The annual Redlands Prayer Breakfast is coming up!

The Redlands Mayoral Prayer Breakfast in southeast Brisbane has been an annual tradition for the past 18 years.  The idea came from the late Pastor Glen Gray who first…

The Redlands Mayoral Prayer Breakfast in southeast Brisbane has been an annual tradition for the past 18 years. 

The idea came from the late Pastor Glen Gray who first approached the local council with a proposal to raise funds to support local young people through school chaplaincy. Since then, it’s been a calendar-staple for leaders in the community. 

The late Pastor Glen had a vision for this breakfast, and it’s turned into a community tradition.

“This event came about because someone had a vision and advocated for it,” says Neale Collier, chaplain at Cleveland District State High School. 

“It started off quite small, maybe 80 people or so, but it’s grown to nearly 300. The basic structure is still the same; students and pastors take turns reading out prayers focused on blessing the country, city and local families.”

“It’s also an opportunity for leaders to work together. A chance for them to discuss how they can make things better for our young people. It’s really valuable and very unifying.” 

“The Christian community values this event and we get a lot of support from Christian businesses as well as churches.”

It’s an event that Chappy Neale is incredibly grateful to be a part of, and he’s grateful for the doors of community connections that are opened. 

“I’ve been involved since it first started. The organising committee wanted schools to be represented, so a number of chaplains were contacted,” said Chappy Neale.

“This event is an incredible endorsement for chaplains who work in the bridge area between churches, community groups and schools. Chaplains operate in the community, bringing the heart of Christ into situations that people are facing in the ‘marketplace.’”

“First and foremost this is a prayer breakfast, but from the funds raised every chaplaincy committee gets about $1,000 to invest in the young people in their community.” 

Australian olympic champion and 2019’s guest-speaker, Duncan Armstrong.

 

If you are interested in kick-starting a prayer breakfast in your own region, Chappy Neale has some tips:

  1. Connect with like-minded people. Ask around and find out someone who might have the ear of council or your local Mayor. Discuss the benefits of running something like this and remember, prayer is part of Australia’s national heritage and there are many people in society who really value this covering.
  2. Source a broad group of churches to be involved. Ask around and contact Local Chaplaincy Committees to help you get your event up and running. Many hands make light work.
  3. Be well organised. Preparation is really important, especially if you have the local council involved. Make sure your advertising and communications are clear and prep early.

The next Redland’s Mayor Prayer Breakfast is coming up on August 27. More details can be found here

 

Posted: 17/08/2021

Louisa’s Story

School chaplains play a vital role in supporting the social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our young people. Louisa’s story is a beautiful first-hand account that shows how your…

School chaplains play a vital role in supporting the social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our young people. Louisa’s story is a beautiful first-hand account that shows how your support is making a difference…

Louisa’s Story – April, 2021

I remember the first day of school sitting under the lunch area alone with my earphones.

I didn’t want to talk to anybody.

As a new kid I felt like everyone would make fun of me. Chappy Jennie started a conversation with me and introduced me to all the year 11 students. I was so shy but she encouraged me to be brave. At school I was a rebel kid.

One day I was struggling in maths. I was so upset that I left without the teacher’s consent. Chappy brought me into her staffroom and asked me to explain what was wrong. I explained to her about the situation that was bugging me. The advice she gave me was to forgive, keep trying and move forward. From that day on I started showing up to class early and participated in all my maths.

I also had trouble speaking in front of an audience. Just remembering how nervous I was I asked Chappy if she could pray for me. She did. And just like that, I got over stage fright.  

My name is Louisa and I am in year 12 at Home Hill State High School and I am the Indigenous Leader of the school. I also attend the Crossfire youth group that Chappy runs on Friday nights. I help Chappy Jennie keep the younger kids doing the right thing on the bus. 

Posted: 13/08/2021

A Time for Every Season

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 This verse from Ecclesiastes and the passage that follows it fills…

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

This verse from Ecclesiastes and the passage that follows it fills me with a deep sense of thankfulness. It reminds me that God Himself invented the concept of time. Even more amazingly, He has carefully planned out the seasons of our lives!

In my role, I spend a lot of time talking to our amazing SU QLD supporters. They are inspirational people, many of whom have walked through many seasons of life, and now want to make a lasting difference for future generations through a gift in their will to SU QLD.

