News

The BBUK Secretary, Mr. Steve Dickinson visited BB Cameroon at the beginning of the month. He has enthusiastically reported good progress with the development of the Palm Oil Farm. The training for trainers’ project we are supporting there has taken place over this last week. Early in the New Year the new trainers will teach the material across a number of regions in Cameroon.
The founder of Junior Ministry in South Asia, Deacon Jerker Sandegård has recently visited Tamil Nadu, South India. The news here again is all positive with the camping project that GF is supporting having been most successful. Great work Ruben!
In February the Chairman of GF and I are to meet with the Bishop and Secretary of Junior Ministry in the Arcot Lutheran Church, India along with their teams. We will discuss how GF might be able to support the ministry so that it becomes self supporting and independent of the need for GF’s ongoing support.
On the same journey I plan to meet with the Chairman of Central and Southern African Regional Fellowship in order to assist in the further development of the programme they have in this region. Recent reports from the Regional Worker, Mr. Edward Nondo continue to tell a story of growth, especially in Malawi and Swaziland.
Mr. Stewart McCullough one of the former Chief Executives of Global Fellowship has recently been to Malawi and has taken the opportunity to follow up BB there, like Edward his report talks of growth. He sees a real need for training to assist the new leadership across the country which is fragmented due to the distances involved.
A Training Manual for BB Pacifica is now complete and ready for distribution. At this stage it will go to both Tonga and American Samoa within the next couple of months. Thanks to Mr. Richard Harkness of BB/ICONZ New Zealand for his efforts here and also for his ongoing work with the Girls Brigade to provide training in these small island nations.
The East African Regional Fellowship is to meet on the weekend of 15^th - 16^th March in Nairobi. Kenya. These gatherings continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration for the leaders of the organisations in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Thanks to Mr. Mr. Dantes Kashangirwe and Mr. William Kithara for the ongoing input to the newer organisations within the region.
The IBB Trust has approved the balance of funding for the project in Swaziland towards the extension of the Christian Youth Brigade there.
As a result of their 2007 collection, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, BB World Mission Fund, has raised over £7000.00 for GF this year. Congratulations and Thanks!
The next ExCo meeting is confirmed for 24^th to the 27^th April. We hope to take the opportunity of meeting with the delegates of the European Regional Fellowship who are also to meet this weekend.
At our last ExCo meeting we reviewed GF’s investment portfolio. I can now assure you we are not supporting any industry that would offend the majority of those who share in our ministry. GF therefore does not invest any funds in the areas of alcohol, smoking, gambling, pornography, or arms.

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Posted: Oct 2007

GF Meeting minutes '07

Please click on this paragraph to view and download the latest Globalfellowship meeting minutes '07

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Posted: May 2007

West Africa

In the last month GF Executive has invited Mr Bill Bates of the Isle of Wight to visit with and encourage or build up Brigade officials in Gambia, Ghana, The Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Posted: May 2007

SKS Bangladesh

The Shishu Kishore Sanga (Children’s Brigade Programme) of the Church of Bangladesh ministers to around 1000 children in the Kushtia Diocese under the leadership Rev Mazumder. They run a full and active programme with weekly meetings being held at 7.00 am on Friday morning.

A few of their special events include The Great Holy Wednesday Celebration held in February each year. The festival serves as a reminder of an event that took place some 111 years ago when many peasant "farmers attended a revival meeting, were anointed by the Holy Spirit and became Christians." The children who attended chant hymns to invoke the Holy Spirit by waving the flickering light of candles and by burning incense. Rev Mazumder says "During the children’s performance the worship place seemed to be suffused with holiness and the worshippers were led in an attitude of meditation".

SKS also participated in the National Literacy Day. The event began with children in their respective churches offering special prayers and worshipping God. Following this they visited every house in their village carrying banners with the slogan "The importance of education for all" and collected contributions.

On the 7th October an annual picnic was arranged amongst a number of the parishes. The children participated in sports competitions, Bible studies and cultural activities. After the prize giving, they enjoyed delicious food dishes.

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Posted: May 2007

The BB Gambia

The organisation here might be small, consisting of only a couple of companies but Samuel Adeolu Ojo one of the captains reports an active programme that includes treasure hunts, table tennis, NCOs training, Bible quizzes, Red Cross training, careers talks, Christmas carol singing, Founders Day Parades and company camps.

