Young writers Brain's Trust – Cheryl McGrath, Sam Gillespie, Irenie How, Natalie Chu and Steven Huang
The young writer program of Press Service International (PSI) with Christian Today is celebrating a number of developments, all of which require elaboration and celebration.
PSI has been functioning since 2009 with currently 85 young people having their articles published in Christian Today in order for them to gain a 'voice' in the international market place of ideas.
Young writer Brain's Trust
The young writers consist of three quite separate groups - 16 international young people (England, Canada, USA, West Indies, China, South Africa, Columbia, Indonesia, ambique), then 18 New Zealanders and the rest are Australians.
Saturday 11 February in Sydney the three person Brain's Trust of Sam Gillespie (Sydney), Cheryl McGrath (Melbourne), and Irenie How (Christchurch) met with Christian Today's Natalie Chu and Steven Huang for a tuition session on uploading onto the Christian Today platform.
2017 One Day in Melbourne planning – Colman Chan, John Sandeman and Peter Chung
2017 One Day in Melbourne
The young writers Brains Trust are likewise involved in the 2017 One Day in Melbourne program and met with the mainstream Christian media leaders last month in Sydney.
Rev Bob Thomas (New Life), John Sandeman (Eternity), Dr Bruce Redman (Salvation Army media), Rev Dominic Steele and Liam Denny (Christian in Media), Dr Mark Tronson (PSI), Colman Chan and Peter Chung (Life Monthly) met and set Saturday 3 June as the 2017 One Day in Melbourne.
Christina Tyson and Liz Hay – Panellists for the New Zealand young writer awards
Christian Today New Zealand
CTNZ was initiated on 13 February with an edition separate to Christian Today Australia. An idea was developed by Dr Mark Tronson of PSI to mirror image the Australian edition and that focused the attention of Christian Today in London who gave the approvals.
CTNZ at this early stage of development houses one Kiwi young writer each day along with an original 2012 Kiwi young writer when New Zealand young people were first involved with the Australian edition. There are Kiwi senior writers and New Zealand Christian News.
An official launch of CTNZ is being held on the Gold Coast on Saturday 25 March so as to include an update from Russell Modlin on the annual conference of the young writers set for 12 August on the Sunshine Coast.
Irenie How in tuition with Christian Today
Young writer panellists under way
The young writer annual awards are presented at the annual young conferences and this year it is the 12 August. These awards are determined at four separate sets of panellists each of whom score the articles out of 10 points.
- International panellists
- Australian panellists
- New Zealand panellists
- Sport panellists
The young writer program is set out in a module of 5 weeks to ensure every young writer is published in Christian Today. These 5 week allotments are referred to as Cycles – and there are 10 Cycles in the year. The panellists score the first 5 Cycles.
This is no easy assignment. The international young writers are collated in Week 1, the Australians in Weeks 2, 3 and 4, and the Kiwi's in Week 5.
The Kiwi young writers are published in Christian Today Australia as Week 5 – and then again in CTNZ one per day. NZ Panellist Bishop Brian Carrell was very keen to have the Kiwi young writers published in both the Australian and New Zealand editions of Christian Today to ensure a smooth development of the Kiwi edition.
Vicki Nunn, editor of SPAG, an Australian panellist
Young writer articles
There we have it – a huge program for PSI young writers but nothing of this ilk would occur without these young people showing commitment and genuine solace in setting time aside to produce remarkable fresh output.
Along with these young writers are their week coordinators and week editors, a remarkably dedicated group of people. We rejoice in the Lord!
Rev Bob Thomas planning One Day in Melbourne and Cheryl McGrath who served as the scribe
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html