Connect 2024 Workshops
Workshop Slot 1- Saturday 11:10am-12:00pm
The Art of Mentoring - How to speak life into the lives of others.
Brontë Vlaardingerbroek
Discover effective techniques for building strong, supportive mentor-mentee relationships. Explore meaningful perspectives and practical tools to guide and inspire young individuals towards personal growth and success.
Brontë joined the Education team in January 2024 and is based at Laidlaw’s Henderson campus. She holds a Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning from the University of Canterbury. Her teaching experience has predominantly been in the Social Sciences.
Brontë is a keen social scientist, who loves critical thinking and historical inquiry. She has visited several different countries through missions trips to Thailand and Vanuatu, and a research trip to the United States with a focus on the American Civil Rights Movement. Brontë has also completed research into Jewish immigration post-World War II on behalf of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. As a social historian, Brontë enjoys exploring different perspectives and making stories of the past relevant to our lives today.
Brontë is also kept busy by the menagerie of farm animals that live with her and her husband on their small lifestyle block, north of Auckland.
Laidlaw college Lounge
Youth Ministry
A Snapshot of the Story of the Bible - Terry Pouono
This presentation offers an interactive and engaging approach to understanding the broad shape of the biblical story. We will journey through six acts, from the Creation story to the final act of New Beginnings as depicted in the Book of Revelation. Along the way, we'll delve into critical turning points and themes, making it a valuable resource for Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and anyone seeking a more accessible understanding of the Bible's narrative.
Terry is a lecturer in Theology at Laidlaw College. Terry loves teaching theology and having ‘talanoa’ (conversations) with his students. This dialogical approach to learning enriches the theological learning with an integration of theory and practice. Terry has taught various courses at level five such as Biblical Theology, Beginning Theology and Church History. He has a special interest in intercultural studies, lecturing in Gospel and culture and Majority world theology. Terry is currently preparing two Pacific courses for teaching in 2023 called ‘A History of Pacific Christianity and Pasifika Theology.’
Terry was raised in the Congregational Christian Church Samoa, but in recent years his family have been attending the Presbyterian Church. He has preached at churches across Auckland. Outside of the Laidlaw, Terry likes to get involved in community projects. He is a Board of Trustees member at Roscommon School, and he is the local area co-ordinator for the Cancer Society.
Young Adults
LakeLodge Dining Room
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
What It Means to Be Pasefika Presbyterian: Masele Bakulich-Tufeao
Kia Ora, Talofa, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Kia Orana, Malo E lelei, Malo Ni, Bula, Mauri, Bok & warm Pacific Greetings. Masele Bakulich-Tufeao the Northern Presbytery Youth Co-ordinator & Intercultural Facilitator. Masele is a member of Newton PIPC, Auckland, Married to the very handsome Logo Tufeao and is proud to be Presbyterian.
Come Join My Workshop on “What It Means to Be Pasefika Presbyterian”: Since the early 1950s, Pasefika communities have been an integral part of our Presbyterian Church. As the first denomination to establish a specific Pasefika church, we have a rich history that continues to shape our identity and mission. In 2024, we invite you to explore what it means to be a Pacific Islander in the Presbyterian Church today.
Join us for a comprehensive workshop where we delve into the history, facts, and theology of our journey. Discover the unique blend of Pacific and Western cultures within our church and learn how this fusion enriches our faith and community. This workshop offers an opportunity to understand our past, celebrate our present, and envision our future as Pasefika Presbyterians. Come and be part of this enlightening, interactive and inspiring experience.
Young Adults
Auditorium
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
The Big Six- Key ministry essentials for churches to help young people flourish in faith: Karo Wilson
Our hope is to see young people flourishing and growing in their faith, and for our churches to be communities that encourage our Tamariki and Rangatahi in faith that lasts a lifetime. In this workshop, we will look at 6 key ministry essentials that play a major part in discipling young people, and creating a faith community that will flourish and grow together.
Karo is the Director of Presbyterian Children and Families Ministry. She has a passion for seeing young people engage in God’s Big Story, for families to grow in faith together, and encouraging faith communities to recognise the value and contribution of our Tamariki and Rangatahi. Karo also works for Weston Community Church, in the beautiful Waitaki region, where her focus is on community-based children’s ministry.
