To find the answer to on any question which interests you - just click on the question.

How did SCAt start?

In 1994 a Christian mission called Festival '94, was held in Woking. Many local Churches participated in various events, concerts and seminars, as well as the closing celebration led by Churches Together in Woking, at the football ground.

During the mission, Christians from different denominations got together to present assemblies in local Primary Schools. After the mission, the group felt that God wanted this ministry to continue, so SCAt (then called the Schools Christian Assembly team) was formed.

In 1997, SCAt employed a full time Schools Worker to develop the work in Primary schools. By the end of 2002 the work had expanded into over 35 schools with SCAt presenting assemblies to over 10,000 local children each term. SCAt also began leading lunch-time and after-school clubs in 5 local Primary schools and our name was changed to the Schools Christian Action team to reflect these developments.

In September 2000, a full time Secondary Schools Worker was employed and the ministry developed further. SCAt began presenting Secondary school assemblies, offering pastoral support and leading Christian groups and R.E. lessons. By the end of 2002 SCAt was working in three secondary schools and Woking 6th Form College so reaching a further 5,000 young people.

SCAt remains an inter-denominational group, working together in Christ, seeking not only to develop our own work but to support the work of all those who are already involved in the life of our local schools.

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What is the vision of SCAt?

The overall aims of SCAt's ministry are:

• to establish, maintain and enhance a Christian presence in schools
• to develop new opportunities to offer support and encouragement to children and adults in schools
• to establish activities that aim to develop Church and school links
• to encourage Christian volunteers to be positive role models for children and young people
• to build up a wider network of prayerful support between schools and Churches

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What's this video I've heard about?

Our video was premiered on 25th April 2002. The video gives an insight into the many aspects of Christian work in Primary and Secondary Schools and FE Establishments in and around Woking. It highlights the work of our SCAt workers in After-School Clubs, participation in areas of the curriculum such as RE, PHSE and other special lessons, Christian Unions, Relational work with individuals and small groups, training programmes for gap-year students, support for both students and teachers and providing a link between schools and local churches. It also covers the work of the SCAt Primary Assembly Team.

The Video is a high quality, informative resource intended for developing awareness and support in churches. It is suitable for use by individuals or groups. It lasts 14 minutes.

At present the video is not available on-line but all our supporting churches have a copy — so contact your representative or get in touch with the SCAt office. It is in VHS PAL format.

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Can you recommend any books for those interested in seeing young children come to faith?

Certainly. Here are some suggestions.

Instant art for Teaching Christianity

Published by Palm tree, price £9.99 ISBN 0 86208 142 4
Brilliant resource for teaching in schools. Includes Worksheets, diagrams, and information about the 'Anglican' church.

100 Children's club activities (Ian Dyer)

Published by Children's Ministry, price £8.99 ISBN 0 85476 922 6
A must for all you children's club workers! Load's of ideas, with and without props!

Every child - A chance to choose (Penny Frank)

Published by CPAS Children's Ministry, price £8.99 ISBN 1 84291 053 1
A child's 'right' to choose the Christian Faith. In the past this has been somewhat 'assumed' Not so today ... Generations are being raised without the knowledge that there is 'something out there' that can and will support them through life and beyond. A book that highlights the need to do something NOW! A book that will be used for reference and debate for many years to come.

The Call to Intimacy - Finding rest in the love of God (Tony Horsfall)

Published by Share the word.com, price £5.00 ISBN 981 04 4616 0
A must for all you busy people whatever your work might be! A book that really makes you think about the importance of prioritising time with God.

The shock of your life! (Adrian Holloway)

Published by Kingsway, price £6.99 ISBN 0 85476 859 9
A telling perspective of what happens after you die! ... a book to give to your friends? ...

Theme drama ... 40 Bible-based sketches

Published by Scripture Union, price £ ISBN 1 85999 436 9
Brilliant, easy to use ideas, age 8 - 13 years.

Building new Bridges (Claire Gibb)

Published by National Society/ Church House Publishing, price £ ISBN 0 7151 4862 1
Reaching and teaching children through mid-week clubs.

Family Prayers (Nick Aiken and Rowan Williams)

Published (April 2002) by SPCK, price £7.99 ISBN 0 281 05461 4
Very good!

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Are you connected with any other organisations?

Yes. SCAt is part of the 'Scripture Union in Schools' Associate Scheme. This means that we follow their code of practice and guidelines for schools work and are given advice, support, training and resources from S.U. throughout the year.

We are also members of the Schools' Ministry Network (SMN) who seek to promote integrity of Christian ministry in schools.

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What are your main activities?

Primary schools: Collective Worship (assemblies), lunch time and after-school clubs and story telling clubs for Infant schools.

