News
Global Fellowship Headlines 2005
Kenya to train Chaplains for their BB ministry – Dec 2005
UK Junior Section – Dec 2005
FDF’s National camp – Dec 2005
New Section – Updates – Nov 2005
Upcoming Events – Nov 2005
Dear Captains and Officers, Camp Temasek IV – Sept 2005
US Trip Report – Jul 2005
Cook Islands Visit – Apr 2005
North American Region – Apr 2005
News from TELC – Brigade Movement of India – Apr 2005
News from the Pacific – Mar 2005
TELC – Brigade Movement of India – Feb 2005
Tsunami Update – Feb 2005
Tsunami Update – Jan 2005
Eastern & Southern Caribbean news – Jan 2005
GF Tsunami Statement – Jan 2005
Posted: Dec 2005
Kenya to train Chaplains for their BB ministry
This year has been special in its own way in that more than ever before there has been, and still is, an urgent need to educate chaplains in their duties as company officers. While this has been in small numbers, the plans for next year will involve a very large number of pastors. It has been realized that pastors have not fully taken their role mainly because of lack of information. In the first quarter of next year, there are already an expected one–day seminars in nine different areas. This is seen as a better means to support the grassroots work and for individual participation by pastors.
Posted: Dec 2005
UK Junior Section
JUNIOR SECTION (8 – 11 Years) INTERNATIONAL TEAM GAMES Competition 2005/2006
Games and conditions of entry can be downloaded from the BBUK Website at: boys brigade uk
Posted: Dec 2005
FDF’s National camp
National camp is being held 5th – 14th July 2006, and we would really like to see The Boys’ Brigade there.
Cold winds and rainy days are setting in with shorter days and warmer clothes in Europe, but we want you to think of next summer, with glorious sunshine, warn, long days and a camp to remember...
FDF’s National camp is being held 5th – 14th July 2006, and we would really like to see The Boys’ Brigade there.
We only get to enjoy our national camp once every five years, so this is a big event which we want to share with out international partners through FIMCAP and Global Fellowship.
The camp has the theme of ‘New Facets’ for more information visit www.fdf.dk/nationalcamp
The participation fee for the camp is normally €135 for international youth, but in our consistent effort to include as many different cultures as possible, we have searched after and applied for funds and grants to reduce BBs? price to €50.
Unfortunately we are unable to offer financial assistant to participants from outside the EU for transport or travel to Denmark.
Organisers of the camp have already started to plan in great detail for the expected 13.000 FDF’ers, in addition we already have over 450 international participants who have completed pre–registration. It would help the organisers if you could register as soon as you are sure you would like to join us. However final registration must be completed before 1st March 2006.
Many children in FDF consider this to be their highlight, and we hope to share the magic of living in a tent town for 10 days with great potential for understanding each others culture a little bit more.
Please feel free to contact Morten Skov Mogensen for any further information msm@silkeborghojskoIe.dk
Posted: Nov 2005
New GF Brochure Section – Updates
This new section contains downloadable Global Fellowship update brochures, which contain a collection of stories that capture a glimpse of our ministry across the globe. To find out more please follow this link – Update section
Posted: Nov 2005
Upcoming Events – Caribbean Sports Camp.
Dates: 14th–22nd July 2006.
Location: St. Anne Bay Jamaica
Fees: US $150.00
Contact Details: Henry Curry by email captcurry@hotmail.com
Posted: Sept 2005
Greetings from The Boys’ Brigade in Singapore.
The Boys’ Brigade in Singapore is celebrating our 75th Anniversary this year. A series of events commemorating the Jubilee year has begun in Jan 05 and will culminate in Camp Temasek IV from 1st to 5th Dec 2005.
Camp Temasek is held once every 5 years and the camp theme for 2005 is gunGbound@temasekIV. As the finale event for the 75th anniversary celebrations, Camp Temasek IV seeks to be an exhilarating event for all campers to enjoy. Our Boys will be challenged both physically and mentally, as they garner the maximum credits for their guild to win in the final Battle of the Guilds!
