Missions and Ministry
Young Adult Camp Update
Ali Davis shares a reflection from the recent Young Adults Camp.
Recently, our Young Adults group held its annual camp at Kenilworth over the Show Day holiday weekend. It was chilly, but we rugged up and enjoyed the beauty of nature with a forced technology detox due to a lack of reception. Altogether, it made for a great time of connecting with people on a deeper level, and we enjoyed delicious food and excellent teaching as well.
The topic was Forgiveness, which may just sound like a basic thing. But it’s very layered, and I found myself being challenged on many levels.
Firstly, Lach led us through a session on Forgiveness and Culture, which challenged us to examine how society defines forgiveness and how justice fits into the picture. Ultimately, we realised that justice can’t be done perfectly on earth, and if we want to forgive, then we also need God’s help to do that. It was good to reflect on how some Christians even have the wrong view of Forgiveness, seeing it as a cheap grace to be dished out unreservedly, but this can hurt victims immensely. Ultimately, forgiveness is costly, and the cost is paid in Jesus; however, it isn’t something we can achieve in our own strength.
Peter Bradbury, our guest speaker from Christ Community Church in Brisbane, did our remaining three talks. He talked of the vertical forgiveness that we find in God and how this affects our relationships and ability to forgive on a horizontal level. Pete and his wife Carly also ran a seminar for us on being Peacemakers and Conflict Resolution. It was great to see how they have been challenged across their lives to forgive others and to apologise well. These are skills that I know I will use in my marriage, friendships, mothering and all relationships. Recognising how we generally respond to conflict helps us adjust our views to empathise with others, assume the best in them, and humbly seek reconciliation, even if it costs us.
With this kind of topic and the atmosphere at camp, I loved how open and honest the conversations with people became. It was a great space to love, challenge, and have fun with each other. We had an Australian Olympics with crazy challenges, such as sand Pictionary and, of course, a fantastic trivia night hosted by the trivia master, Nicholas Price. We also had lots of campfire marshmallow roasting, board games, colouring, visits to Kenilworth Bakery for doughnuts, and Kenilworth Dairy for fancy cheeses. And, of course, a crazy few ran the 10km into Kenilworth during one of our free-time sessions too!
Overall, the camp was excellent, and we all felt so supported and loved by the church in the lead-up to it. Thank you to everyone who donated money, provided food, prepared lanyards and booklets, and offered prayers for us. Praise God for the work He did over this weekend and His continual care for the Young Adults of HBBC.
Recently, our Young Adults group held its annual camp at Kenilworth over the Show Day holiday weekend. It was chilly, but we rugged up and enjoyed the beauty of nature with a forced technology detox due to a lack of reception. Altogether, it made for a great time of connecting with people on a deeper level, and we enjoyed delicious food and excellent teaching as well.
The topic was Forgiveness, which may just sound like a basic thing. But it’s very layered, and I found myself being challenged on many levels.
Firstly, Lach led us through a session on Forgiveness and Culture, which challenged us to examine how society defines forgiveness and how justice fits into the picture. Ultimately, we realised that justice can’t be done perfectly on earth, and if we want to forgive, then we also need God’s help to do that. It was good to reflect on how some Christians even have the wrong view of Forgiveness, seeing it as a cheap grace to be dished out unreservedly, but this can hurt victims immensely. Ultimately, forgiveness is costly, and the cost is paid in Jesus; however, it isn’t something we can achieve in our own strength.
Peter Bradbury, our guest speaker from Christ Community Church in Brisbane, did our remaining three talks. He talked of the vertical forgiveness that we find in God and how this affects our relationships and ability to forgive on a horizontal level. Pete and his wife Carly also ran a seminar for us on being Peacemakers and Conflict Resolution. It was great to see how they have been challenged across their lives to forgive others and to apologise well. These are skills that I know I will use in my marriage, friendships, mothering and all relationships. Recognising how we generally respond to conflict helps us adjust our views to empathise with others, assume the best in them, and humbly seek reconciliation, even if it costs us.
With this kind of topic and the atmosphere at camp, I loved how open and honest the conversations with people became. It was a great space to love, challenge, and have fun with each other. We had an Australian Olympics with crazy challenges, such as sand Pictionary and, of course, a fantastic trivia night hosted by the trivia master, Nicholas Price. We also had lots of campfire marshmallow roasting, board games, colouring, visits to Kenilworth Bakery for doughnuts, and Kenilworth Dairy for fancy cheeses. And, of course, a crazy few ran the 10km into Kenilworth during one of our free-time sessions too!
Overall, the camp was excellent, and we all felt so supported and loved by the church in the lead-up to it. Thank you to everyone who donated money, provided food, prepared lanyards and booklets, and offered prayers for us. Praise God for the work He did over this weekend and His continual care for the Young Adults of HBBC.