Main Camp Lounge
Youth Ministry
Transforming unjust structures: exploring the justice of Jesus through advocacy and campaigns: Alex Johnston
As Christians in this land, how do we confront the big issues of our time like climate change, inequality and the legacy of colonisation? This will be an introductory workshop on the 'what' and 'how' of following the justice of Jesus, and an overview of the work of Common Grace Aotearoa to organise Christians to transform unjust structures for God's creation, for our economy and to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Alex (Pākehā, Scottish/Irish whakapapa) is the Co-Director and co-founder of Common Grace Aotearoa, a growing movement of Christians being equipped and organised to transform unjust structures for the common good. He's passionate about seeing the church step into its calling to be a gracious and prophetic changemaker in the public sphere, and is animated by a wholehearted spirituality that partners with God to break physical as well as spiritual chains holding people back from flourishing. He currently lives at Ngatiawa River Monastery, a contemporary Anglican monastery on the Kāpiti Coast, on the whenua of Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai with his wife Genevieve, and their 2 year old daughter, and is part of the Anglican missional order of Urban Vision (though has deep Presbyterian roots!)
Young Adults
Chapel
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Workshop Slot 2 - Saturday 12:10pm-1:00pm
I hate my job already - How to avoid burnout & what to do if it comes.
Brontë Vlaardingerbroek
This session offers valuable insights on how to avoid and tackle burnout. It will include techniques to help manage stress, sustain motivation, and create a balanced work-life routine.
Brontë joined the Education team in January 2024 and is based at Laidlaw’s Henderson campus. She holds a Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning from the University of Canterbury. Her teaching experience has predominantly been in the Social Sciences.
Brontë is a keen social scientist, who loves critical thinking and historical inquiry. She has visited several different countries through missions trips to Thailand and Vanuatu, and a research trip to the United States with a focus on the American Civil Rights Movement. Brontë has also completed research into Jewish immigration post-World War II on behalf of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. As a social historian, Brontë enjoys exploring different perspectives and making stories of the past relevant to our lives today.
Brontë is also kept busy by the menagerie of farm animals that live with her and her husband on their small lifestyle block, north of Auckland.
Laidlaw College Lounge
Young Adults
Youth Ministry
Barefoot theology - Terry Pouono
At its most basic level theology is simply talking or reasoning about God, so in one sense every Christian is a theologian! Theology is based on our words and ideas about God as we respond to His Word within the context of our time and place. In this barefoot guide to theology we will dig into the Scriptures and use some basic tools to help us gain a deeper understanding of God’s revelation in the story of the Bible.
Terry is a lecturer in Theology at Laidlaw College. Terry loves teaching theology and having ‘talanoa’ (conversations) with his students. This dialogical approach to learning enriches the theological learning with an integration of theory and practice. Terry has taught various courses at level five such as Biblical Theology, Beginning Theology and Church History. He has a special interest in intercultural studies, lecturing in Gospel and culture and Majority world theology. Terry is currently preparing two Pacific courses for teaching in 2023 called ‘A History of Pacific Christianity and Pasifika Theology.’
Terry was raised in the Congregational Christian Church Samoa, but in recent years his family have been attending the Presbyterian Church. He has preached at churches across Auckland. Outside of the Laidlaw, Terry likes to get involved in community projects. He is a Board of Trustees member at Roscommon School, and he is the local area co-ordinator for the Cancer Society.
Young Adults
Lakelodge Dining Room
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Youth Mental Health - Neville Bartley and Piper Clare
This workshop will look at 3 common mental health challenges and also look at how you can create a space to help your youth cope with their mental health challenges.
Neville Bartley
Has been a youth worker in New Zealand for over 35 years and just loves working with youth and youth leaders. He is married to Kerran (for 36 years) and they have 3 wonderful children, two of whom are married and one grandson who is 3 and a granddaughter who is 8 months old. He has lived all over New Zealand from north of Auckland down to Invercargill and even spent 6 months living in England. He believes that without the power of God’s Spirit the church is just a dead shell.He is passionate that young people are the ones who can save the church from dying a slow death. He loves to have fun, enjoys food, sport, music and dancing, and he loves to share God’s word with anyone who will listen. He is passionate about training youth ministry leaders for the future and challenging the ways we do youth ministry in Aotearoa.
Piper Clare is a recent graduate from the New Zealand Diploma in Youth Development and is passionate about young people. She has been doing youth work for the last 5 years and is the Lower North Island Youth Consultant for SUNZ. Piper lives in Pōneke but originally was born in Australia but moved around a lot as a kid
and so has lived in various countries including Scotland, America, and Egypt. But Aotearoa has been home for the last 10 years. She is a firm believer in the power and potential of young people. Her passion is to equip young people with the gospel and the tools they need to be changemakers and lead the way. Piper loves music,
hiking, painting and a good documentary! She is a people person and is always down for a chat about anything and everything!
Youth Ministry
Main Camp Lounge
Emerging Leaders
Reconnecting the Missing Generation: A Framework for Young Adult Ministry
Logo Tufeao
In 2019, my wife and I felt led to start a young adults group TWAY - to address the growing absence of the 20-35 age group in churches. Originally formed as a home group for friends who had drifted away from traditional church settings, this ministry flourished by being intentionally inclusive and focused on the unique needs of this demographic. Join us to discover the key strategies behind its success and gain valuable insights and practical tips for creating an impactful young adults ministry. Whether you're looking to start a new group or strengthen an existing one, this workshop will provide you with a framework to engage and inspire the missing generation in your community.