This camp is open to all BB Boys currently in Primary 5 and above, foreign BB company members and other secondary school Uniformed Group members. The Camp Temasek application forms are now available online. The details are as follows:
Date: 1st to 5th December 2005. (Thu - Mon)
Venue: Kranji Logistics Camp
Closing Date: 15th October 2005 (Sat)
Website: www.bb.org.sg/camptemasek/
We are pleased to extend an invitation to your country, for your members and officers to participate in this adventurous and enriching camp. The camp fee is at $120 per person.
Registrations are only confirmed with payment and application forms. Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries.
We look forward to seeing all of you at the camp!
Warmest Regards
Catherine Chia
Executive (Programmes)
The Boys’ Brigade in Singapore
Email: catherine_chia@bb.org.sg
Posted: Jul 2005
1st Bearsden Boys’ Brigade US Trip Report
1st Bearsden Boys’ Brigade (Glasgow, Scotland) recently returned from a fantastic two week trip to the US. The Boys had worked hard all winter to raise funds for the trip which was a return visit to the Boys’ & Girls’ Brigade in Neenah–Menasha in Wisconsin who had visited Bearsden last summer.
The group had 3 nights in Chicago on the way to Wisconsin, when they watched Chicago White Sox beat Tampa Bay Devils at baseball and added some Scottish songs and chants to the home support, as well as taking in the sights of the "Windy City" from the skydeck of the 1730 foot high Sears Tower and from a boat cruise on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. There was also time to shop on the "Magnificent Mile" and to play at Navy Pier.
After Chicago the 31 strong group made its way to Neenah for home stays before going on with their American friends to Camp Onaway on the Chain o’ Lakes near Waupaca for a wonderful action packed week with the best weather that could have been hoped for. The Boys tried their hand at water ski–ing, tubing and banana boat riding as well as sailing and canoeing, and various traditional sports as well as the camp climbing wall and high ropes course. There was also a water sports afternoon and a relay race involving wading, swimming, running, rowing and canoeing over a 4–mile long course around the islands and mainland adjacent to the camp site island. There was also a cruise on the stern wheeler paddle steamer "Chief Waupaca" which tours the lakes, and a visit to what is billed as America's largest water park at Wisconsin Dells – Noah's Ark.
The Scots lads gave a good account of themselves, winning several of the camp tournaments, whilst many gained an award as an "Outstanding Camper" and Andrew Pool won the top "Fourfold" award after a demanding series of Physical, Mental, Social Etiquette and Bible Knowledge tests. They put on a ceilidh evening complete with piper, fiddler and dancer, a Scots Supper, and a campfire performance in which they provided a selection of Scots songs, Glasgow Street songs and humour. The trip was rounded off by further homestays in Neenah and Menasha, attendance at First Presbyterian Church in Neenah for morning worship, when the minister used the variety of kilts worn by the Boys to illustrate his children's talk, and a farewell supper the night before departure developed in to an impromptu ceilidh before some tearful farewells were said.
Alistair Burrow, Captain of the Company who led the group on the trip said: "We had a great trip and will have many happy memories of the strong friendships which have been built with our American cousins. The Boys were magnificent – they did all that was asked of them and did it very well – so well that during the week's camp each of the Boys was recognised for his contribution to the camp by being appointed a "Little Chief" and on two nights we made a "clean sweep" of these appointments. It was also interesting to see many of the Boys develop their confidence in many ways during the trip especially at camp where some who were not confident swimmers were canoeing or tubing with great enjoyment before the week was over, and quieter Boys developed strong friendships with some of the American Boys and girls. We are immensely grateful to all those in the community who helped our fundraising efforts in any way and made this wonderful experience possible."
For further information regarding this trip, or regarding the 1st Bearsden BB Company in general, please visit their website – www.1stBearsdenBB.org
Posted: Apr 2005
Report on visit to Boys’ Brigade Brass Bands, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, February 2005.
