Kioloa SUFM Beach Mission

• SUFM stands for Scripture Union Family Mission. Over fifty of these run up and down the NSW coast (plus a few inland) each summer, mostly at caravan parks and campsites.

• “Family” means that we run programs for everyone from kindergarten to the Retirement Home.

• SU is an international, non-denominational, evangelical organization which works alongside existing churches to achieve two basic aims:

i. To make the gospel known to children, young people, and families; and
ii. To encourage people of all ages to meet God daily through the Bible and prayer.

• SU’s activities include family and children’s missions and camps, school and youth work, ministry training, and the publication/distribution of Christian literature, particularly Bible reading programs.

Kioloa SUFM aims to encourage others to make an informed decision about Jesus Christ, by presenting the gospel with boldness, humility and love.

A criticism of beach mission may be that we simply rush in, Bible-bash, and rush out again, achieving nothing other than making ourselves feel good. Here are five reasons why this is simply not the case:

i. A high proportion of the campers at Kioloa go there every summer, year after year. We get to know them and they get to know us very well, so our gospel message has an accumulative effect over the years.

ii. The gospel is preached in the context of the real relationships – it isn’t forced on anyone.

iii. Mission is not the only contact we have – many people keep in touch through the year.

iv. We can continue to pray for the campers all year. The Holy Spirit keeps working long after we’ve left.

v. There are lots of examples of seeds sown at mission bearing fruit months, years, even decades later.

• The main requirement for a team member is to be a prayerful and bible reading Christian with a willingness to serve the people of Kioloa, by testifying to them (through words and actions) about the love of God in Christ. You should agree with the aims of Scripture Union.
• Minimum age 18 years (unless children of families on team).
• Families, students, workers, retirees and people from a wide range of backgrounds are needed for mission.
• The team usually consists of 30-40 people, although we would happily increase this to as many as 50.
• The team is based around Sydney, but come from as far as Brisbane, Wollongong, Blue Mountains, Bowral and Wellington (not the New Zealand one).
• Team members should be mature Christians and have some experience from their involvement at church.
• A range of denominations are represented on team.

• Boxing Day is just for travel and getting together for dinner if possible. Set up begins at 9am on the 27th so if you are unable to make it down on Boxing Day please be there for a 9am start. The mission program runs from December 28th to January 5th with a day off on New Year’s Day. We pack up and return home on the 6th January (usually finished ready for a swim by about 3pm).

• There are a few meetings throughout the year, organised on a section, team or regional basis.

• The team house party is Top Priority for team members to attend. It is usually towards the end of the year for a weekend.

• Each team member pays team fees to cover the cost of mission.
• Fees this year are $320, including the house party.
• Fees are negotiable, and special cheap rates are available for families and students. Please don’t let money stop you from coming!

Based on previous expenditure, fees of $320 can be broken down as follows (please note, these prices may vary from year to year):

Food	$100	($3.30 a meal)
Site	$70	(Accommodation, power & equipment)
SU	$20	(Admin & Insurance)
Sections	$30	(Books, bibles, band etc)
Pre-mission	$80	(House party, admin etc)
Savings	$20	(For new tents, etc)
Total	$320

The team at Kioloa are in five different sections (apart from support people), each of which runs a program for the campers according to which school year they have just finished. Ideally, each section consists of 6-9 team members, one being the leader or co-ordinator.