Secondary schools and Sixth Form colleges: Collective Worship (assemblies) Christian Union groups, Prayer groups, R.E. lessons, pastoral/relational work and the Chaplaincy team.

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In which schools do you work?

We are currently actively involved in 38 Infant, Primary and Junior schools, 5 Secondary schools and a Sixth Form College. They are:

Infant/Primary/Junior Schools

• Barnsbury Infant School
• Barnsbury Junior School
• Beaufort Community Primary School
• Bisley Church of England Primary School
• Broadmere School
• Brookwood Primary School
• Chobham St. Lawrence, Church of England Primary School
• Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Ottershaw
• Freemantles School (for Autistic Children)
• Goldsworth Primary School
• The Grange Community Infant School
• Greenfields School
• The Hermitage County Junior School
• Hoe Bridge School
• Holy Trinity Church of England School
• Horsell Village School
• Horsell Church of England Junior School
• Kingfield Infant School
• Knaphill Junior School
• Knaphill Lower School
• The Manor First School, Byfleet
• The Marist Catholic Primary School, West Byfleet
• Marshfields Church of England Infant School
• Maybury Infant School
• The Oaktree Primary School
• Pyrford Church of England Primary School
• Send Church of England First School
• St Bede's Church of England Junior School
• St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School
• St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School
• St. John's County Primary School
• St Mary's Primary School, Byfleet
• St Paul's Church of England Primary School, Addlestone
• West Byfleet Infant School
• West Byfleet Junior School
• Westfield Primary School

Secondary Schools

• The Bishop David Brown School
• St John the Baptist School
• The Winston Churchill School
• Woking High School

Sixth Form Colleges

• Woking College

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Who are The SCAt Team?

The SCAt team are all volunteers who form the backbone of the Primary Schools work in the form of planning and leading collective worship and schools' clubs. They are:

SCAt Primary Schools Team:

• Jacklyn Allen - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
• Liz Beck - member of Chobham St Lawrence
• Dot Blee - a member of St. Saviours, Brookwood
• Janet Collinson - a member of St John's Church
• Irene Dugdale - a member of St. John's Church, Woking
• Cathy Hayes-Allen - a member of Holy Trinity Knaphill
• Karen Hodges - a member of St Mary of Bethany Church, Woking
• Pat Kitchen - a member of Woking URC
• Sally Lynch - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
• Sean Lyttle - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
• Matt Styles - a member of The New Life Church, Woking
• Jenny Stratford - member of Chobham St Lawrence
• Heather Unwin - a member of St. Lawrence Church, Chobham
• Ann Watson - a member of All Saints, Lightwater

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Who else is involved in SCAt?

SCAt employs two full time Schools workers. Karen Hodges heads up our work in primary schools and Chrissie Lacey who heads up our work in secondary schools.

The Schools workers are managed and supported by The Board of Trustees who have wide experience in Churches, Schools and the local community. They are:

Trustees:

Sian Bates - a member of New Life Church, Woking
Carolyn Dickins - a member of Christ Church, Woking
Rev Nick Grew - Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill
Val Harris - a member of Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill (Co-ordinator)
Vicky Henry - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
Beryl Hunwicks - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
Mike Kirtley - a member of St. Andrew's Church, Goldsworth Park
Sally Lynch - a member of The Coign Church, Woking
Stuart Rawlings - a member of Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill and SCAt Treasurer

Supervisors:

Primary - Vicky Henry
Secondary - Val Harris

We also have a large team of volunteers who are vital to SCAt's ministry and their commitment means that we are able to widen the scope of the work that we do and help to equip more people to serve God in Schools.

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What do the volunteers do to support SCAt?

SCAt relies on the support and commitment of a large number of volunteers who give their time to support the ministry in the following areas:

School Support:

Collective Worship, Primary School Clubs, Story telling clubs, Secondary School Christian groups, R.E. lessons.

Prayer Support:

Prayer for SCAt meetings, School Prayer Groups and personal prayer time

In Churches:

SCAt Representatives and corporate Prayer time

Management and Office Support:

Board of Trustees, Advisory Role, Supervision and Mentoring, Finance, Administration and Mailing Distribution, Publicity and Public Relations, Computer and IT Technical Support, Website Design and Management

Gap Year Voluntary Schools Work (Full time) when available

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Do you still need volunteers?

Yes! We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to help in many different areas. Please get in touch with us.

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What do you need to be a Primary SCAt volunteer?

• A love of children and a desire to see them draw near and develop their relationship with God in and through Jesus Christ.
• A desire to grow in the ministry.
• A commitment to attend rehearsals and at least two mornings a week throughout the assembly run.
• After exploration, a confidence in your calling - being prepared for all kinds of interaction in the knowledge that God has called you, therefore will equip you.

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What else can I do to help support my local Schools?