I love hearing the stories behind why people want to leave a gift like this, to hear about the journey they’ve been on, and the impact that God has had on their life through the ministry of SU QLD.

To me, these beautiful supporters are the living embodiment of selflessness. They know they have the power to help others beyond the span of their own time here on earth – and so they do.

It reminds me of the heart behind the work of SU QLD.

This movement has a rich history of planting seeds in the lives of children and young people, and watching the buds grow and blossom over the seasons.

It is my prayer that we continue to journey alongside children, young people and their families through our ministry arms well into the future — whether that be chaplaincy, camps, or our dedicated support for at-risk youth.

Whatever the vehicle, will you please join me in praying that we continue to ensure that Jesus is in the driver’s seat? I know you share my heart in this matter.

While we may not know how long we have on this earth, there are things that we can be sure of – that we serve a loving God who cares deeply for us, that He has a special place in his heart for our young people, and together we can work towards a better future for these precious ones.

SU QLD’s Relationships + Gifts in Will Coordinator, Yvette Atkins

If you are considering leaving a gift in your will to invest in the lives of future generations, please email bequests@suqld.org.au or get in contact with me on 0427 006 390.

Posted: 15/01/2020

When floodwaters subsided, your support saw them through

When her high school students were being evacuated from their homes in the dead of night, with rain pouring so hard it was deafening, William Ross State High School…

When her high school students were being evacuated from their homes in the dead of night, with rain pouring so hard it was deafening, William Ross State High School chaplain, Kay, was there to support them in any way she could.

The February floods tore through the Townsville high school community, destroying everything in its path – carpets, furniture, resources. Some staff lost everything.

William Ross State High School principal, Allan Evans, who steered the school community through the flood disaster, said one teacher was lucky to escape with her life.

“[The teacher’s] fiance was shifting the vehicle up the road to get out of the water and when they walked out again the water was chest-deep. The guys in the boat said ‘dump the lot or die’, so they got in the boat and that’s what they left with,” he says.

Chappy Kay recalls that many students feared for their lives too.

“I was talking to some kids and they said they were taken out in great big army trucks, and there was a cover over the top but because the rain was so heavy, there was a foot-and-a-half of water inside the truck,” she says.

“They couldn’t see anything, and every time the truck lurched, the parents were grabbing their kids because there was so much water, and they didn’t want them to drown inside the truck.”

In the light of day, the devastation became heartbreakingly clear. Many of the buildings at nearby Oonoonba State School had to be completely gutted and rebuilt.

Mr Evans found himself adopting 350 year 3-6 students on the high school campus for Term 1 after quickly offering his support.

“We were given 12 hours to completely revamp the school. We were a little protective of the younger students,” Mr Evans says.

Even after the floodwaters began to subside, it was clear that the full impact was still being felt. Mr Evans recalls that many of the students would panic whenever it would start to rain again. “Every time it rained, it was like they were re-traumatised,” he says.

But he was full of praise for Chappy Kay and the school’s other support staff.

“The support staff are the pivotal edge of any change. Kay is one of five support staff and each brings that element of support and that’s critical,” he said.

“The day-to-day business, the staff have got the ammunition to deal with it. But when you’ve got the blow-ups, a teacher can’t handle that because they’ve
got 20 other kids – that’s when you call for Chappy.”

Chappy Kay was there to support her traumatised school community because of your support. Help keep this support going, visit suqld.org.au/donate

Posted: 10/10/2019

Bringing Fellowship to the Outback

Over three decades ago, Trevor Meares founded Church of the Outback from his base in Broken Hill after seeing the desperate need for Christian fellowship in rural communities across…

Over three decades ago, Trevor Meares founded Church of the Outback from his base in Broken Hill after seeing the desperate need for Christian fellowship in rural communities across Australia. Today, Alan and Myril Frankham continue his legacy as pastors of this unique community.

Pastor Alan “gathering” with his community by dialing in online. 

Each Sunday morning, Church of the Outback helps around 50 Christians from remote communities across Australia connect with other believers, who are eager to grow and nurture their faith – but would otherwise struggle due to their distance from a local church.

“Like any church, we gather together to meet with the Lord on Sundays, but our community does this by dialing in or logging in online,” Pastor Alan says.

