pssm

Sefton Marshall

Al — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:58:44 +0000

ACA, CA, JP

Sefton is married to Claire and together they are passionate about people getting to know their awesome God. For many years this has driven them to be involved in their local church, Crossroads in Palmerston North, as well as in other ministries where the focus is on evangelism and discipleship. Hence Sefton’s long involvement on the Board of PSSM Connecting. Building on the history of providing quality biblical material through the mailbox, he is excited about the potential for people to now develop a relationship with God through the means of modern technology and social networks. Sefton has retired from public practice as a Chartered Accountant and is now Operations Director for GC3, a national mission service board.

Bible Discovery

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:31:37 +0000

Bible Discovery was the flagship product of PSSM for many years. However, as the world changes, our methods must also adapt to always ensure that we are connecting kids with God and his word. The message and the vision remain the same! As

Therefore, as of December 2011, Bible Discovery will morph slightly. We are no longer printing the “Discovery” magazine, in order to shift funds towards our 2ndcity project , our vision for the future of pssm. However, to provide some consistency for those students who still wish to complete the old lessons, pssm is providing these lessons in electronic format on the Bible Discovery Website.

2ndcity

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:23:37 +0000

For 70 plus years PSSM has been successfully connecting young people throughout NZ, and some from overseas, to the Word of God.
As a result of PSSM’s work, students and their families have connected to the Bible, into community with other Christians, and ultimately to God through Jesus Christ His Son.
Creating this connection is what PSSM is all about.

The Current Situation

The world is changing, and a new day needs a new way. Kids and Teens today are more connected, more online, and face a wider array of choices and options than any other generation. This results in a different way of thinking and learning compared to other generations.

PSSM recognises this change, and has developed a new plan to connect this generation to the Word of God.

The New Strategy

To effectively connect with today’s kids and teens, pssm is creating an online world called 2ndcity – a place where kids and teens can go, explore, and ultimately learn more about God’s story. The key feature in this world is an online immersive gaming experience.

So what is the game? 2ndcity will be an online game that will involve participants in not only discovering the story of the Bible and the stories that make up this grand narrative, but also the God who is relentlessly pursing the redemption of his people. Through their participation in the game, gamers will discover the true story of God’s world and his participation in what has happened, what is happening and what is yet to be revealed. 2ndcity is a metaphor for the coming kingdom of God that we gain a glimpse of in the life of Jesus ( …Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven… ), seen evident in the work of the church in the continued power of The Spirit since pentecost, through to the 21st century. As participants immerse themselves in the game/stories of God interacting with humanity as revealed in the stories of the Bible it is our prayer that they will come to be agents of change for God’s kingdom in their world as they develop understandings about faith, hope and love as revealed in Jesus.

Our research of biblical games on line reveal that there is nothing of any quality that would attract a gamer, and nothing that interacts with the bible text in any kind of way that would attract gamers to play, (christian or non christian).

Over time, there will be many ways to interact and access the 2ndcity world, but importantly, all of them will direct kids and teens to indwell God’s story in a way that is natural to the ‘digital generation’. Eventually this will include a smartphone application, a library of online lessons. Working in tandem with these will be follow-up and leadership teaching resources to help churches and organisations keep connecting with their youth.

From an Idea to Reality

pssm still stands firm on its commitment and vision to “communicate biblical truth and wisdom to young people.” Our vision is unchanged. However, pssm recognises the fact that things need to be done differently. We believe the strategy outlined above will be highly effective in (once again) connecting young people to the Word of God.

Follow PSSM’s Progress

If you would like to keep track of our progress, please visit 2ndcity.co.nz
You can also find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

Murray Burton

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:13:14 +0000

Joining us in 2012
Murray is the current Principal of Elim Christian College in East Auckland has now had the privilege of leading 5 schools in his career to date. Murray thrives on the challenge of Christian world-view education. He is dedicated to inspiring staff and students to discover their amazing God-given abilities! He has also served as an Education Review Officer, Youth Pastor, a member of the Advisory Board of Laidlaw College Education Faculty and the short-lived World Vision Education Team of Influence
2008 proved to be a year of massive challenge for Murray being called on to lead a school community in grief following the death of 6 students and a teacher in the Mangatepopo tragedy. Reluctantly he received the acknowledgment of the media and his peers when he was named the North & South New Zealander of the Year and awarded ‘Service with Distinction’ by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation. This year, 2011 he was awarded an MNZM for bravery and services to the community.