Posted: May 2007

Global Fellowship Welcomes a New Member

(NK) is the newest name in GF. It is a youth ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland and was founded in 1905. Last year they celebrated their first centenary.

Their current membership is around 26,000 youth across 171 parishes. Rev Eija Kallinen the General Secretary says "Today the aim is to strengthen a young person in his/her faith, to support his/her growing up to become a balanced person and to motivate him/her to take initiative both in the church and the surrounding society."

"The strong commitment of the young in church activities is important for the young themselves and the future of the church. NK focuses on the fact that the voice of the young has to be strengthened in the church and parishes and also that the young have to be allowed to take part in decision making more than so far".

Some of their activities include camping, training weekends, music festivals, confirmation training, and support of young people’s mental and physical wellbeing.

They enjoy positive links with their sister organisation PTK (Poikien Ja Tyttojen Keskus) who have been members of GF for many years. Many of their members in fact grow through PTK into the ranks of NK as they become teenagers.

For more information (some even in English J) www.nuortenkeskus.fi

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Posted: May 2007

BB Pacifica

For some time now the Pacific Regional Fellowship has planned to reactivate and support the development of Brigade across the Pacific. Whilst there have been many challenges in realising this goal, progress is now underway.

Mr Richard Harkness an ICONZ leader of Brigade in New Zealand has visited Tonga and trained 30 adults in Christian leadership and Brigade methodology.

The goal of the Methodist Church in Tonga is that in the next month an initial company will be established on the main island of Tongatapu with others to follow across the kingdom.

To follow on from the preliminary training it is anticipated that a workshop will take place in cooperation with the Pacific Fellowship of The Girls’ Brigade in the middle of the year. Please remember to pray for the encouragement of the fresh leadership as Brigade is re–established here.

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Posted: May 2007

Congratulations to;

Mr Dumsani Shabalala, the National Co–ordinator, of the Boys and Girls Brigade in Swaziland. Recently he has become engaged (in the words of Dr Samuel Hynd) "to one of our fine girls of the Brigades. He is busy with looking for the cattle to pay the dowry!"

Mr Morten Skrubbeltrang, current GF Executive Committee member and past International Secretary of FDF in Denmark, has also announced his engagement to Ms Esther Deva Priya. Priya is a graduate of the Euroclass course which is held in Silkeborg, Denmark in association with the European Fellowship. Morten and Priya will initially settle in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, South India after the wedding which is to be held in August.

Timo Kanerva the Chair of The Global Fellowship Executive committee has recently celebrated his 50^th birthday in Helsinki with family and friends. The Executive of Global Fellowship were meeting in Helsinki the same weekend as the festivities and were able to formally thank him for his many years service to the international youth work through both the European Fellowship and the GF Executive.

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Posted: May 2007

Thanks to FDF in Denmark

Over the last three years FDF in Denmark has hosted a campaign entitled "MADE IN INDIA." A significant aspect of this programme has included fundraising for GF ministry in the developing world. The programme has risen in excess of £100,000 GBP for support of ministry in East Africa, Southern Asia and Southern/Central Africa.

GF acknowledges with grateful thanks the efforts of Mr Tage Kleinbeck, Morten Skrubbeltrang and all the volunteers in FDF who have been a part of this wonderful success.

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Posted: May 2007

Partnering with BBUK

BBUK has embarked on an ambitious project to support BB Cameroon in its goal of becoming fully self sufficient within the next decade. BB Cameroon owns a plot of land and plans to convert it into a palm oil plantation. The profits will ultimately pay for the ongoing ministry of BB in this West African country.

BBUK will host not only a fundraising campaign to raise money for the project but will also use the opportunity to educate British boys on life, culture and Brigade in Cameroon.

There is a shared desire to find ways of assisting Cameroon in developing its programming and training so as to be as effective as possible in both discipling and developing the life skills of young people in the context of Cameroon. Our hope is that once developed, the resources might be of value across the West African region.

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Posted: May 2007

2004 – 2007 Review of GF ministry

Following Council in 2004 it was agreed that GF would employ a part time chief executive to a .4 position. One of his first tasks was to draft a business plan that would be considered at the next executive meeting.

