Sorry for the long silence, everyone. Been writing essays for college, then got knocked over with a virus. Anyone, I’m firing on all cylinders again now.
Tonight, I’m off on the Presbyterian Youth (“PY”) Winter Camp. It goes for the whole long weekend, and draws together young people from the whole of NSW. The camp's grown so much that this year they've had to split it over two locations. I'm going on the senior camp, which is at Port Hacking - an excellent, scenic site. The theme is mission, the talks are from the book of Jonah. The junior camp is in Stanwell Tops - which, come to think of it, is also an excellent, scenic site... PY has good taste in campsites...
Camps have always been a key part of state-wide Presbyterian youth ministry. Two years ago, I wrote an essay on the Presbyterian youth movement for an assignment at Moore College. One of the people I interviewed for that essay (Simon Fraser, currently the NSW Presbyterian Church’s law clerk) said:
In my essay, I concluded that the Presbyterian youth movement, particularly though its camps, has quietly had a big influence in evangelising young people, and training them for ministry.
I’m not playing a big role at this camp. I’m pastoral carer for four of the young leaders: two Bible study group leaders, and two musicians. My role is to catch up with them briefly through the camp, see how they’re going, and generally be there for them. The aim is to make sure the leaders don’t feel like they’re on their own, but they have someone looking after them, to whom they can turn if they need help or counsel.
Usually at camps, I’m really busy with some form of leadership myself: administration, leading a small group, delivering the talks – whatever. This’ll be the first time my role is less task-focused, and more relational: relax, watch others, and see how they’re going. I’m quite looking forward to it.
On the Saturday night of winter camp, instead of a Bible talk, they have an activity, which may or may not be in line with the theme of the camp. This year, we’ve got a special guest – Dr. Pat, better known to me as Mum – talking about her two favourite topics: God, and sex. Let’s see what happens.
Tonight, I’m off on the Presbyterian Youth (“PY”) Winter Camp. It goes for the whole long weekend, and draws together young people from the whole of NSW. The camp's grown so much that this year they've had to split it over two locations. I'm going on the senior camp, which is at Port Hacking - an excellent, scenic site. The theme is mission, the talks are from the book of Jonah. The junior camp is in Stanwell Tops - which, come to think of it, is also an excellent, scenic site... PY has good taste in campsites...Camps have always been a key part of state-wide Presbyterian youth ministry. Two years ago, I wrote an essay on the Presbyterian youth movement for an assignment at Moore College. One of the people I interviewed for that essay (Simon Fraser, currently the NSW Presbyterian Church’s law clerk) said:
One of the key youth leaders, Don Geddes, said:My involvement with what you call conservative thinking and theology was entirely through the PFA. I had no experience of it before getting involved with camping, and particularly in attending the summer camps and winter camps and leadership training camps and so on.
There was such a tremendous hunger amongst those young people. They had question after question… it was flat out evangelism, really, and teaching from the Scriptures… there would hardly be one [camp] where there wasn’t somebody converted.
In my essay, I concluded that the Presbyterian youth movement, particularly though its camps, has quietly had a big influence in evangelising young people, and training them for ministry.I’m not playing a big role at this camp. I’m pastoral carer for four of the young leaders: two Bible study group leaders, and two musicians. My role is to catch up with them briefly through the camp, see how they’re going, and generally be there for them. The aim is to make sure the leaders don’t feel like they’re on their own, but they have someone looking after them, to whom they can turn if they need help or counsel.
Usually at camps, I’m really busy with some form of leadership myself: administration, leading a small group, delivering the talks – whatever. This’ll be the first time my role is less task-focused, and more relational: relax, watch others, and see how they’re going. I’m quite looking forward to it.
On the Saturday night of winter camp, instead of a Bible talk, they have an activity, which may or may not be in line with the theme of the camp. This year, we’ve got a special guest – Dr. Pat, better known to me as Mum – talking about her two favourite topics: God, and sex. Let’s see what happens.
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