17 February 2005: The new SCMA website is being launched tonight. New and updated information will be available at http://www.scm.org.nz/home/ from this time. Please direct any questions to webmaster@scm.org.nz.

The Newsletter of the Student Christian Movement of Aotearoa

March-April 1999

.No. 40

NATIONAL CONFERENCE This is the event of the year for all SCMers and people who are interested in finding out a little more about SCM, spirituality, justice and community.

The theme is Belief and Expression: Human Rights and the Environment. It will be held in Christchurch/Otautahi from Sunday 27th June to Saturday 3rd July, hosted by SCM Canterbury and SCM Otago. Start planning to get there now! (Yes, do the essays early!) Each local SCM group is responsible for funding the travel of its members, but the group can apply in advance to the Conference Working Group for a subsidy. If in doubt phone Sonia 03-3253365 or Michael 021-805941. SCMA does not want lack of money to stop anyone coming!

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING All members of SCMA please note that the Annual General Meeting will be held between Tuesday 29th June and Friday 2nd July 1999, as a part of the National Conference. Please make the most of this opportunity to direct the life of SCM for the next year.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION... must be delivered to the national office by Monday 17th May, and will be available to members upon request. Presently proposed amendments are to allow for the Trust and to have the makeup of the annual Working Group removed from the Constitution and entered into the Rules.

URGENT! - LEBANON GENERAL ASSEMBLY Anyone who may want to attend the World Student Christian Federation General Assembly in Beirut, 30 August - 9 September must contact the national office or Martin at home (03-3746389, answerphone available) by midday Saturday 8th May to register interest. This is the meeting of delegates from all the SCMs in the world, and provides an opportunity to have your horizons broadened as well as participate in the planning of the direction of WSCF in the future!

CALLING ALL SENIOR FRIENDS What is an SCM Senior Friend? An SCM Senior Friend is someone who used to be in SCM, or anyone else who supports the aims of SCM and wants to be one! After the highly successful senior friends evening during our 1997 National Conference in Wellington/Whanganui-a-Tara, we are having another at this year's Conference.

(This allows Presbyterians to come a day earlier than the Assembly.) There will be a service at which we are grateful to have Margaret Mayman leading worship, and Allan Brash preaching. Then, of course, we will have the traditional church supper - with a difference - a chance for new and old SCMers to find out about the life of SCM over the decades! Last time the present SCMers found it moving and inspiring to hear people's stories about their time in "our" movement.

SCM VICTORIA had its first meeting on Monday 8 March 1999 at midday. They celebrated 100 years of SCM at Victoria with cake and drink (the first of several events celebrating the centennial). They also be shared what SCM has done in its recent past and discussed plans for the year ahead. They had a lively discussion about the activities they wish to undertake this year. To give a brief summary, a one or two day retreat was proposed, a movie night examining movies from a theological perspective, a forum on theology and disability, an update of the situation regarding Third World Debt (the Jubilee 2000 campaign), a forum on landmines, ecology and feminism, and a women's festival is being organised by the Women's' Rights Officer. Then they had a meeting at Ramsey House (Kelburn Parade, the ecumenical chaplaincy) to paint the group banner with pretty colours and the symbols they've come up with. They also did some fun worship stuff/get to know each other activities and a shared lunch. Soup bread and drink provided, and other goodies too! Another event was a mystery tour!

This year they are meeting in the SCM Cabin. This small building was gifted to SCM in the 1950s by Rotary and is located behind the central library, next door to the counselling service and student health (the first pathway on your left walking toward the gym from the book centre).

EXCITING FIRST TERM EVENTS AT SCM CANTERBURY The Business Round Table; a talk by Barbara Vincent at the Workers Education Association. Saving More than Forests; A speaker from Native Forest Action. As well as being informative and inspirational this meeting may have given the impetus for a campus branch of NFA to start. The Truth About Iraq; A panel discussion organised alongside the Communist league to look at why bombing and sanctions continue in Iraq. Speakers included an Iraqi and a Pols lecturer and the audience was large and diverse which led to some vigorous discussion. And the first meeting of the second term, Practising Spirituality ... Prayer? a workshop by Particia Allen covering 6 different types of spiritual activities in an hour and a half! SCM now meets in the cafe at 6:30 and then have the meeting at 7pm in the International room, each second Monday.