At the initiative of and supported by the international committee of FDF, I visited the Boys’ Brigade Brass Bands on Rarotonga for the first time in 1999. My visit then was also supported by Global Fellowship and Boys’ Brigade on Rarotonga. In early 2004 I contacted Global Fellowship represented by Tage Kleinb?k as I wanted to know whether they might be interested in a revisit. This turned out to be the case.
With me on the trip were my wife, our children, Ida and Jacob, and our son–in–law, Jacob L. The four of us are brass instrumentalists and familiar with the orchestra world of FDF, both locally and nationally. We all brought our instruments and managed to put together a reasonable concert repertoire which turned out to be a wise arrangement.
On Rarotonga Boys’ Brigade has two brass bands at Nikao and Arorangi, respectively. From our correspondence before our trip I had learned that they were very interested in materials for beginners' lessons. As a donation from FDF I therefore brought beginners’ scores for both bands. The drawback was, however, that the wording in these very good booklets was Norwegian. But once Daniel Apii, Cook Islands BB President, and I had worked our way through them and the bands had gained hands–on experience, I am sure that they will be very useful if used regularly. During my first visit I experienced that there might be a need for drills and materials on basic brass technical subjects, so I had prepared for relevant instruction and brought blow devices for each band. I also promised to send them some material for beginners’ ensemble playing.
During my visit I gave three group instruction sessions. One with the Arorangi band and one with the Nikao band. By sheer coincidence we also got into touch with the school band at the Papaaroa Adventist School where we also put up a group session.
Both Jacob L and I gave individual lessons every afternoon.
The family quartet was happy to give six public performances. Once for each of the bands at Arorangi, Nikao and Papaaroa. One morning we played at the market bandstand in the capitol of Avarua for the benefit of the highly BB–infiltrated rugby team’s trip to Australia later in the year. One evening we both opened and closed a Thanksgiving session which was held because the first of the two typhoons we experienced did not strike the island as everyone had feared. This session was attended by inter alia Prime Minister Hon. Jim Marurai. On the Sunday we had the great honour to play the final coral after the morning’s church parade. On this occasion we also got the opportunity to play with the Nikao band. It was both a wonderful and quite unusual experience as they do not play from music! Their performances start with the playing of the drums, then the title of the next piece of music is called out and next you just have to keep your nose to the grindstone or rather your lips to the mouthpiece.
Both during group lessons, individual lessons, interviews and concerts our intentions were to inspire and introduce tools intended to arouse the awareness and improvement of brass music.
I am of the impression that brass music in Boys’ Brigade on Rarotonga is played by a great percentage of members and thus contributes immensely to their work. My clear conviction is also that both bands have the necessary potential to continue and even reach far. To achieve this they will, however, still need some type of external aid, subsidy and encouragement. So if I were the only one to decide, this was not the last time I set foot on Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
My sincere thanks to:
Global Fellowship and the Hoxby–fonden for paying my travel expenses.
Cook Islands BB Executive Committee for board and lodging.
Unitas Rejser rep. by Knud Erik Bjerre for planning the trip.
FDF for support.
My family for joining me to make a difference.
Carl Viggo Jespersen
Posted: Apr 2005
North American Region
Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade of Neenah, Wisconsin is sad to announce that Jack Casper, the first Executive Director of our Brigade has died.? His memorial service will be on Saturday, April 16th, 2005. Jack’s son, Bill Casper is the rep. for our region. To those of you who knew Jack Casper you know what a wonderful person he was.? He was with us for our February?celebration banquet for? our 105th anniversary – 25th?Banquet of girls being part of our Brigade.
To those of you who attended the “World Conference” in Neenaha few years ago, you will remember Jack and Bill making jokes and taking pictures.? Jack loved Brigade and working with young people.
