An Awesome Easter!
After missing three Easter Camps as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, there was an air of excitement on Thursday the 6th of April as we came together for Easter Camp 2023. There is nothing like being face to face, seeing old friends and making new ones. Easter Camp this year, as someone observed, had a tone that was friendly, organised, and enjoyable. People seemed to be open to grow and connect. While nothing this side of heaven is perfect, it was a really enjoyable event that had a good balance of meetings/worship and catching up.
To see families and young people enjoying time together was a real highlight for me. I loved seeing grandparents who brought grandchildren who had no idea about Easter Camp and they had a great time. Camp happens because of the hard work of our Conference team, pastors, teachers and also some very special people who volunteer. I want to say a huge thank you to these people who give of their time. It is not always easy for these folk who face busy schedules and the added pressure that seems to be the hallmark of life today. One of our teachers spoke to me about her reluctance to be involved in camp, because of the pressure teaching staff are under (which I understand). She was able to work with a team that really worked well together, and she told me that seeing the impact on the children at Camp did bring a smile to her face. One of the challenges moving forward in our plans to continue to run Easter Camp is to involve more volunteers. I would love to hear your ideas on increasing volunteer participation.
“Camp happens because of the hard work of our conference team, pastors and teachers and also some very special people who volunteer.”
When the church gathers for Easter Camp, it is about Jesus Christ renewing commitment to Him or making new decisions to following Him. We all come at different stages of spiritual journey. Some are just starting, others may have sensed some separation from Jesus and His family, and others are fully on fire for Jesus. In listening to others and from my own observations, there was a sense that the Holy Spirit was working on people’s hearts and minds at Camp this year. Significant numbers of young people made decisions to follow Jesus across, Juniors, Teens, and Youth. There was full engagement in the Beginners, Kindy, Lower Primary and Upper Primary. Lives were touched in 25 Plus and the Big Tent.
I caught up with a young guy at the Junior shed named Josh (I did check if I could share his story). Josh attended Carmel Adventist College in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and I had the privilege of conducting Bible studies and baptising him back in 2001. To be honest, it had been a long time since I had seen him. Josh travelled all the way from the mining town of Paraburdoo, which is just over 1500 km from Perth. He had his wife and four children with him, and they had a fantastic time. The kids loved their programs and Josh and his wife Ronny said they will be back. This was the first time for many years they had been to a church event and there is no church in Paraburdoo that they can attend. Josh told me he was moved emotionally as he attended the meetings and felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to make a fresh commitment to follow Jesus. For me, stories like this make Camp worthwhile - people connecting with Jesus.
Another highlight for me was “Family Worship” at 7:30 am in the Big Tent. Music led by the Gibson family, also known as “One Accord”, was a great way to start the day. Then the Pratt family shared neat little thoughts on nature, brand names, and the mission pioneers of Australia. It was great to see young families, youth and more senior folk come together – I love intergenerational events. It was a great reminder of the passion to share faith that the early Adventist Church had and this needs to be recaptured. In the end, Easter Camp is not about us, but about the mission of Jesus Christ. As Pavel Goia said several times, if we go back to our churches and sit around singing Kum-ba-yah, then what is the point? Jesus is wanting us to be His people, making a difference in our neighborhoods, schools, and families.
