Summer Conference 6-13 Jan 2023
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Venn Foundation
58 Hillsborough Road
Hillsborough, Auckland 1042
Email: [email protected] Phone: +6499294988
PO Box 163138
Lynfield, Auckland 1443
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One week with 100 students, young professionals, and creatives from around Aotearoa, New Zealand to explore the Christian faith and what it means for our lives.

What is it all about?

The Christian faith is deep, alive, and worth living well. It speaks of our world as filled with beauty and meaning, created by a good God with good purpose. It calls us to live lives marked by wonder, imagination, deep thought, rich feeling, love, courage, and service. This faith has transformed the lives of men and women for generations: it’s given new energy and meaning to the student at her desk, the worker in his office, the athlete with her team, the writer with his pen, the scientist in her lab.

For more than a decade, Summer Conference has been helping young adults explore this vision of God, ourselves, and the world, and how it affects all parts of life. Over a week of learning, conversation, good food, and fun, you too can come to see the truth, beauty, and challenge of the Christian life.

“This conference has given me so much depth of knowledge and wisdom as well as practical steps, postures and practices to take on in my life. I’ve so loved the intentionality, thought, prayer, and effort in every part of conference.”

—Attendee, 2022

Who will be teaching?

At Summer Conference, you’ll hear from an exceptional group of speakers from across New Zealand. The speaker lineup for Summer Conference 2023 is expected to be:

  • Andrew Shamy
  • Dr. John Dennison
  • Rev. Neihana Reihana
  • Rev. Dr. Nathan McLellan
  • Michelle Young
  • Dr. Alistair Reese
  • Rev. Rachel Kitchens
  • Donald Goodhall
  • Olivia Witney
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What can I expect?

The week-long conference is challenging, life-giving, and creative. It’s for young adults 18-30 years old, is fully residential, and is held at St Peter’s School, Cambridge in the beautiful Waikato. The conference is dynamic and expansive: across the week, you will be immersed in rich teaching, creative responses, local field trips, and group discussions. You’ll also have heaps of time in the afternoons to soak up the sun and to cool off in Lake Karapiro.

During the week you can expect to:

  • Hear from engaging and thoughtful speakers who love God.
  • Think deeply about the big questions of faith and life.
  • Explore the ideas and stories that have shaped and are shaping New Zealand culture.
  • Be challenged about how you live.
  • Eat well, laugh loud, talk a lot, and perhaps even disagree at times—all while making new friendships and deepening old ones.
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The Week

The week isn’t just about gaining knowledge. Our prayer is that you’ll encounter God, and through that encounter, come to know him, yourself, and others better.

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Know the Gospel

During the week, we’ll explore what the gospel means for all of our lives. We’ll do this by asking: What does the Bible say about God and his purposes in the world? What does it mean to be human? And, what is the nature of the world we live in?

We’ll also ask how our responses to these questions relate to other stories about life that we find embedded in current NZ culture, such as consumerism and individualism.

Know Culture

The conference is designed with a particular flow. Each day will address a major theme or question. These themes follow the arc of the biblical story.

God: Who is God? And what are his purposes for the world he created?

Humanity: What does it mean to be human?

The Fall: What’s gone wrong with the world?

Jesus: Who is Jesus? And what does he mean for us today?

Holy Spirit and Church: Who is the Spirit? What is the Church?

Redemption: What is the end of our story?

Culture: How should we engage culture faithfully in 21st century Aotearoa, New Zealand?

Translate

Each day, you’ll get to participate in a mixture of creative workshops, experiences, lectures, and learning groups, as we explore the key themes and questions. We hope you’ll come to a deeper understanding of the gospel and what it means for your life.

The week will be full, but there is also plenty of time each afternoon to relax, enjoy the local area, pray, worship, and have fun.

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Venn Summer Conference is proudly supported by:

 

 

 

 

 

Pricing

Student $650
Standard $850

Pricing

Summer Conference prices include all meals, accommodation, and conference materials for the week. All prices are NZD. Student prices are only applicable to New Zealand full-time students. Earlybird prices closed 31 October. Registrations are still being accepted (for the purposes of T&Cs, the RSVP date is 9 December).

Payment Plans

If you need to pay for Summer Conference across a number of months, we are happy to arrange weekly, fortnightly, and monthly payment plans. Get in touch and we can work out the best plan for you.

Get in touch >>

Sponsorship

We encourage you to first seek support from your church, family, and friends. If you still need support to attend Summer Conference, please don’t hesitate to apply for sponsorship. We want you to be part of the week!

Apply Now >>

Scholarship

Each year we award a number of scholarships for full-time students currently studying in NZ, and for Māori and Pasifika. Scholarship applications are now closed for 2023.

Teachers

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Michelle Young
Director of Summer Conference and Public Events, and Teaching Fellow

Michelle Young joined Venn at its establishment in September 2013 and currently serves as a Teaching Fellow and the Director of Summer Conference and Supporting Contexts.

More about this person >>
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Andrew Shamy
Senior Teaching Fellow

Andrew Shamy is committed to helping people live out their faith creatively and authentically in every area of life. He has developed curricula for the Venn Summer Conference, Residential Fellowship, and Vocational Programme. He also teaches at Summer Conference and on the Vocational Programme, along with writing for Common Ground.

More about this person >>
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Rev. Dr. Nathan McLellan
CEO and Senior Teaching Fellow

Rev. Dr. Nathan McLellan is Venn Foundation’s CEO and a Senior Teaching Fellow. He is passionate about helping others develop a sound and deep understanding of the Christian faith and the way it relates to all aspects of life.

More about this person >>
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Rev. Neihana Reihana
Teaching Fellow

Rev. Neihana Reihana is from Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Ranginui. He was raised in Porirua in a whānau of four. Neihana has a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and Management, and spent five years as a secondary school teacher in both kura Māori and mainstream schools.

More about this person >>
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Dr. John Dennison
Director of Resources and Senior Teaching Fellow

Dr. John Dennison is Director of Resources at Venn Foundation. He is passionate about helping others to make room for God, to learn to pray as well as think and work.

More about this person >>
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Donald Goodhall
Director of the Residential Fellowship

Donald Goodhall is Director of the Residential Fellowship. He is interested in the intersection of art and faith, and is passionate about cultivating creative contexts in which theology can be fruitfully explored.

More about this person >>
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Rev. Rachel Kitchens
Teaching Fellow

Rev. Rachel Kitchens is a Spiritual Director and works part-time for Venn as a Teaching Fellow, helping Fellows find ways to integrate their lives with the Gospel.

More about this person >>
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Dr. Alistair Reese
Adjunct Teaching Fellow

Dr. Alistair Reese is a farmer, historian, and public theologian. He and his wife Jeannie live near Te Puke in the district of Tapuika/Waitaha. He holds postgraduate degrees in History, Tikanga Maori, and Theology, from Massey, Waikato, and Cambridge University.

More about this person >>
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Olivia Witney
Communications and Marketing Manager

Olivia Witney is Venn's Communications and Marketing Manager and is responsible for external communications and showcasing the different programmes available at Venn.

More about this person >>
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Hannah Chapman
Adjunct Teaching Fellow

Hannah is an Adjunct Teaching Fellow for Venn, focussed on integrating elements of te aō Māori through the educational contexts and helping to foster Venn’s engagement with Tangata Whenua.

More about this person >>

Summer Conference 2023

06/01/2023 >>
Waikato

Registrations full

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Venn Foundation

Venn Foundation

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Email: [email protected]

Phone: +64 (9) 929 4988

Post: PO Box 163138
Lynfield, Auckland 1443

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