Contact Shannan Lord on 0824694401 if you have any queries

Contact Shannan Lord on 0824694401 if you have any queries

Stuur asseblief voortaan vir my ’n Afrikaanse e-Nuus.

Dear Lorraine

Thank you, once again, for your continued prayers for our ministry to the young people of South Africa.

At UCSA’s open day at Die Hoekie Outdoor Centre recently I was moved and inspired by the testimony of the vice-principal of the school where the samurai sword murder occurred a few years ago. Together with a large group of learners he testified that the Lord used the tragedy to bring many learners back to faith in Him. It was a privilege to see this group of several hundred learners making a stand for their faith and for the Lord Jesus.

Young people are spiritually hungry for deeper life values, and they are not fooled by media who sell a lifestyle of shallow and temporary amusement and ‘fun’ but never address the real life issues with which they struggle.

UCSA wants to challenge those young people with our theme of ‘Excellence in Christ’, or in the words that Oswald Chambers chose for the title of his famous book: ‘My Utmost for His Highest’. Paul put it like this: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’ (Col 3:23).

Please pray for the following:

-          More than 1000 young leaders have recently been trained to lead small groups in their schools. Pray that they will be true and trustworthy witnesses to the truth of the Lord Jesus.

-          Pray that the UCSA members at more than 700 UCSA branches will spread the pleasing aroma of Jesus in their schools through their daily lives among fellow learners and teachers.

-          Pray for UCSA teachers who must find time to mentor young people and guide them on the often rocky road to spiritual maturity.

-          Remember all the people who are involved behind the scenes to ensure that the organisation remains true to its vision and mission.

-          Pray for staff members who visit schools and organise the work of the organisation at grass root level.

-          Pray for our two Service Year teams who have now been trained and will be involved at schools and camps throughout the year.

-          Trust the Lord for the necessary funds for 2012 so that UCSA can continue to minister to young people and introduce them to the good news of God’s love.

Click here to read about our people and our ministry. And click here to support us financially, helping to make our ministry to children and young people possible.

May the Lord bless you and your family in 2012

David Nefdt
Executive head

Towards the end of this month we run quite a different holiday to the ones above – for adults who are blind or partially sighted and taking place in the beautiful Western Cape.  An awesome venue with comfortable houses on the side of the lagoon.  We’ll be kayaking on and swimming in the lagoon, doing archery, walking in the fynbos, taking a trip to the beach, playing board games, having campfires and of course spending lots of time drinking coffee on the verandah getting to know new friends and catching up with old ones.

If you’re over the age of 18 and are blind or partially sighted, make sure to join us for this great break.  Come and meet new and interesting people, take part in fun and adventurous activities, enjoy much needed relaxation.  You won’t regret it!  The booking form is available at www.higherground.org.za or email HigherGroundSA@gmail.com or call 072 039 0907 for more information.  Book soon as time and space are running out!  The dates are 23 – 27 February.

If you are in a position where you could consider sponsoring a camper we do have people who would love to come but can’t afford the fees.  Please drop me a line if you would like more information on this great way of helping out and making a difference.

This morning (Saturday Feb 4th) two of our long standing campers, ladies from the Cape, were interviewed for the programme Reis Sonder Grense on RSG.  Great exposure for us.  Hope some of you got to hear it!

In January we had the privilege of speaking to a group of wonderful people doing great work in the world of disability in Gauteng.  A huge thank you to Kitty Uys from the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria for setting up this meeting for us.  We look forward to hosting more camps in Gauteng this year and are glad to be in contact with these groups who make a huge difference in peoples lives.

We’re in the process of having a promotional dvd made.  If you’d like a copy to show to your company/service organisation/church once it’s made please drop me a line so that we can organise that.  Please also contact me if you’d like me to come and speak to any group of people about Higher Ground, we love telling as many people as we can about what it is that we do.

We have people to thank for funding in the past month or two.  We’ll include that in the next newsletter, but in the mean time thank you SO much for your support.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2012, filled with many of the things that you are hoping for!

Thanks for joining us on our exciting Higher Ground journey.

Much love
Emma

–
Emma Roos
Director

Tel : +27 (0)72 039 0907
Fax : +27 (0)31 266 2784
Email: highergroundsa@gmail.com
Website: www.higherground.org.za

8 December, 2011

Dear Friends of Rocklands

As this year draws to a close I would like to thank each of you for your interest and support over the year.

What an amazing year this has been.  We can only praise God for all that He has done at Rocklands!

Although we had some camps that had to cancel due to economic pressure and we also had to cope with the huge cost of replacing most of the roofing of the Centre (approx. R130,000), YET when we came to our annual audit, we were still in a sound financial position – truly God is good!

