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

September 199

No. 43

SCM Update needs more pretty pictures. Send photos of yourself to the office!

National Conference 2000 will be hosted by SCM Otago. Yay! They¹ve already begun scouting out venues. Let¹s hope that they are warm venues.

Upcoming National Events: Leadership Conference, and the Women's Retreat in Christchurch.

SCM Auckland has found a new room to meet in at the Students¹ Association House on Monday nights. However, on the first night the previous group was still praying fervently at 7:30pm and SCM had to retreat to the corridor. They had a forum with Anglican priest Nancy Starr who talked about the Mystics. SCM Auckland will also be taking part in APEC protests.

SCM Victoria Arun Elias, member of SCM Vic and formerly of SCM India, conducted a bible study on the paralysed man (From Luke¹s Gospel) using a study method popular in India. SCM Vic is getting support and encouragement from some Senior Friends as they work on building up membership. Daniel List has started going to an Alpha course in order to convert some people into SCM¹ers! Salient, the Vic student newspaper, is writing a profile article of SCM Vic, the Tennis club and the Debating society as all these clubs are 100 years old this year.

SCM Canterbury/Lincoln organised a public meeting on campus with researcher and activist Nicky Hager. About 40 people came to listen to him talk about the lessons that people¹s political movements can learn from the Timberlands scandal. They also had an evening of contemplative prayer. Nicola Robertson talked about and then arranged a labyrinth. At the end of this, Andrew Harvey was wished well on his way to Beirut for the WSCF General Assembly. Teresa Windle represented SCM at a Forum on Poverty organised by Christian Union.

SCM Otago held a night of poster-making and publicity planning, Work has already begun on the annual Book Exchange. They held a fantastic event with 30 Senior Friends which included a lecture on religion and politics in India. They also took some time-out for a retreat at Taieri Mouth. They¹ve also been working on publicity about East Timor, including letter-writing.

Roger Pym (SCM Auckland) has been endorsed by the NCG as SCMA's representative at the WSCF-Asia Pacific Region Human Rights and Solidarity Workshop. He leaves for Cambodia on the 8th of October, so messages of encouragement and support to him before then.

The SCMA Trustees, Ron Cormack, Bruce Williams and Alison Grimshaw had a fun and informal introductory meeting over coffee with Sonia Petrie (Treasurer), Michael Perkins (Administrator) and Ellen Murray (SCMA Representative) in Christchurch. All going well, the assets of SCMA will be transferred to the protection and management of the Trustees shortly.

A same-sex relationships discussion document has been put out by the Department of Justice. This talks about the areas of legal discrimination against same-sex couples. Submissions are being taken until March 2000. Units could consider writing an all-purpose ³justice-focussed Christian² submission to be quickly adapted for use by other groups. Copies from justice.govt.nz. The Legal Background paper is more detailed than the discussion document.

Emmeline Taptiklis (The-Unit-formerly-known-as-SCM-Massey) has been co-opted onto the NCG. Roger (Auckland) and Emmeline (Massey) are representing the North Island and Katherine (Otago) and Anne-Marie (Lincoln) the South Island, so things are a little more balanced now. The NCG was also pleased to accept Emmeline¹s application for the position of SCMA-CCANZ Liaison person.

Would you like practice at facilitating meetings? Well, the NCG still needs a convenor and it is a perfect opportunity to develop a wide range of meeting skills. The Administrator is doing it at the moment, and this is making it more difficult to get other important work done! The NCG meets once a month by teleconference to make important decisions. The convenor is responsible for making meetings happen, compiling the agenda, requesting reports and arranging facilitation. All expenses are covered. This is an important position. Further info from the office.

Email lists? Do you know about the SCM email discussion lists? Are you subscribed yet? scma-announce and scma-discuss are available. Are there other discussion lists that you would like available? If so, contact Fiona McLaughlin at webmaster@scma.godzone.net.nz with suggestions. To subscribe to either of the current lists send an email to majordomo@godzone.net.nz and say ³subscribe ³.

Martin Dickson (former National Administrator) sends his love to all in SCMA. His email address is bacchus@post.com and would love to get encouraging and friendly messages.

Consensus decision-making resources are still needed by the NCG. The NCG needs to provide material on consensus processes for the Trustees to use in their work. The Trustees will meet for the first time in approximately a month. Handouts, stories, personal opinions, academic tracts and anecdotes are all welcome. Send them to the office.