The plan that was eventually approved by executive in November of that year contained a variety of tasks based around 5 key areas. They were:

Building the capacity of the region
Promotion
Communication
Finances
Administration

In order to achieve the above tasks, it was agreed to amend staffing arrangements so that GF would fund two positions; a part time consultant for .7 and a secretary for .3 of a full time position. Rev Tim Pratt was appointed to both positions.

While the limited availability of resources and circumstances has meant that the entire plan has not been possible or practical to complete, significant progress has been made.

Capacity Building

The greatest involvement of the last three years has been on seeking to build the capacity of the 10 regions that make up the Fellowship. This objective has been significantly boosted through support received from the Danish, FDF, Made in India project. Thanks must be expressed to their members for the money they raised. As a direct result of this, GF now has a strong relationship with our member organisations across East Africa, Southern and Central Africa and South Asia. In addition to this, GF has also identified a need for and has begun the process of working closely with members in West Africa, with the support of BBUK. A future challenge will be to maintain a fair distribution of resources and energy across all regions so as to be fully representative of our global community.

Initially we hoped to work with organisations exclusively through the regions however it has become apparent that in the majority of cases, the regions themselves are in need of strengthening. As a result of this, a few of the tasks we had hoped to achieve in the 2004 – 2007 action plan that related to regions have not been realised. One of the obvious barriers is the cost of bringing representatives together, while another is the vast cultural differences across countries within a region. These examples and others often hamper progress of the delivery of tangible outcomes that many donors measure success by.

Parallel to the concept of regional development, an increased emphasis has been placed on our partnering and entering into dialogue with individual organisations.

While the three regions of the Made in India project and their organisations are operational, it is clear there remains a need for considerably more assistance and consultation, if we are to achieve our ultimate goal of having fully self sustaining and robust organisations. In most cases throughout the developing world there is a primary need of organisations assuming a greater responsibility for their financial well-being. It is also the case that most are asking for and need support in the development of relevant localised leadership training and programming curriculum, along with guidance in organisational management.

A new grant policy has been introduced in an effort to assist organisations move toward greater independence. The intention of the new criteria is that only specific projects that "enhance" or "develop" organisations (rather than merely maintain), will be supported through GF. Most if not all of the organisations that were on the 2005 – 2007 grant cycle, have now made the transition to work within the requirements of this new policy.

Over the next three years I anticipate a further refining or sharpening of the policy. This move will place an increasing emphasis on the need for organisations to display evidence of good governance/management and increasing levels of "self help". Long term this is the only way members will become truly independent and liberated of the need for external support. It may be that GF will consider prioritising funding applications from organisations to favour those that request assistance for income generating projects.

Undoubtedly this process will require ongoing sensitive but firm dialogue and consultation that levers organisations to see and pursue fresh ways of creating revenue and of managing themselves. Ongoing consultation with members in the developing world is the single most valuable task for GF to concentrate on in the immediate future.

Promotion and Communication

These objectives had the purpose of seeking to improve our reporting to members and donors on activities within the Fellowship. The goal was to strengthen the perceived value of GF.

Principally our communication occurs through the Update magazine and the web site. Both have undergone a face–lift during the last session with many positive reports being received, especially with respect to the Update magazine.

While our grant recipients are in regular contact with us, the reality is that most of the "developed world" organisations are concerned over their internal challenges of making balances meet, or of arresting declining numbers that they have little by way of reserves to focus outwards towards the needs of those less well off. This must inevitably constrain both our effectiveness in building the communal aspect of our ministry and of the visibility of our collective brand.

Enhancing these areas of our ministry will involve a variety of approaches; the continuation of publishing the Update magazine, the bringing together of organisations that share common interests/concerns so they can explore outcomes together, giving more opportunities for involvement and ownership of the centre by organisations, sharing of information and identifying ways of engaging with local level leadership, some of whom have a strong international perspective.

Finances

Our overall financial position is considerably stronger than it was three years ago. This is due to the rallying of the stock market which has had a positive effect on our investments. We also enjoyed the significant financial boost earned through the Made in India project which has afforded us the opportunity to grant out significantly more money than was envisaged last Council.

There is however room to stabilise our regular income. Funds received from member organisations in support of our work have declined from all but a few organisations. Likewise despite engagement with our traditional donor base, their contribution has also continued to slip. This is largely due to changes in personnel. New trustees of donor organisations appear to not share the passion for our ministry as their predecessors have done.