Posted: Apr 2005
News from TELC – Brigade Movement of India
Tsunami caused major rampage and havoc in our seashore congregations.? We have managed to do relief and rehabilitation work with our limited sources.? The normalcy has been recovered.
So we plan to celebrate our Silver Jubilee in a simple way without any festivity.
Posted: Mar 2005
News from the Pacific
Recently the PRF has reported that finances have been made available for travel to enable training, consultation and visitation among some of the islands of Pacifica. Particular emphasis will be placed on the countries of American Samoa, Tuvalu and Tonga. A volunteer Field Officer has been appointed and Mr Richard Harkness will begin work as early as April this year.
In addition to this a second PRF Summit will take place in September of this year. Mr Graham Robertson of Australia and Rev Dr Tevita Mohenoa of Tonga will oversee the preparations. At this meeting a generic “Pacifica Resource Manual” will be compiled, following consultation using the BBNZ handbook. Rev Harry Shaw of New Zealand will facilitate this part of the meeting.
The next physical meeting of the Executive of the region is due to occur in early April. At this meeting preparations for the summit will be discussed and Rev Tim Pratt will stand down as chair. Individuals have been approached to accept nomination for the position.
Posted: Feb 2005
TELC – Brigade Movement of India
TELC – Brigade Movement of India. is planning to celebrate their 25th Anniversary during the month of May 2005 at their Head Quarters.? The tentative date is 22nd – 23rd May 2005.
Posted: Feb 2005
Tsunami Update 2
BB Singapore has partnered with the YMCA to support victims of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka. They have been involved in raising funds and in sending a team of volunteers to assist in the country.
Posted: Jan 2005
Tsunami Update
Reports continue to come in from our members in effected countries.
Thailand
Our Honorary Treasurer Mr. Matthew Smith was in Thailand just after the wave struck. Whilst there he took the opportunity of meeting with BB in Thailand and has been able to confirm that whilst there has been much calamity in the country, it has not effected those within BB, as our ministry is based largely on the Eastern Coast.
Indonesia
Charles Petrus reports, “Thank you for all prayers for the victims of the tsunami in our country. The most effected cities are Meulaboh, Lhoksemauwe, Aceh Besar,etc. The numbers of dead people are 118,000 and there are more missing.
Thank God that most of us in BB Indonesia are staying in Medan(North Sumatera) and we are not really effected by the tsunami. We just felt the earthquake on Dec the 26th, 2004. And so far none of our members (Officers, NCOs, or Boys and Girls) injured or lost. We are all protected by God’s Grace and Mercy. The rehabilitation process of the cities are in progress. Thanks for all support from overseas.”
BB Australia
The Boys’ Brigade Australiaat the recent Pan Australian Camp collected toward relief from the Tsunami. Some of what has been raised, has been pledged for use through World Vision and some is to go direct to BB Companies in affected areas.
Junior Ministry South India
We have received extensive reports from the Rt.Rev.Gideon Devanesan RJ, who is a Bishop in the ArcotLutheranChurchand Chair of the South Asian Regional Fellowship of GF. Gideon reports that the entire church has activated itself to relief work and it is clear from reports that they are carrying this out in a most dedicated manner, having placed all their resources into this effort.
In particular Gideon states that “the Junior Ministry desk was assigned to take care of the children community belonging to Swamiyarpettai and Pillaichavadi. Accordingly a group of 14 team leaders both male and female were divided into two groups. These leaders are originally well trained and have the potentials of dealing the children. However, in this context a special training was offered on Psycho–Social counseling by Dr.Prasantham a renowned counselor. Apart from the inter–personal counseling and meeting them in their families, the children are engaged in singing and playing. Special activities are being organized.? This has built up a good rapport between the children to the extent of knowing each other by names.? And these services have been greatly acknowledged by the village committee and the parents with deep gratitude.? It is expected that this service will be extended at least for a month. If needed to continue further.”
We are awaiting news from Malaysia where we still have concerns for our people there.