We have had a wide range of groups here this past year, with over 12,500 people most of whom have spent at least two nights here.   We have hosted family camps, youth groups, school groups, disabled people, ladies conferences, and even some international groups.
It is our prayer that each person who has been here has been touched by the Lord in some way.

STAFF CHANGES:

2011 has also been a significant year, as Shaun Easom, our Programme Manager, felt that God was leading him to take on the responsibility for the overall management of the Centre, and so the past few months have been a time of training and handing things over, in order for me to move into a position of semi-retirement from 2012.

This has been a time of adjustment and change, but we are all sure that it is the leading of the Lord and it is a real pleasure to me to pass the reins of leadership over to Shaun.   He is a young man with so much energy, enthusiasm and a strong sense of calling to this work.   Shaun’s wife, Vyan is an extremely able and competent administrator and all the Trustees are quite confident that Rocklands is in very good hands as we move forward.

Kirk Adams will be taking on the responsibility for the Programming and for the oversight of the Internship Programme and Crystal Warries will be handling all the bookings and assisting Vyan with the administration of the Centre.

Kate KcGrath has resigned and will be taking up a teaching post in Pinelands.
We wish her every blessing in this career change, but we will miss her input very much.
Our catering, cleaning and grounds team of 8 faithful day staff, continue to serve the campsite very well, and we also have 5 enthusiastic young people joining our Solid Ground Internship program in January.

Please can I ask you to hold the whole team in your prayers as they move into the New Year?

Thank you again for your faithful support over many years.
We wish you every blessing this Christmas season and pray that God will be with you and your families as you celebrate His coming.

Janet Hardie

09 – 11 Mar 2012

25 – 27 May 2012
24 – 26 Aug 2012

09 – 11 Nov 2012

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
God is looking Home Builders, men who are passionate about building Godly relationships, marriages and families, to bring hope back into homes.
Even if you are still unmarried, this will give you essential tools for the way forward.

Weekend to Remember (marriage camp)

24 – 26 Feb 2012

22 – 24 Sep 2012

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Weekend to Remember is a couples camp where couples receive marriage-changing principles that they take home and apply to their daily lives that will strengthen their marriage.
It is not a large counseling session, and you will not be asked to participate in small groups.

Far Above Rubies (ladies camp – ages 18 – 65))

31 Aug 2012 – 2 Sep 2012

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
This camp equips each young daughter and women to:
* Be your husband’s helper, friend & lover
* Find clear direction about God’s priorities
* Raising godly offspring

AWANA Adventure School Holiday kids camp (ages 8 – 13)

02 Apr – 04 Apr 2012

25 Jun – 27 Jun 2012
01 Oct – 03 Oct 2012
WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Training Kids for Christ for Life Forever – through fun, activities & lots of adventure.

Father & son camping weekends

02 Mar 2012 – 04 Mar 2012 (island camping)

05 Oct 2012 – 07 Oct 2012  (fishing as major activity)

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Times of: Building * Bonding * Blessing

Andre and Estelle Barnett

siloamvillage@gmail.com

+27 402112297…………+27 83 309 4459

CCI/Ukraine (Christian Camping International) celebrated its 15th Anniversary of camping ministry in Ukraine. The celebration took place in the International Exhibition Center in Kiev, October 14-16. 1079 camp and church leaders from fourteen countries representing over 200 camps celebrated God’s Awesome Deeds in Christian youth camps in the former Soviet Union.

Friday focused on the history of the development of Christian youth camps in Ukraine. 64 camp leaders were awarded medals for their role in shaping CCI/Ukraine and the camping ministry. The Missions Conference on Saturday and Sunday focused on the Great Commission. “The World in God’s Hands” conference theme was based on keynote speaker Dr. Johannes Reimer’s recent book bearing the same title. Dr. Reimer, Bergneustadt, Germany, is a co-founder of the Christian youth camp movement in the former Soviet Union countries. His book was translated into Russian and published for the occasion.

Additional keynote speakers, Alexander Shevchenko, pastor of House of Bread Church, Sacramento, California, and Dr. Don Posterski of Toronto, Canada, joined Dr. Reimer in challenging the audience how to live according to God’s plan for our lives by fulfilling His Great Commission in our rapidly changing world. Posterski’s new book “Elastic Morality” that he co-authored with Chris Tompkins and John MacAuley was translated into Russian and sold at the conference. Posterski urged the church to leave its judgemental approach and to practice acceptance without approval as many youth of our generation are doing.

