Click on a topic to find out more:

What is TEA?    Ministry Plan & Outcomes    TEA Schedule

Who can join?    How to apply    Before you come

The TEA Leaders    Links    Contact us

After an initial week of training, teams travel around New Zealand. There is a daily discipleship study as well as ongoing training throughout the ten weeks. Team members also participate in a variety of 'adventure' activities in the outdoors.

The team stays in holiday accommodation, such as backpackers lodges, holiday parks and campgrounds, as well as in back-country huts in mountain ranges, where they are encouraged to share their faith naturally with other backpackers, trampers and holiday-makers.

Ministry Plan & Outcomes
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Mission Statement
The T.E.A. Programme exists to grow young people from around the world in discipleship and confidence in sharing Christ’s Good News while travelling in a team around New Zealand.

Goal Statement
We are committed to:
- Spending time each day as a team in a set discipleship curriculum
- Establishing evangelism as a lifestyle through training and practice
- Valuing and esteeming one another and seeking opportunities to love others
- Awakening a realisation of the value, power and joy of praying beyond themselves and meaningfully for the world
- Encouraging team members to set goals for their own Christian growth and learn to reflect on their progress
- Challenging team members physically and mentally through adventure activites in the New Zealand outdoors so they can realise and extend the limits of their own stamina and confidence

Ministry Objectives for each T.E.A. team
The success of each participant shall be measured by:
1 a) Completion of the Design for Discipleship study curriculum
    b) Participation in team discussion on study

2a) Participation in planned evangelism events
    b) Initiative displayed in opening conversations and steering towards evangelism

3 Servanthood displayed in team life

4a) Prayer journal kept including daily prayer for non-Christian friends
    b) Participation with growing confidence in team prayer

5 Discussion of goals and progress with team leader at set intervals during programme

6 Participation in tramping and other outdoor activities

Each T.E.A. team will involve
- Working through the Design for Discipleship study curriculum
- Evangelism training and opportunities in a variety of settings
- Tramping in remote locations for team development, as well as on popular tracks for evangelistic opportunities
- Other outdoor activities such as kayaking, rock-climbing, rafting, snow-boarding etc, dependant of weather and season
- Travelling to popular tourist destinations around the country – tourism and evangelism
- Exposure to Maori culture, (the indigenous culture of NZ)
- Joining people in their ministries to help and encourage them

TEA Schedule                                                               
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Every ten-week group will have a different itinerary, dependant on the seasons- remember that New Zealand has Christmas in summer. Click here to download the schedule we used for TEA 3 '04. (Microsoft Word document)

Who can join?
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- Christians aged 18 to 30. People older than 30 should write in and, if we have enough wanting to come at the same time, we would be very happy to organise a special programme for you!

- Singles or couples - sorry, no children

- A desire to know and serve God more fully.

- English - Minimum required is the Pre-Intermediate level. If English is not your first language, we will send you a test to find your English level when you apply.
If you are not yet at the Pre-Intermediate level, we can help you arrange to come before TEA to study English in our English classes, run by qualified staff of Operation Mobilisation New Zealand.

- Physical fitness – good to VERY good (plenty of mountains) - start training NOW! A good way to know if you are fit enough is to ask: 'Can I run for 3km without stopping?'

There are some types of people we DON'T want joining us either. Click here to read the top ten - a list compiled by OM's founder, George Verwer.

How to apply
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You have to apply through the Operation Mobilisation office in your own country. To find the details of your country visit:
http://www.om.org/links_om.jsp

Before you come
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Have a look at some of the New Zealand tourism websites to see what you will be letting yourself in for.  

Once you have been accepted, you will be sent some orientation materials.  This contains a list of the kind of things needed in the outdoors. There is no need to bring items that will be used commonly (like stoves, tents etc.). If you are in doubt about getting something, wait, and buy it here if you need it. We do know where to buy these kind of things really cheaply and can lend you some too. Remember that you will have to carry everything you bring, so pack light! When we are back in civilization, you will be going to church meetings and other functions. So bring some smart casual wear too. Kiwis hardly ever wear suits or dresses, but smart trousers and a good top would help.

Although we will supply all your food and accommodation, bring some pocket money for souvenirs, postcards and any extras you may want to buy.

Pray that this will be a time where God will work in your life for His glory and that you will have the chance to share His love with others here. Get a group of friends to pray for you as well.

The TEA Leaders
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There are three TEA leaders: Norm and Christy McCarren, and George Booth.

Norm and Christy are from the U.S.A.  They love the outdoors, discipleship and small group ministry.  They spent time on Logos II before joining the team here in New Zealand.

George has been with OM since 1979 and worked on the ships and in Southern Africa before leading the OM New Zealand team. He loves evangelism and the outdoors.

Contact us
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info[at]nz.om.org - just replace the [at] with @ before you send anything.

Links
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These sites will help you get a better idea of what travelling around New Zealand is like. They will all take you out of this site:

www.backpack-newzealand.com - Hiking & Backpacking in NZ

www.purenz.com - Official NZ tourism website

www.doc.govt.nz - Department of Conservation in NZ

www.tramper.co.nz - information about tramping (hiking or trekking) in NZ

www.mountainsafety.org.nz - download pamphlets about outdoor safety in NZ

www.backpackerboard.co.nz - interactive travel guide to NZ

www.backpacking.is.it - Christian website for backpackers in Australia & NZ www.omnz.org.nz - Operation Mobilisation New Zealand home

To find your OM home office, click on this link: http://www.om.org/links_om.jsp

Relationships, challenges and study: they all worked together in me and made me more mature in Christ than before... I'm sure God has used this programme to mould me and change me in His way.

Sarah (South Korea)

What was the worst thing
about TEA for you?
That is was ONLY 10 weeks
and not more!

Susanne (Switzerland)