There are hundreds of ways of getting involved in supporting your local School. Here are just a few suggestions of ways in which you can help:

• In the classroom with reading, spelling or other work
• With fetes, garden parties, discos, concerts or other events
• By making a cake or buying some chocolates or flowers for the staff room
• By offering to mentor a student who is having problems
• By starting a prayer group and asking staff and students about their needs.

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What can I do specifically to support SCAt?

There are three main ways of supporting SCAt:

By offering time to being a volunteer in one of the many areas outlined above. If you feel you could offer time to SCAt as a volunteer and would like further details please contact us at the office (details on the 'Contacts 'page).

By praying for our work, either on your own or with a group of friends. Check for our Current Requests on our Prayer page.

By making a financial donation making a financial donation to support our work.

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O.K. so, where's the shopping trolley?!

We are not selling anything, except the Good News and that's free! But if you'd like to know more about how we are financed then please read on.

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How are you financed?

SCAt is dependent on the support, both financial and prayerful, of local Churches and individuals. Volunteers give their time for free and we have excellent office accommodation donated by St Andrew's Church in Goldsworth Park. However, we have two salaried staff, and ongoing expenses for resources, training, equipment and administration which require funding. We therefore invite supporters to make financial contributions where possible.

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How can I make a donation?

If you would like to make a financial contribution to our work then please contact the SCAt treasurer, Mr Stuart Rawlings at the SCAt office:

The Schools Christian Action team,
c/o St Andrew's Church,
The Goldsworth Park Centre,
Bampton Way,
Woking,
Surrey
GU21 3LG.
Tel: 01483 762424
Email: office@scat.org.uk

Or download a donation form, which you can post to us. This also includes a Bankers Order and Gift Aid form, which enables us to reclaim UK tax on your gift, and information about supporting SCAt in other ways.

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What do we believe?

Our Statement of Faith is.

• I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
• I believe God created the Universe.
• I believe in Jesus Christ - His only begotten Son who died and rose again for our sins so that we might know His forgiveness and salvation.
• I believe that all Scripture is inspired by God.
• I believe in eternal life.

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What do I need to do to become a Christian?

We would always recommend that you contact your local church. You will find some on our Links Page or look in the Phone Book under "Churches" or Yellow Pages under "Places of Worship". Many churches run introductory courses which it is a good idea to attend.

Essentially you need to realise your need. Yes we all need to be Christians. That's because we all do wrong. The Bible (which is our handbook) calls it "sin" and says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". That's in part of the Bible called Romans in chapter 3 verse 23. It tells us later "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6, 23), that's pretty bad news - death means separation from God for ever - but the same verse goes on immediately to say "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". That comes about because Jesus Christ, who is God's Son, lived on this earth 2000 years ago but, unlike others, did nothing wrong but was still killed so that he died. The Bible puts it this way "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned". That's in John 3,16-18. That's really Good News. So believe it. One more verse from the last book in the Bible - Revelation. "So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3, 19 & 20). The language is a bit poetical but it means that, if you believe that Jesus can save you from sin and ask him to, you become a Christian. Really Good News - that's what we call Gospel Truth!

For a fuller treatment of this subject there is a free booklet is available on line.

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What Bible do you recommend?

OK. The previous answer shows that the Bible is pretty important to us. It's a bit long but it will tell you a lot about God and his Good News. It's important for Christians to have one and to read it regularly. Start towards the end (!) in the part called the New Testament; that's where you'll find the story of Jesus. We suggest you read first the book of Mark or Luke. (The Old and New Testaments are broken up into sections called books.). We recommend a good modern translation such as the "New International Version" (abbreviated to NIV) or the "Good News Bible" WH Smith keep both as do most Church bookstalls. You could try a book called "The Message"; it has the New Testament (and some parts of the Old Testament) only but is a very readable, though slightly free, translation; it's by Eugene Peterson and is published by Navpress. You may have to go to a Christian book shop for that or to Amazon.co.uk. By the way there are also "Notes" published to help you read and understand the Bible. They are published at regular intervals and suggest sections to read each day for a few months. Scripture Union publish several editions some aimed at specific age groups. Try Church bookstalls or Christian book shops. Each day Scripture Union has free, on-line that day's section of one of their sets of notes. Click SU for a link to their web site.

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Can you suggest any other books?

There are lots of books about becoming a Christian, and even more about the Christian life. Many churches offer small booklets free - such as "Journey Into Life" by Norman Warren. One excellent book is "Basic Christianity" by John R W Stott published by IVP ISBN 0-85110-353-7. A short 'booklet' discussing who Jesus is is available on line. A booklet by Michael C. Lindell with a fuller discussion of how to become a Christian can also be downloaded

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If you have other questions please let us have them.
If they are of general interest we will answer them here.