyone I said that!)
On the Wednesday we got up early and went into Edinburgh and spent the day there. First of all we had an open air meeting in the middle of the city and campers volunteered to give out tracts to the public. It was my first time doing this and I loved it.
Then after the open air we had the whole afternoon to ourselves and you could go shopping or you could visit the many attractions that Edinburgh offers. Then finally in the evening the highlight of the day was the Edinburgh tattoo. It was spectacular, amazing, awesome! The variety of displays and performances was amazing. I also loved doing the horse game and shouting for Ireland at the start (it gets the spotlight on you). At the very beginning the commentator announced each country and people shouted for their country, but when he came to Ireland the whole 68 campers and leaders stood up and shouted as loud as we could. We were so the loudest we even beat the Scottish – the hosts! Whoop Whoop!
In conclusion I would sincerely recommend Scottish Camp to anybody. It has been the best camp I have ever been on! I had such a great time and I met so many new friends that I hope to meet at the reunion and Scottish Camp next year. I also personally found the teaching and discussion time extremely helpful and valuable in my walk with God and lessons that I will keep with me for life. Seriously, book for CEF Scottish Camp – you won’t regret it!
Graham Dunne (AKA Juan Carlos!!)
PS If you want to see more photos of Scottish Camp check out the Camps page