We would ask that you continue to keep all these people in your thoughts prayers.
Posted: Jan 2005
Eastern & Southern Caribbean news
Theodore Brown the regional coordinator, reports that the Eastern & Southern Caribbean Regional Fellowship had a very successful exco meeting in Nevis.
The meeting began on Friday 14th January and ended on Saturday 15th January 2005.
There are now three Companies functioning in Trinidad attached to the OpenBibleChurch. There are also three functioning Companies in Tobagowith a fourth to be established shortly.
The Tobago Companies received a donation of Band instruments from The Tobago House of Assembly.
The Captain of 2nd Anguillais away in College and a Lieutenant in the 1st Company has resigned. They are monitoring the developments very closely since the island will be hosting the next regional meeting and boys camp in 2006.
St. Maarten will be celebrating 45 years of BB work in 2008. The Regional Fellowship will hold its biennial meeting and boys camp there.
They have decided to get a new flag for the fellowship.To this end the boys in the Brigade will be given the opportunity to come up with a suitable design. A three member committee will determine the best design.
The Regional Fellowship Officers and Young Leaders Training Course will be held in Trinidad from the 18th to the 22nd of July 2005.
Posted: Jan 2005
Global Fellowship of Christian Youth – Tsunami Statement
“The members of the Global Fellowship of Christian Youth (GF) were shocked and saddened by the impact of the recent earthquake and tsunami which affected so many people – not only in South and East Asia but also in East Africa and those visiting those regions.
GF is not a disaster relief agency and those wishing to support immediate relief efforts should contact those organisations which specialise in that work. The website of the umbrella committee of the aid agencies in the UK is www.dec.org.uk However, GF has member organisations and partners working with young people in many of the areas affected by the disaster. We are presently seeking to contact those partners in order to understand what impact (if any) the tsunami has had on each of them.
Given the considerable numbers of people understandably seeking information, we have decided to issue this provisional statement setting out such information as we presently have. Further updates will be posted on the GF website (www.globalfellowship.net) as more news becomes available.
In Sumatra (Indonesia) the work of Putra Pengabdi was established in Medan – the other side of the island and slightly south of the affected area. The impact on that country has, however, been so severe that young people and leaders in membership will no doubt feel the loss very deeply.
The greatest impact of the tsunami in Thailand centered around the tourist beaches?on the?Andaman coast and (less reported) the small fishing villages further north. The growing BB work is centred to the Eastern side and ought therefore not to have been directly affected, but again members will no doubt have family or friends who have been affected.
Malaysia has been affected to some extent – and there are some good and long established BB companies there. They are trying to respond to the needs in their own communities and some 1,000 members are collecting clothes for victims. There is also some Junior Ministry work in Malaysia.
Junior Ministry in India and the Brigade Movement of India are both likely to have been affected to some extent. Both operate in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the poorest state in India, where much of their work involves reaching out to marginalised people in society.
The headquarters of Junior Ministry is in the worst affected area and a Regional meeting due to take place there next month has been cancelled. Most of the work is inland (where often the greatest poverty exists) but we await news of the impact of the tsunami in those areas.
There is no GF partner in Sri Lanka which was so severely affected.
We have large and growing member organisations in East Africa where the effects of the tsunami were also felt.
As a global Christian body, we are members of the same body and bear in mind the words of Paul that (1 Cor. 12:26) “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it, if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it”. As a global body, GF therefore asks for your prayers for those suffering and for those of our partners seeking to minister to them.
At the core of GF’s work with its partners in the regions affected and elsewhere around the globe is a long–term commitment to assisting in the development of our partner organisations and the young people they serve. To that end, GF has committed itself to providing financial assistance over the next three years as detailed at GF Grant support?Those wishing to support that long–term development work, which will continue long after the present disaster has disappeared from its current media spotlight, are invited to follow the directions on that page.
Further news will be posted on the GF website as it becomes available. Those with news to share are invited to complete our online form.