SCM OTAGO Opened the semester with an evening of food, wine and introductions to SCM, each other and the world. Membership is looking good, with Clubs and Socs Day, the Book Exchange, friendships, parties and Orientation all proving surprisingly good recruitment opportunities! They had fabulous forums on gender and Easter, and celebrated Easter Monday with an agape liturgy and meal. They are also continuing the glorious tradition of SCM lunches (this year in The Upper Room, which is the very excitingly renovated Chaplains' offices) and have almost got themselves organised for weekly liturgy, but timetables cause havoc at the prospect of a third weekly engagement.

SCM AUCKLAND SCM's orientation day was fun but hard work with Marie, William and Isaac there. They were originally supposed to be next to queers on Campus but they were scared off by the Christian thing which was really sad. SCM had heaps of pink triangles and heaps of affirming messages about the SCM community and were able to talk to the chairman of Queers on Campus to explain what SCM was and that we would love to do some forums with them. It was really difficult as the Christian thing is very a very sensitive issue for Queers on Campus. "Such horrible and destructive things are done in the name of Christianity yet have very little to do with what Christianity really is." The possibility of a Queer service in Pride week is what SCM was able to come up with for SCM to do in later this year. SCM Auckland has 3 new people come along who are Queer Mature Theology students which is really hopeful for SCM in the North. They had their first meeting on Wednesday the 10th of March at the Catholic Institute of Theology (formerly Newman hall) with a liturgy to welcome new people to the SCM Community in Tamaki Makaurau.

SUMMER CONFERENCES These will be determined as a part of the planning for the year at the AGM. Martin has had discussions with people from College House Institute of Theology and Christchurch Anglican Youth. There is enthusiasm to have another event like the Live-In Theological Experience held last December. This would fit in with the vision of the CWP consultation between churches and SCM. Some SCMers have indicated they would like a leadership training conference this summer, and we applied for MAP funds for it. Local SCM groups are encouraged to talk about what they need at the moment, and bring ideas to the AGM.

CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND Two people will be appointed at the AGM to be CCANZ liaison people for SCMA. They will have the opportunity to go to the CCANZ annual Forum from the 24th to 26th September.

SCM PHILIPPINES Hilary Mather received a letter from SCMP which includes greetings to our movement. They are campaigning around the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), in opposition to Filipino ratification of the treaty which "will turn the country into one bit military base and will pave the way for the US Military intervention in internal affairs". They have enclosed a September 16 Movement petition for the rejection of the VFA, and also a petition to President Clinton demanding an apology for US war crimes against the Filipino people in the Filipino-American War. These have been sent to each local SCM group. Please share them around and send them back to the national office.

SCM SINGAPORE MESSAGE "Warm greetings from scm-Singapore! Hope you are all well and happy after a month of hard-work, our very own website is finally ready! this is indeed quite good news for us, as we all along have wanted to share with everyone on what we have learnt so far. In this website, there is a guest book page for everyone to leave your comments, suggestions, and whatever. so, please feel free to drop a line. Have fun surfing our website!" website address http://www.home3.pacific.net.sg/~scmsing/

SCM INDONESIA (GMKI) A message from last year's national conference visitor:
"I want to inform you the situation here in Indonesia after Habibie raised to power in May last year. Now we have change the general election system to be multi- party. So, nowadays about 150 parties have been declared. But not all of them eligible to contest in the election. There are some criteria that they must meet. And it is quite difficult to meet in this very short term. The election will be held in June 7, 1999. Unfortunately, since Habibie's raised to power, many conflict erupted, religious and ethnic conflict which ended with riot and hundreds of people dead (more than two hundreds people died in religious chaos in Ambon this month). The social relationship is very vulnerable in this time. Honestly, the religious conflict was initiated by some parties for their own interest. We even suspicious that the military was involved to engineered this chaos, at least they know the culprit but they let it go. Please pray for us here. We really hope the situation will be better soon after the election so we can develop this country without any restriction like what's happening now. Please say my best wishes to all my brother and sister here I really miss all of you very much. Thanks. God Bless you."

