Hi friend!

Welcome to Spring! We trust that most of you had a restful, but productive mid-term break and a good start to the second half of the term. For some it has been an unreal few weeks with the recent earthquakes, and we particularly keep those in Christchurch and Lincoln in prayer. A big shout out to all the students who have been involved in the clean-up, we know you have been an enormous blessing to your community.

[ RECENT NEWS ]

Here are some things that students have been up to recently:

• Wellington ICF with a huge group of 40 international students went up to Mt Ruapehu for skiing and fun in the snow! Though the weather was average, Cranium, music, silly chatter, glow worms, amazing food, and hot-pools more than made up for that! We can't wait for next year’s trip!

• Students in the Canterbury region have been helping out with
the relief effort, your can read about that here, or check out these photos.

• Wellington ICF had an Africa night to celebrate and learn more about African culture! For highlights check out Peng’s video.

• Earlier in the month students at MIT shared their faith with others during ‘Spirituality Week’ – a great opportunity to have conversations about Jesus.

• Last week students in Wellington took part in ‘Faith Fest’, organised by the Students Association, it was an opportunity for cultural and religious clubs to share about their faith on campus.

• A group of people from Nelson and the USA presented a street drama called ‘Dancing with Jesus’ at NMIT.

• EU and AUTCF road tripped up to Opononi for their annual retreat. In a bach by the beach they dug into the letter of Colossians and pondered over being ‘knit together' under the headship of Jesus.

It’s great to see what groups across the country get up to and to see the creativity of students like yourselves. If there is something exciting happening within your group do let us know by emailing rachelt@tscf.org.nz or by posting it on the TSCF website (if you would like a user log-in you can contact Rachel for this too).

[ IFES ]

As well as being a national movement we’re also part of a bigger international community called IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students). There are campus groups like yours in over 150 countries worldwide! However, many of these groups struggle financially so we seek to help our brothers and sisters in Christ by fundraising for them. We sponsor Bible scholarships for staff in India and Bangladesh, we support the movement in Fiji and we support Ruth and Josue, staff workers in Ecuador. Each year at SLC groups pledge an amount they will raise in the coming year – you can find out from your leaders what you pledged last year, what you’ve raised this year and what you might pledge in the coming year. Here are just a few of the things you’ve been up to to raise money for IFES this year:

• Massey CF – earlier in the year MUCF have hosted a Cluedo and a quiz night, but their most recent fundraiser was a fortnight ago when Jess Paton and Hannah Murphy dyed their hair pink (Jess) and blue (Hannah). Over $360 has been raised so far. If you are interested in supporting the CF email Hannah, kool_bananas_15@hotmail.com for more details.

• Vic CU hosted a ‘Chariots of Fire’ movie fundraiser and outreach event to challenge students into thinking about God’s call on their lives.

• Auckland Engineers CF – held the annual laser strike competition at Mount Wellington. Around 42 students turned up for 3 hours of intense fun!

• Auckland OCF - had an evening cocktail party. OCF-ers provided food and entertainment with dance performances, solo & duet singing and band performances. The night ended on the dance floor with DJ Amos!

[ EXAMS ]

As we head down the home stretch of the academic year, with the end of year exams really near (scary!), we’d encourage you to really finish the year well. Study hard, take breaks and make sure you have enough sleep, at a time when we are all under pressure, we can have even more opportunity to stand out because of our faith in Jesus.

[ SLC:LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP ]

16 – 21 November, El Rancho, Waikanae, Kapiti Coast.

And after you have done the hard yards for exams what better way to start the summer with SLC (Student Leaders Conference). Everyone is welcome, not just those in formal leadership.

Some highlights from the week will be:

• Learning together from 1 Samuel.

• Tracks – specifically aimed at your stage in uni.

• Times of worship and praise together.

• Having some fun in the sun.

• An interactive seminar on sexuality and relationships.

Cost depends on your location around the country, so now is a good time to start saving up for it and it’s possible to get grants from your Student Union to help you along the way. More information and a rego form are available on the TSCF website.

Book by 8 October to get the earlybird discount!

[MINTY ]

If you’re graduating this year – have you considered MINTY? MINTY is TSCF’s Ministry Internship Year, where you spend a year working alongside staff and students to reach students for Christ. It’s hard work, but really enjoyable and seeing students grow in their faith is one of the best things! Do think about it and if you’re interested in being part of MINTY 2011, do ask a staff member or an intern or email back and we can get you in contact with the right person.

Well, that pretty much completes this loop… finish the year well guys, study hard and we’ll see you at SLC!