As Council and the Executive Committee continue to forge a clear and visionary strategic plan for the Fellowship, I am confident this will attract the attention of a new set of donors. The MII money should serve to encourage us of this possibility, as should grants received from The Brigade Holding Corp in Canada, the new project with Cameroon supported by BBUK and the assistance of the Lincolnshire Brigades who are supporting work in Kenya. We need not fear that there is a shortage of money for Christian ministry of whatever sort but only a lack of vision, warranting support.

Administration

The transition of office from Scotland to NZ was not without its challenges. I am pleased to report that these "teething problems" have been overcome with the support and patience of Mr Matthew Smith the London based Treasurer of the Fellowship. His overall tireless and ongoing commitment to the task has been exemplary of the very best of volunteerism.

I have sought to make the office one that is totally electronic so that it can easily be transferred internationally with the future change of secretariats.

Administration should be as lean and efficient as possible as there are few of us interested in supporting administration, especially administration that demands and warrants its own existence. The focus and attention of the GF centre must be firmly placed in consulting, encouraging and motivating our membership in improving their ministry rather than serving itself.

We have increased the communication and decision making of the executive by meeting more frequently, either in person or electronically. This has been and must continue to be paramount to any developmental strategy. There is much to gain through GF continuing to develop a united and clear vision of what it would like to achieve over the next 5 to 10 years. The draft ministry plan that ExCo will present at Council will serve to steer us in the right direction.

Conclusion

The future offers many exciting possibilities for the Fellowship to extend its ministry to organisations that work with young people. At a global level, one thing that is sure is that there is no shortage of need. The challenge of Council and for the new Executive that is appointed is to prioritise the needs and clarify where and how we can best invest the limited resources at our disposal.

There should be little doubt one of our greatest assets is our personnel. The vast majority of our work is undertaken by indigenous people in their local context, people who are passionate about their ministry. By all members being open to give and receive support we can multiply our collective global effectiveness, or in business terminology "work synergistically". To achieve this, it requires the skill and art to have a self awareness and courage to know whether we and our organisations should be on the giving or receiving end of the spectrum.

While over the last three years the responsibility has largely fallen on a small number of individuals, in the future we must engage in a team ministry concept that utilises the resources of a greater number of people. It is imperative that we identify and invite more of those who are interested in international affairs to engage with us.

GF is also blessed with financial resources. While they may be limited, I have no doubt that as Council considers the next phase of its ministry and then invests in beginning to implement a course of action, that financial backing to fully realise its goals will materialise. I suspect the degree of support it receives will be in direct proportion to what it is able to first visualise and secondly deliver.

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Posted: May 2007

Proposed Ministry Plan 2008 – 2010

Navigating Towards "Advancing Christ’s’ Kingdom Amongst Youth"

MISSION

To unite, serve and support Christian youth organisations worldwide, Global Fellowship will assist its member regions and organisations to accomplish their mission with young people in church and society.

GOAL OF THIS MINISTRY PLAN

To continue to build a dynamic global community by nurturing Christian youth organisations who share our values, with an emphasis on the developing world.

AIMS

To extend our program of building the capability and capacity of developing organisations.
To provide pastoral support for member organisations and particularly their staff.
To complete the process of financial independence among member organisations within the developing world.

Overview of Aims:

Capacity and Capability Building
Many of our organisations are still young or developing. They are therefore in need of assistance to extend their programming, training and management. Global Fellowship will respond to these needs by extending its ministry in the area of consultation/mentoring and the provision of resources.

Many of our established members are challenged with stagnant or declining membership. We will host a symposium bringing these organisations together to discuss growth strategies and other issues of shared interest.

Pastoral Support
The primary task of the Christian community beyond worshipping God is that of caring for one another. This objective will seek to practically enhance our support of each another through an increased awareness and understanding of members and their needs. Practical initiatives will target organisations and their staff.

Developing Financial Independence
A number of our members have been a reliant on grants from Global Fellowship in order to maintain their day–to–day programmes. Whilst this has been of considerable value, the organisations remain reliant of ongoing financial support for their existence. This objective is aimed at fully liberating at least 3 organisations of their need for financial top–ups by partnering with them to identify and resource projects that will in turn create long term revenue for the organisation.