Women's Talk is going to be published soon. Send "fab and dodgy contributions" to Jo Rees in SCM Otago C/- OUSA PO Box 1436 OTEPOTI/DUNEDIN 9015. The last SCM Update said that Sonia Petrie was co-women¹s coordinator. That was a mistake.

A Men's newsletter is also in preparation. Roger is appealing to SCM men for contributions. 9a Keppell St, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1001

When you have a planning meeting why not send the ideas and the resulting programme to the office and to the webmaster/mistress?

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

Unit Postal Addresses:

SCM Canterbury/Lincoln: UCSA Private Bag 4800 Otautahi/Christchurch 8020

SCM Auckland: 2 Cowan St Ponsonby Auckland

SCM Victoria: VUSA PO Box 600 Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington 6015

SCM Otago: OUSA PO Box 1436 Otepoti/Dunedin 9015

RECENT ARRIVALS AT THE OFFICE: The office gets buried in fascinating correspondence and newsletters every week. I don't have time to read them all, and they are no use sitting on the floor! All these publications are for SCM'ers to read. If you are interested in any of them contact the office and I'll send them to you, free of charge! With or without steak knives! I wonder if anyone is reading this part of Update? Hello!? Hello!? Asian Women's Resource Centre Journal ³In God's Image²; Women¹s Resource Centre Newsletter; CCANZ ³Ecustics² newsletter; IMCS ³Indonesia Update²; IMCS ³Being prophetically creative: AP Council Report²; World Council of Churches³Small Arms, Big Impact: A Challenge to the Churches²; ³Globalisation and its impact on Human Rights² Christian Conference of Asia.

What¹s an IRLTP? And why is SCM so obsessed with acronyms? Here¹s some of the more useful ones from the sometimes private language of SCM¹ers. National

NCG: National Coordinating Group - meets every month to make decisions about SCMA.

SF: Senior Friends - former members of SCM. Lovely people.

CCANZ: Conference of Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand - the major ecumenical networking body in this country. SCMA is part of CCANZ. There are lots and lots of SF¹s in CCANZ.

CWS: Christian World Service - the Aid Agency run by CCANZ. The SCM National Office is in the CWS national office. Again, lovely people.

LITE: A Live-in Theological Experience - Bi-annual study conference run by SCM, CCANZ and College House Institute of Theology (CHIT!). First run in December 1998 to much acclaim.

Regional

Region: In the 1960¹s the Federation was divided into six geographical regions: Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Carribean, Middle East and North American.

Hong Kong: not an acronym, but where the Regional Office is located.

ASYG: Asia Students and Youth Gathering - WSCF/IMCS/YMCA joint meeting. Next meeting January 2000 to discuss Globalisation

MAP: Movement Animator Programme - funding for training and analysis projects, such as our Leadership Training Conference. 2000-2001 Applications close in March

ASCM: Australian Student Christian Movement - we like them lots. We can go to their Conferences for free (and vice-versa), provided we cover our own air travel.

GMKI: SCM Indonesia. Sent a delegate to our 1998 National Conference.

SET: Student Empowerment for Transformation - a very long, harrowing and amazing leadership training conference. Next happening August 2000.

RCM: Regional Committee Meeting - AGM of the region, except every two years. Next in 2001.

RWC: Regional Women¹s Committee.

and last and longest... CWP: Christian Conference of Asia/World Student Christian Federation Joint Programme - This was when CCA/CCANZ decided to formalise their relationship with WSCF and the SCM¹s of the region. Has spawned ongoing projects such as LITE.

International

WSCF: World Student Christian Federation - SCM on a global scale.

EAP: Ecumenical Assistance Programme - Funding for National Movement development.. Currently paying the Administrator¹s wages. Applications close 31 March

IRO: Inter-Regional Office - In Geneva, coordinates the International activities of the Federation.

IRLTP: Inter-Regional Leadership Training Programme - Like SET, except with SCM¹ers from every Region (to date no satisfactory pronunciation for IRLTP this has been found...)

ExCo: Executive Committee - the NCG of the World!

IMCS: International Movement of Catholic Students

GA: General Assembly - Every four years the entire Federation gathers. Just finished in Beirut.

SCM UPDATE is compiled each month by the National Administrator.

It is for SCM'ers, to communicate ideas, reflections, reports, requests and news. <