“As part of SU QLD’s ongoing commitment to work with churches to bring God’s love, hope and good news to children, young people and their families, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Church of the Outback by offering the use of our telephone conference calling system.

“This has been a real blessing for Church of the Outback because the connection is large enough to host all of our members simultaneously,” Pastor Alan says.

Beyond the online connection, Pastor Alan and his wife love hopping in their caravan throughout the year to visit their flock for face-to-face fellowship and to provide pastoral care.

“It can be lonely in these remote communities. So it’s important that we get out there and remind our church members that they are not alone. We are indeed one body,” Pastor Alan explains.

Albeit a unique one.

“Recently while doing Bible Study during the week, we had people dialled in across three states of Australia, plus a young man on an interstate train travelling back to his work in far western Queensland, and another couple connecting in via the internet from Vanuatu. It’s mind-boggling,” Pastor Alan says.

“Our services include welcome, worship, a Bible reading and message, communion – with everyone providing the elements in their own homes and a dedicated time for prayer.”

Church community is a connection that is so often taken for granted, but it is vital for believers to come together, regardless of how that looks. Hebrews 10:24-25 says,

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

“We’re technically denominational under the umbrella of Churches of Christ, but we’re also not,” Pastor Alan explains, “What we are about is the gospel: that’s our focus.”

Pastor Alan uploads his weekly teachings onto the Church of the Outback website, so even if members do miss Church, they can still listen to the sermon later in the week.

With SU QLD now transitioning to internet-based conferencing, Church of the Outback is also making a similar change using both the phone and internet/video based communication.

Church of the Outback is a community of friends in rural communities who have been able to share in the fellowship of believers.

Members stand together in times of difficulty, pray for one another regularly, and show the love of Christ to their mates in their outback communities.

For SU QLD, it is a pleasure to be partnering with this amazing community.

Please pray for this beautiful ministry and for our brothers and sisters in remote communities in need of fellowship.

If you or someone you knows has a heart to serve in outback communities, SU QLD currently has a number of chaplaincy positions to fill. Find out more, visit suqld.org.au/morehands.

Posted: 5/08/2019

Encouragement from the Scriptures – Guarding your heart

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 This is a powerful, practical statement from King Solomon – a man the…

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

This is a powerful, practical statement from King Solomon – a man the Bible describes as great in wisdom, wealth and power beyond any of the previous kings.

The word ‘guard’ means protect, watch over, secure, look after and take care of.  What the king is saying is right at the top of all the important things you do in life, is the need to guard your heart. Why? Because everything you do flows from that.

So how do you guard your heart?  Here are four things I do every day to GUARD my heart… (more…)

Posted: 17/05/2019

Encouragement from the Scriptures

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) Have…

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

Have you ever played Snakes and Ladders? It’s a frustrating game – doing your best to climb all the way up to the top only to land on a snake that slides you down all the way to the bottom. Snakes and Ladders is an analogy of the experience many Christians have in their relationship with God. They view their life as an attempt to avoid spiritual snakes (sin) and to climb spiritual ladders (good works) in order to reach the finish line (heaven). (more…)

Posted: 19/03/2019

Encouragement from the Scriptures

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all…

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  — Romans 10: 11-13

The gospel is universal! (more…)

Posted: 12/10/2018

Encouragement from the scriptures

“After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone.” — Matthew 14:23-24 ‘Doing ministry’ is at…

“After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone.” — Matthew 14:23-24

‘Doing ministry’ is at times hectic. It seems that if you ask anyone how their day has been or how they are, the answer is usually, ‘busy’. Our minds have become busy too.  One task leads to another. We bounce from one thing to the next and amongst it all we are craving to know God’s will and purpose.

(more…)

Posted: 17/09/2018

Encouragement from the scriptures

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one…

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist.” — Acts 17:27-28

As a child I remember trying to look over the large stone wall of our neighbour’s yard to see what was there. The best vantage point was when my dad swung me on my swing set.

If dad pushed me high enough, I could peer over the wall for just a second and see my neighbour’s vegetable patch.

(more…)

Posted: 18/05/2018

What is Family Space?

Family Space is a resource-based website that’s all about nurturing the family unit.

Our mission is to equip, empower and nurture family households and church families across Australia.

Family Space seeks to support children, teenagers, parents and churches through practical resources, activities and expert advice.

We’re all about nurturing healthy families and creating healthy communities.

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