Grant Warner

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:12:34 +0000

Coming on board in 2012
DipTeach
Grant was trained as an Educator, teaching in the primary and intermediate sector. He moved on to become an educational Advisor to primary and secondary schools in Auckland and Northland. Following 20 years in the Education sector Grant become the Development Advisor and then Director of Growing Families NZ. This was followed by self-employment in strategic development project work. Clients include, ICONZ (Boys Brigade), Titirangi Baptist Church Community Project, Carey Park Christian Camp, PSSM and currently the Baptist Union.
Grant and Michelle have 4 children. They are engaged in the faith community at Titirangi Baptist, directing the Family ministry, facilitating a young adult’s community, and until  recently Grant served as an Elder.

Skip Parker

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:10:55 +0000

Skip has worked in Youth Ministry for a good 10 years before moving into IT & Electrical Engineering. He is currently an ICT Engineer at Rhema Broadcasting Group where he has worked on a development project which has become the cornerstone software for managing daily devotional distribution globally for Bob Gass’ Word for Today. The system includes aspects that allow communication across an ever changing Social Networking landscape, and is continuing development as we explore communication into different new media systems.

He is also involved with Gameguide, Filmguide, Drone and Kinect. Four websites that review and explore gaming, music and film related entertainment. These sites have been on-going for a number of years now and continue to grow

Myk Habets

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:09:55 +0000

Bachelor of Ministries; Master of Theology Research Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Teaching; PhD [Theology]
Myk has a passion to teach theology – the great doctrines of the Christian faith, founded in Scripture, forged in tradition, applied to culture, and lived out in experience. Myk has taught at Carey for six years now and loves every minute of it. When not teaching he can be found preaching around Baptist Churches, running seminars, or having fun with his family – mostly at one of the many splendid beaches on Auckland’s North Shore. One day he hopes to own his own Harley Davidson. He and his wife Odele are members of Windsor Park Baptist Church and they have two adorable young kids

Braden Simpson

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:08:59 +0000

BSc (Computer Science)
Braden is a senior software engineer based in Palmerston North with more than 15 years’ experience in the industry. He and his wife Raeleen have five children who keep life busy and on the move. Braden is excited about the pssm 2ndcity project and sees it as key to carrying God’s Word to this new tech-savvy generation. Braden attends Crossroads Bible Centre where he is involved in a number of ministries alongside his wife, including parenting, worship, and leading a Life Group.

John Setters

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:08:25 +0000

NZCE Civil
John is currently working as Property Manager of Lakes Ranch Christian Youth Camp in Rotorua. John and Valerie, his wife, who have two adult children, moved from Auckland to Rotorua in 2007 where they attend Fenton Park Bible Church. As a child John attended Howe Street Chapel where Mr. R A Laidlaw, the founder of PSSM, was an elder. PSSM and Joybells magazine have always been a part of his learning and heritage. John joined the Board of PSSM in 1997 to bring computer expertise and the desire to ‘go live’ on the internet; a dream that is only now being fully realized. John has a wide experience in building design and construction together with computer aided design, GIS mapping and the computer industry.

Kelvin Hicks

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:08:00 +0000

MA (Educ), M Mgt (Communication), Dip Tching
Kelvin is involved in education. He has taught at primary and secondary schools and is currently lecturing at AUT University. He is married to Marion and they have three boys. He believes the deepest questions about human experience are answered in the Bible. As a child and young person Kelvin received PSSM courses each month which helped him find God’s answers to the critical questions about life, and living, and dying, and beyond. As a board member now he is supporting the mission of PSSM in pursuing that goal of connecting people to God’s word and His truth.