John Hallett says that SVN really started in 1995, “when I had been to London for a meeting to pray that God would send more workers into Christian education, in the face of so many unfilled opportunities. Coming home on the train, God spoke to me in an audible voice, telling me to “speak to my own generation”. There was no-one else on the train anywhere near me, so even I knew it must be God! There was only one possible response and the vision for Senior Volunteer Network of retired volunteers was born.”
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In 2006, John Hallett wrote “This tenth anniversary of SVN has provided us with an opportunity to look back and thank God for what He has made possible. Compared with the history of the church, ten years is nothing, but SVN is an organisation in which a fifty year old is a youngster and so there is an understandable sense of urgency.

We have made a difference; children are learning and students are in training in places where there was no provision before we made our contribution. Teachers have received training, support and encouragement, whole school development has taken place, and a rich variety of other contributions have come from the work of volunteers. This work has been done with and for a variety of agencies, mostly Christian, in over thirty different countries, including the UK.”

Since that time, SVN volunteers have continued to bless children and schools in many other countries around the world. Most recently, Angela Rees was in Burkina Faso in January 2016 with a joint SVN/Anchor Education project and in March, Sue Hookway and Janet King are off to Cambodia and Gill Martin to Kenya, each involved with joint SVN/Mission Direct projects.

We are planning a 21st Birthday Celebration SVN Conference in the Kings Park Conference Centre, Northampton between Tuesday 8th November and Thursday 10th November 2016. The working title is “21 years of SVN’s journeys with Jesus” and we are delighted that the programme will balance looking back in celebration and looking forward in anticipation. There will be Bible studies on the theme led by Rev Dr Bob Hunt from All Nations and contributions from two recently retired mission workers in education from Africa and Asia. We want it to be an opportunity for sharing ideas, encouragement, laughter and prayer.
The booking forms and details will be mailed out to SVN members in May 2016 so keep the date free!

Chris Stickland (Chair of SVN leadership team.)
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