SCMA E-MAILING LISTS AND NEW E-MAIL ADDRESSES This year we aim to have all SCM members with access to email on the SCMA-Announce list. This is only used for brief notices to all members to let them know that they can apply for overseas events, and so on. We suggest you subscribe immediately. It certainly won't be clogging up your in-box! For discussions on SCM related topics, use the SCMA-Discuss list. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@godzone.net.nz. In the body of the message put the words: subscribe scma-announce Subscribe to scma-discuss in the same way. Please also send your email address to Martin at the national office scm@ext.canterbury.ac.nz

WORLD STUDENT CHRISTIAN FEDERATION - ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING. Michael Perkins represented SCM Aotearoa at this meeting in Manila in April. He reports as follows: Pacific Development Resource Committee: The RCM recommended that a working group be formed to be a contact point for new movements in the Pacific. All the work is being done by the Regional office. Joint sub-regional sexuality programme with Australia: It was privately suggested to me that ASCM and SCMA should hold a programme on sexuality. An outcome of this programme should be a detailed proposal for a programme to be funded by the Region. Student Empowerment for Transformation 2000: The RCM had some brilliant discussions and ideas about a different model for doing SET. For one thing it may be called Students Empowered through Theology. Provisionally, SET 2000 will be something like a marketplace of theological perspectives. Every movement will prepare a theological and political reflection on their reasons for being SCM in their context. Elections: Sonia Petrie (Canterbury) is on the Regional Women's Committee and Michael Wallace (Senior Friend in Japan) is an ExCo proxy. The Standing Committee vice-chair is Australian, so to preserve sub-regional balance it was impossible to elect me as a member-at-large. Queer stuff: As you will see from the above, two separate spaces have been opened up for regional and sub-regional discussion of queer issues, namely SET 2000 and an Australia-Aotearoa programme. I had unofficial expressions of support from five delegates. Student Leadership: Aotearoa¹s thinking on Student/Senior Friend power relations is somewhat at odds to the mood of the Federation. Aotearoa can lament that training and expertise go off-shore very quickly. However, other SCMs consider that WSCF is designed to train and nurture critical leaders of the Ecumenical movements and it is up to National Movements to train and develop their own leaders, with assistance from MAP grants. Gender issues in the region: I helped to organise the men's gender caucus for the delegates. On the whole the Women¹s programme is vigilant, imaginative and dynamic and doing a superb job. East Timor: The RCM took no action regarding East Timor. Some movements made known their support for an independent SCM in East Timor. The national report from GMKI implied that it is not an agenda item for them at the moment, as they are working closely with the integrationist movements.

NATIONAL COORDINATING GROUP NEWS AGM facilitator wanted! Katherine has resigned from treasurer position, so please send claims to the office. Funding applications have been done for EAP and MAP (a women's retreat and a leadership programme). The NCG also selected nominees for World Student Christian Federation positions. (See RCM report above.)

QUALIFICATIONS IN YOUTH MINISTRY Information about a Certificate in Practical Youth Ministry, Certificate in Youth in Church and Society and a Diploma in Youth Ministry is available from The Registrar, Diploma in youth Ministry, PO Box 9049, Wellington youthdip@clear.net.nz Ph 0800-119692. This is run by the mainstream churches.

IF YOU MOVE Please send a change of address card or email to the National Office.

RECENT ARRIVALS AT THE OFFICE Ecustics from CCANZ on Kosovo, SCMSmove from SCM Singapore, PQ Broadsheet (April) on the market as god, youth suicide. Praxis- Jan-Mar 1999.

SCM UPDATE is compiled by the National Administrator of SCM Aotearoa. Your contributions, news and information are welcome! Submission date is the 25th of each month.

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