Logo Tufeao, a current ministry PCANZ ordinand, elder, and Sunday school teacher from Newton PIPC, who will share his experiences in young adults ministry.
Youth Ministry
Auditorium
Emerging Leaders
Transforming Climate Anxiety into Action: Empowering Youth to lead us in the 5th Face of Mission : Mo Morgan
Climate anxiety is becoming more prevalent for emerging generations. This is a workshop for youth leaders/pastors and young people who want to learn more about climate anxiety and how we can respond by creating opportunities for young people to engage in hopeful action!
Mo works for A Rocha as the regional Eco Church coordinator, a project which helps churches across Aotearoa actively care for God's creation as an integral part of their mission. Before that, Mo was the minister at St James Whanganui for 10 years and is still part of the youth team there, helping them participate in the restoration of a gully in their neighbourhood. She's been involved with and passionate about ministry with young people for, well, ages. Mo currently lives on the banks of the Whanganui awa, is married to Kirk, and has 3 teenage children.
Young Adults
Chapel
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Shaping the Future Church
Ryhan Prasad
In this practical workshop we will explore how younger voices can be heard and acted on in our church. We’ll look at smart ways for these younger voices to shape the local, regional and national structures of our church and how to overcome some of the obstacles along the way.
Kia ora! I’m Rev. Ryhan Prasad (Raz) and I have a strong interest in reaching out to people with the good news of the Gospel and seeing that form and reform the Presbyterian Church in our time. My wife Ani and I have two son’s Eli and Theo and currently minister at Khandallah Presbyterian Church in Wellington.
Our ministry continues to be impacted strongly by our bi-cultural journey and the children and young people we encounter everyday. I’ve been involved with the Presy Youth Scene from Sunday school Leader, small group leader, Easter Camp, Regional Committees, Young Adults Services, A Parish Minister all the way to now serving on the Council Assembly. CONNECT has been a key touchstone throughout all that and so its awesome to be invited to come share with you all a bit about my Journey. Peace.
Young Adults
Main Camp Lounge
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Workshop Slot 3 Saturday 5:00pm-6:00pm
Crackers and Cheese: Scottie Reeve
Scottie has decades of experience in youth ministry, community engagement and church planting. This workshop session is aimed at Key Leaders and experienced leaders who want to ask Scottie about the nitty-gritty and the tricky aspects of ministry…and anything else they want to ask.
Scottie is an ordained Anglican Priest, pioneer, and social entrepreneur in Wellington. As the national director of the Catch Network, Scottie has a passion for supporting small groups of people with a desire to renew the local church. Scottie is the the author of 21 Elephants, co-host of the 21 Elephants Podcast, and contributes regularly to national print media with columns on faith. Currently, he is re-planting the Anglican Parish of Brooklyn alongside his wife Cilla and daughter Luna.
This workshop is for Key Leaders and experienced youth leaders
Laidlaw College Lounge
Youth Ministry
Reaching Gen Z – Why and how we should do it
Dan Buttar - Alpha NZ
Gen Z is open to the gospel, but how do we reach them so it sticks? Recent studies give statistical scope to the task we must tackle if we are to win this generation to Jesus. In this workshop we will delve into the research and its implications for us. We’ll also explore how to use Alpha Youth as a powerful tool to give young people opportunities to hear and discuss the gospel in a safe, open environment. Want to know more about how to use this tool to reach Gen Z?
Dan Buttar lives in Levin with his wife Rebecca and their 2 children. He is working with Alpha on their regional coach team and deeply entwined with their church, Life Changers Levin. He’s been a youth pastor, young adults pastor, and done work in local youth communities/schools. He is passionate about this next generation devoting themselves to Christ and seeing people encounter the living Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Dan will be sharing a workshop about reaching Gen Z in a practical and life-changing way with the gospel.
Lakelodge Dining Room
Youth Ministry
Workshop Slot 4 - Sunday 9:00am-10:00am
Faith Renovation
Sage Harris/ Dan Spragg
As young adults, it's natural to have questions about faith and church. It's also common to feel that the faith of our childhood and teenage years might not fully address these questions. How can we navigate these inquiries in a way that renovates, rather than demolishes, our faith, making it more relevant and robust? Moreover, how can we create environments that support others in their faith renovation journey?
Join us for a conversation where we'll share our experiences in 'faith renovation' and discuss practical ways to support young adults in your faith community during this significant period
Sage Harris
Is an ordained minister working with Whakatū Presbyterian church in the Nelson area. Nurturing the faith of Young Adults and helping church work effectively with all ages are important areas of interest to him. Sage is married to Nina and together they are raising three little humans.