OBJECTIVES OR TASKS

Capacity and Capability Building

GF will actively promote and make available consultation and ongoing mentoring to senior staff. It will place a greater emphasis on working with national executive teams rather than individuals. The consultations will focus on partnering with organisations to enhance their programmes, structures and finances. This will be undertaken through a staff member and the establishment of a consultation team.
GF will establish an international programming team that will call a symposium with the objective of creating an international resource manual or fresh curriculum options.
GF will establish an international training team that will call a symposium with the objective of creating an international resource manual on training.
GF will actively seek to engage with at least 9 members that are not currently active.
GF will host a senior staff meeting of those in the developed world to share issues of concern and to motivate.
GF will explore the value of developing an HIV/AIDS programme amongst both developed and developing organisations.
GF will assist in sourcing or providing grant or loan funding for developmental projects. To achieve this, the new executive will appoint a funding team.

Pastoral Support Objectives and Tasks:

GF will encourage visitation with national executives and their senior staff through a staff member.
GF will continue to build international awareness through the Update magazine and the website.
In conjunction with the programming team, GF will write an international awareness curriculum that will be available for use by all members.
GF will identify ways of communicating with local leadership to increase awareness for the developing world.
GF will encourage international exchange programmes.

Developing Financial Independence Objectives and Tasks:
GF will identify at least 3 national organisations and provide consultation, mentoring and resources to their national executive teams and senior staff regarding both strategic and project planning. The purpose will be to partner with these organisations through a process leading to their complete independence. This task will be carried out by a staff member and a consultancy team that is to be established.

GF ExCo COUNCIL 2007

The triennial Global Fellowship Council Meeting is to be held in Felden Lodge (the home of Boys’ Brigade in the UK) in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, on Sunday the 2nd September.

Among other tasks the main items on the agenda will be to review and plan the ministry of the Fellowship for the next three years.

The programme will include:

Consideration of The Fellowship’s activity during the last three years
Consideration of financial reports
Consideration and adoption of a new ministry plan to lead us towards the next Council meeting in 2010
Appointment of a Treasurer
Appointment of the Executive Committee (Trustees) of the organisation
Reception of written regional reports

All organisations should have received information regarding regional delegation for this event. Regional Secretariats are reminded to submit a report outlining the ministry of the region over the last three years, to process the appointment of delegates as appropriate and forward details to the GF office by no later than the 1^st July.

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Posted: Feb 2007

Heroes – camp for boys and girls 25

Dear Friends!

PTK welcomes you to join the big PTK National Camp "Heroes", which is organized every fourth year. It will take place July 25^th – 30^th 2007 at PTK´s campsite Partaharju, in central Finland – in a place that represents Finnish nature as its best and has a long tradition in Christian youth work.

The camp is prepared for boys and girls aged 10+ with their leaders. We expect around 2500 participants to attend the Heroes Camp – mostly from Finland, but all friends within European Fellowship and Global Fellowship are invited as well!

The registration fee for these fascinating, adventurous camp days is 95 euros per person, if you send your preliminary registration the 19^th February 2007 at the latest. The price is covering all expenses at the camp and includes also a camp T–shirt and a cap! Travelling expenses to and from Partaharju are not included.

After this date the price will rise up to 105 euros per person – and note that the T–shirts and caps can be delivered for free only for those who have made the preliminary registration before 19.2.2007!

The final registrations should enter PTK at 16^th May 2007. PTK will try to raise funds for those who have lack of resources to cover the camp fee.

Download Heroes–broschure (pdf). For further information, please take contact with us and visit our web site www.ptk.fi/heroes

Best regards,
Mrs., Rev. Kati Jansa–Tapio

Christian Association for Boys and Girls in Finland – PTK
E–mail: kati.jansa-tapio@ptk.fi

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Posted: Feb 2007

PTK Finland – New General Secretary

PTK Finland has announced the appointment of their new General Secretary in Rev. Mr Eero Jokela and also their new International Secretary: Rev. Mrs Kati Jansa–Tapio.

Contact information:
eero.jokela@ptk.fi, phone +358 207 769562
kati.jansa-tapio@ptk.fi, phone +358 207 769566

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Posted: Feb 2007

BB Nigeria Centenary Celebrations

We are please to inform you that the BB Nigeria shall be commencing her Centenary Celebrations from 15^th March, 2007. The ceremony shall be Flag – Off by the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, GCFR who is our Grand Patron.

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