PYV East Camp 2017 - Day One

We woke up at our homes this morning to learn that it was the coldest morning in Melbourne for two years. The perfect reason to get in the car and drive into the mountains for a PYV camp! With the sun pouring into the car windows, it was a pleasant drive up the hill from Moe to Rawson Village.

As campers were arriving, they were greeted by a happy team of leaders and other campers, signing in, collecting name tags and booklets, finding their dorms and then connecting with others. Camp really began a bit later with our first worship session for the weekend. Here the Camp leaders were introduced, rules were explained, and Bibles were handed to those who needed them.

Our speaker for the camp is Andrew Wort. Andrew is a youth pastor at Bundoora Presbyterian Church, and a man who is enthusiastic for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our theme for the preaching is “Romans and Reformation”, and Andrew’s first sermon made it very clear that the gospel of Jesus is not only good news, it is good news that calls for a response.

A stand out moment of the sermon for me related to Romans 1:16 which says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Andrew pointed out that if we need to say we are unashamed of something, it is probably because others think we should be ashamed of it. What a blessing to live in the freedom of the gospel, and the freedom of Australia, that we don’t need to be ashamed of this gospel. 

“Don’t waste this freedom!”

After this session we had some afternoon tea and then onto the oval for some fun activities. Those who were running around weren’t feeling the cold as much as those who were just standing around. Maybe that’s the answer to keeping warm in this cold weather. We moved indoors and divided into our activity groups to give people a chance to get to know the other campers in the group. It is always good to see young people getting to know one another, or re-connecting after some time apart.

Dinner was great, and then it was into our study groups. Again there was some time to play some games to get to know each other in these groups before getting down to the business of a Bible study. I am always pleased to see young people studying the Bible together, and very pleased to see our young adults taking on a leadership role. These young leaders are growing in grace and in experience. Please encourage those who are returning to your church community. 

It is very cold in Rawson tonight. Hopefully, this will help enthusiastic people to stay in their rooms and to fall asleep early. We’ll see. 

Thanks for your prayers. We trust that God is at work here.