An exciting update for our North QLD LCCs, the Recovery Fund and more…

CORRECTION: Previously we reported that as of 1 July, 2021, there were some changes put in place which meant all SU activities (including camps) were now tax deductible. Please note this is not yet the case. (for more information scroll to the end of this article)

Welcome to Term 3! 2021 has been a year full of new opportunities and adapting to change, yet through it all you’ve remained faithful and committed to the cause of school chaplaincy – I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for your heart for our young people, and for your commitment to seeing that they are supported through their school years.

National

Peter has more updates in his “From the CEO’s Desk” spot, but we are watching with excitement as SU Australia continues to unfold. We’ve seen a real spirit of unity in the back-end teams who work hard to ensure your chaplains on the frontline are equipped and supported, and I’m extremely grateful for our modern technology which allows us to build teamwork across great distances.

An exciting update for our Central and North QLD LCCs

Speaking of distance, I have a very exciting announcement to make! Because of our new zone restructures, I have the great pleasure of introducing some of you to your new Group Director North Zone, Ian Cumming! 

Ian previously held the position of Regional Manager for Central and North QLD, and has a great vision for enhancing chaplaincy services across Northern Australia. Ian is already much loved by chaplains and LCCs in the north, and has been involved with SU for over 14 years. Having someone with his expertise and heart for our young people means our LCCs and chaplaincy services will be in good hands. I’m also thrilled that these chaplaincy services will have more geographically-targeted support with Ian at the helm. Christy Marhin, who has been involved with SU since 2003, has stepped into Ian’s previous role of Regional Manager. 

The new North Zone encompasses the Northern Territory all the way over to the Kimberley’s in Western Australia. It’s a big area (Gladstone to Broome is 41 hours in the car!) but with this new structure, we will be able to bless many unreached communities across the top of Australia. For those of you who live in this area, Ian will be your new Director and your future “Chappy Matters” content will be coming from him.

As for those of you located further south, I am honoured to serve as the new Group Director East Zone (which covers the three main regions of the Sunshine Coast/Wide Bay, Southern QLD and Brisbane). I’m looking forward to continuing serving in this new role and all that is ahead for our great region.

Chaplaincy Events

I have been really inspired by the amount of chaplaincy dinners and fundraisers that have been held of late. Seeing communities coming together for coffee and dessert nights and LCCs having the confidence to organise independent events is wonderful. Having access to platforms like EventsAir (which includes all your COVID-safe plans) makes it really simple to organise and execute your plans. 

If you want to look further into organising your own event, head to this link where you can fill out an Event Application. If you have any questions, contact your local Field Development Manager (FDM). 

Recovery Fund

The Recovery Fund was set up to assist schools struggling to raise community funds due to COVID. In Term 2, we were able to distribute $261,000 to in-need services, and in Term 3 we are planning to support 68 struggling chaplaincy services to a total of $322,000. Each school who receives this support will be contacted and informed of what they need to do from a fundraising point-of-view, because the funding is usually only for one term.

Salaries

Chaplains who completed higher levels of study at the end of Semester 1 will be rewarded by moving to a higher salary band. We congratulate all of our chappies for their dedication to learning, and look forward to seeing the difference they’ll make in their communities with their newfound knowledge.

Conference

Unfortunately, our annual Chaplaincy Conference had to be cancelled this year due to an unexpected COVID lockdown. We were really looking forward to gathering our 550 chaplains from 900 schools all together for the first time since 2019, but this set-back will only make our 2022 Conference all the more impactful.  

We place incredibly high value on personal and professional development. So in every region we will provide an additional Inservice day in Term 3, where chaplains can be encouraged and have opportunities to share and grow. Your FDM will have the dates for your region!

September Camps

Our Winter Camping Season was slightly disrupted due to COVID lockdowns, with a number of Brisbane camps having to cancel at the last minute. While these delays are disappointing for all involved, we’re looking forward with hope to our September Camping season. We have an amazing array of camps available for children and youth – everything from bike riding, kids day camps, sports camps, adventure camps and beach camps. If you know of a young person who’d love to come along, why not consider sponsoring them today? 

You can find all our camps information by clicking on this link

That’s all for now! Thank you as always for your dedication, and blessings on everything this next term holds for you.

Jenni Dobbin

CORRECTION: Previously we reported that as of 1 July, 2021, there were some changes put in place which meant all Scripture Union activities (including camps) are now tax deductible. Please note this is not yet the case. 

There are several steps that need to be finalised with the Australia Taxation Office (ATO) before this is official. The earliest this could happen is in August. However, this process could take several more months.

Rest assured, we will keep you updated as soon as we have more news. 

The good news is that once our whole-of-entity tax deductibility status has been endorsed by the ATO we will be able to backdate and issue DGR receipts from 1 July 2021.

Please accept our sincere apologies for any confusion caused.