Dan Spragg
Is an ordained minister working as the Ministries Coordinator for Alpine Presbytery. Helping Young Adults find faith that makes sense in 21st Century Aotearoa, and helping churches value and support their Young Adults is something he believes is crucial for us to pay attention to. Dan is married to Sharon who together have two Young Adult children.
Young Adults
Main Camp Lounge
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Self - Care as Self -Tending
Kyle Hastelow
Looking after yourself in today’s world can be challenging. We can find ourselves exhausted and maxed out. People in ministry can especially be pulled in many different directions, trying to meet many needs. We can get into unhealthy and unsustainable patterns of living and working, where our own needs are set aside. But God cares about us, as well as those we minister to; about our wellbeing, and our flourishing. That is what this workshop is about. We will look at a new framework for self tending that is flexible and easily applicable.
Kyle Hastelow is the Associate Youth Enabler for Presbytery Central he has been working with youth in various different roles for over two decades. He is passionate about supporting people in ministry towards more holistic and sustainable practices.
Young Adults
Lakelodge Dining Room
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Navigating faith and culture - the Journey for NZ-Born Pacific youth
Knoxanna Leasi
Warm Pacific greetings!! Join me for an interactive talanoa (conversation) about the unique challenges and opportunities of being NZ born Pacific youth serving in Pacific Churches. Let's talk about practical ways to empower our NZ-both Pacific young people to navigate the unique crossroads of their Christian faith and culture, the tools available to us and the common trends we are seeing in today's Pasifika youth. How can we adapt our sails to the different environments around us and what actions are we taking to build leaders for tomorrow? Although this topic has many layers to consider, this forum provides a space for everyone, particularly those who are serving in Pacific churches or lead Pacific young people to come together and support one another. :)
Knoxanna Leasi serves as a Community Advisor at the Department of Internal Affairs, with a diverse background in public service roles centred on Pasifika needs. She is a member of PIPC Porirua - Christ the King, leading the Emerge youth group as the head youth leader, and has been part of the Presbyterian church throughout her life. She has a passion for empowering young people and building leaders. Outside of church and family duties, she has a deep love for music and performing arts and is a member of the Pacific Connection Choir.
Young Adults
Chapel
Youth Ministry
Emerging Leaders
Introducing Non-faith youth to Scripture - Neville Bartley and Piper Clare
Aotearoa is a predominantly secular nation, and many of the young individuals in your youth ministries have limited or no knowledge of Christian Scripture. This workshop will explore practical methods for introducing scripture to them and highlighting its relevance to their daily lives.
Neville Bartley
Has been a youth worker in New Zealand for over 35 years and just loves working with youth and youth leaders. He is married to Kerran (for 36 years) and they have 3 wonderful children, two of whom are married and one grandson who is 3 and a granddaughter who is 8 months old. He has lived all over New Zealand from north of Auckland down to Invercargill and even spent 6 months living in England. He believes that without the power of God’s Spirit the church is just a dead shell.He is passionate that young people are the ones who can save the church from dying a slow death. He loves to have fun, enjoys food, sport, music and dancing, and he loves to share God’s word with anyone who will listen. He is passionate about training youth ministry leaders for the future and challenging the ways we do youth ministry in Aotearoa.
Piper Clare is a recent graduate from the New Zealand Diploma in Youth Development and is passionate about young people. She has been doing youth work for the last 5 years and is the Lower North Island Youth Consultant for SUNZ. Piper lives in Pōneke but originally was born in Australia but moved around a lot as a kid
and so has lived in various countries including Scotland, America, and Egypt. But Aotearoa has been home for the last 10 years. She is a firm believer in the power and potential of young people. Her passion is to equip young people with the gospel and the tools they need to be changemakers and lead the way. Piper loves music,
hiking, painting and a good documentary! She is a people person and is always down for a chat about anything and everything!
Youth Ministry
Laidlaw College Lounge
Emerging Leaders
Three Years - Twelve Mongrels
Matt Chamberlin
Though it may sound like the plot of a parody film, this was the core of Jesus' revolutionary strategy. This workshop will delve into Jesus' approach of discipling a select few to change the world and discuss how we can emulate His example.
Matt is the National Youth Director of PYM. He has been involved in youth work for nearly 20 years, working as a youth pastor, youth worker in schools and as a General Manager of a youth work agency. Matt has qualifications in science, counselling, youth work and theology and loves the way that these disciplines can be woven together to help people make the most of their life. Matt is married to Stephanie and they have two daughters Hannah (14) and Lila (11). He loves the outdoors, building stuff, chocolate and bouncing his daughters on their trampoline.
Young Adults
Auditorium