Thirty Master Classes were offered at the Missions Conference by prominent leaders and camping specialists. Besides Reimer, Shevchenko and Posterski, the list included Dave Loewen, Tim & Ellen Duffield and Ed Seel from Canada; Doug Landro, Vitaly Voznyuk, Oleg Vasilevskiy from Ukraine; Viktor Artemov, Rudi Dueck, Johann Hildebrandt from Germany; Garrett Gilliland, Cheri Strahm from USA; Alexander Kharitonov from Russia; Vladimir Ubeyvolk from Moldova and Alexander Patlis from Belarus.

The evening sessions were marked by live performances of well-known singers and music groups in Ukraine such as Alexander Patlis, Oksamita, and Sounds of Heaven Bell Choir. The conference ended with a one-hour outstanding performance of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Dr. Wes Janzen, Abbotsford, Canada. The audience stood in awe as the KSOC performed the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

Dr. Reimer’s concluding message “Without Work, No Fruit – Mission Needs Passion” moved many to come forward, kneel and commit themselves to passionate discipleship as Dave Loewen prayed commissioning the leaders to reach this generation of youth by operating Christian camps with excellence.

CCI-Ukraine staff and board are thankful to all those who prayed for this conference and helped make it happen. God heard your prayers.

Christian Camping International (CCI) Ukraine is an interdenominational association of 169 camps, conference centers and camping organizations focused on building the church by training camp leaders and equipping them with program and leadership resources to operate quality camps for their churches.

On behalf of CCI-Ukraine Board and Staff,
Vladimir Shevchenko – Academic Dean
Sergey Zakordonskiy – Director
Dave & Elfrieda Loewen – Director, Kingdom Ventures Inc. Canada

– Vladimir Shevchenko www.cciukraine.org/en/ – Christian Camping International Ukraine

28 – 30 October 2011 – Family Matters – For the third year running we are running our Marriage and Family encounter.  There is a fun and exciting programme and programme for children youth and parents.  Our aim is to engage the parents and ensure that the children are ministered too.  We hold banquettes, play family games and adventure activities.  Our adult topics include Covenant; communication; Intimacy; Transparency and Shame/Honour.  If you want to seek Gods will for your family or look for tools to make your journey as a family great this is a great opportunity.  The camp is limited to 18 families; rates are detailed in the brochure below but do not let economic factors hinder you we have sponsorships available.

27 Dec 2011 – 01 January 2012 – AMPED for 13 – 18 years old – A fun safe camp for teens, Let’s spend a week together in God’s word; lets usher in 2012 with praise and worship.  We have great speakers and an engaging programme to suit all tastes.  This is a small camp and numbers are limited to allow for individual attention and participation.  For FUN; FRIENDSHIP; AND TO PRESS IN AND ENCOUNTER GOD this is the place to be this December holidays.

03 – 09 JANUARY 2012 – Youth Week  / Superhero’s – Who’s Glory is it anyway????? – Youth Week number 49 still going from 1963 still fun; funky and relevant.  Come together and dedicate your year to the one who deserves all the Glory.  “If you are living for your own glory it really is too small a thing” Andy Stanley Youth Week is a crazy life changing experience with great bands and worship, relevant topics, sport, drama, music workshops and so much more.  Come soak in the sun and His presence.

01 January 2012 – 30 November 2012         Year of Service and equipping – This is our year of your life programme where we select 8 – 10 young people to walk a journey with us in discovering their purpose and giving to the ministry of hospitality for one year.  Applications close 25 November 2011.

Shannan Lord

Operations Director

Contact details for CYARA(Gauteng) and L’ABRI(KZN) Centres

Tel: 0861 1 CAMPS(22677)

Alt Tel: 014 576 2132 / 014 576 1296

Emergencies and L’Abri enquiries : Martin Lord 082 776 3082

Fax:086 645 8727

Email: bookings@yfc-cyara.com or info@labri.org.za or admin@yfc-cyara.com

www.yfc-cyara.com

www.labri.org.za

www.youthweek.co.za

godliness / devotion / passion / commitment

Youth for Christ L’Abri (Family and Outdoor Adventure Centre, District of Rietvlie, KZN)

Youth for Christ CYARA (Family and Adventure centre in Hekpoort, Gauteng)

The reasons are:
1.) My age and health
2.) Secondly I am a single person.

Emfuleni Retreat is in a beautiful part of KZN in Ixopo. The camp and surrounds are fully established and offer many attractions.

It would suit a couple or family. I have and still am at present very involved with the community and would hope that someone would also be prepared to do that  with the community.

It is small in comparison with other camps however ideally suited for smaller groups of youth to adults.

The minimum price is 2.750 millon rand

It consists of :

• 6 wooden cabins for sleeping.
• Main house that has lounge restaurant/conference room Massage centre.
• One Brick cottage (2 bedroom) and a main house.
• Farm equipment (Tractor slasher/mowers extra.

Should anyone be interested please contact Nick Gonifas – 083 309 3007

Thanking you in advance
God Bless