PYV Summer Camp 2019 – Day Five (New Year’s Eve)

Today has been a fantastic, frightening, and very full day. As I write this it is 1.40am and I’m pretty tired, so it will be brief.

The power wasn’t on when we got up, so it was looking like an acoustic day. The generator fired up just as breakfast was starting and received a strong round of applause from everyone.

The morning study group was great once again and the cooler weather made it even better.

Our worship session worked well – but I’ll get to that later.

The day became frightening when we got a message about how bad things are at Mallacoota. We have campers here with family members involved in the SUFM Beach Mission, and they were rightly worried. It was good to hear the campers praying together. We were very pleased to get a message later in the day that things were looking better. God is good.

The activities were great and included a fun game of real life Cluedo.

Then we enjoyed a variety of activities before the end of year countdown. Then we worshiped and prayed into the new year.

Then we cleaned up and now I’m going to sleep.

You’ll get more news in the next day or two.

And pictures.

PYV Summer Camp 2019 – Day 4

I’ve been asked to comment more on the food we’ve been eating. Well, lunch on day 3 was fantastic! Fish and chips and salad. Lunch today was also brilliant – baked potatoes with extra bits. Dinner tonight was chicken on rice. I’m not always a fan of chicken but tonight was well worth the eating. The staff in the kitchen have been fantastic and tonight they did more than just help with the food.

After our leader’s meeting and breakfast we divided again into our study groups to focus on John 1 – the Word. It was good to be reminded in our group that we have to be careful in our studies to remember that what we read in verse one is important to keep in mind when we get to verse 18.

I spent a bit of time with the YouthMETRO crew this morning listening to their discussion on The Church. It is so exciting to know that young adults are being trained in good theology and in evangelism. It is also good to see them practicing what they have learned in evangelism with a number of campers during the afternoon.

In today’s session, Andy spoke to us about where we are to live. This is a choice that people at camp are being confronted with as they prepare to leave home for university or work. Our focus was the crucifixion of Christ.

As the weather was soooo hot today it was wisely decided to swap our schedules around. Today we had our second round of workshops. I will post some photos of these later, but can’t right now. The comments we have received from campers have been very positive about all the workshops.

After the workshops we had a chance to use the local waterslide. It was a lot of fun on a hot day to sit in the water and slide down the hill. I succumbed to the cheering of the crowd and had a go myself. It wasn’t my most gracious moment, and if I can stop that footage from being shown it will be good for me.

A bit of free time was again used for board games and basketball and conversation.

After dinner we had a Q&A session. This is something we always do because we believe it’s important to allow teenagers to ask the questions they have. However, it’s always confronting because questions come up that we’re not expecting and then have to think carefully about.

During this session, the power was cutting in and out and eventually died out altogether. Fortunately there is a generator on site. Unfortunately the generator isn’t working in spite of a tremendous effort from the camp team. So there is now power here at Forest Edge. In good news, the cool change has arrived and we are feeling much better.

Sadly, this meant the Late Show was cancelled, so my big interview still hasn’t happened. There’s only one night left! Will it happen tomorrow? We’ll find out.

A highlight of tonight was the way the campers made use of the time. With no power, one of the lads started playing music with his phone and Bluetooth speaker, and it wasn’t long before most of the campers were on the deck dancing the Nutbush, singing “Country Road” and dancing and singing to other songs. I didn’t know most of them but it was clear the campers certainly did.

So, it’s been a hot and an eventful day.

Also, tonight might be the last time I get to climb up sunshine mountain at a PYV Summer Camp. Good memories.

I don’t have any photos tonight. We still don’t have any power and I’m preserving the little bit of battery left on my phone. Maybe tomorrow.

Brian.

PYV Summer Camp 2019 – Day Three

December 29 2019.

Sunday.

Today has been a day set apart for worship, the study of God’s word, and fellowship. We began with the leaders meeting and then into breakfast. Most people had breakfast today, but there’s always one or two who prefer to sleep in rather than eat. We all make our own choices.

The study groups today spent time considering the wedding at Cana and the implications for each of us. It has been good for the groups to look at a passage of Scripture like this (John 2:1-11) and recognise the generosity of Jesus at this wedding celebration, as well as the role of the servants in this story. When we link this to Isaiah 25:6-9 and the future promise of these verses, the story of the wedding is very relevant to us.

Our morning worship session today didn’t have any special guests which meant we could spend more time in singing and in listening to Andy’s preaching. Once again, it was worth listening to. We opened our Bibles to John 1 where those magnificent phrases that describe ‘the Word’ are written. Andy highlighted that the Word

• Was with God
• Was God
• Was there in the beginning
• Made everything
• Is the source of all life.

Not only that, the Word is personal – “The word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us”

God’s will for us is that we should know Jesus.

Our time in the afternoon was taken up with five workshops. Campers had the option of choosing one of the five to attend. As ever, it’s interesting to see which workshops will be the most popular and today it was the workshop about Quiet Times with Andrew and Suzy Vines that drew the biggest crowd. Louise Goswell and I conducted a workshop on ‘friendship in the digital age’ covering things like social media use, sexting, and cyber bullying. We will repeat these again tomorrow, so I hope to be able to write something about the other topics then.

Free time gave people the opportunity to sit in the comfort of an air-conditioned dining room and play board games, or to play other games inside the stadium. I don’t know if any were bold (silly) enough to play outside as it was very hot here today. Others spent time praying together in our daily prayer meeting.

The evening session was a whole lot of fun. First, campers had the opportunity to catch aliens and rabbits. Clearly some of the aliens weren’t very good at hiding as they were found quickly, although one of them did take quite a while to get captured. He was better at evading the crowds. Once they were all found, we divided into two larger groups for the inevitable game of Capture the Flag. The sun had gone behind the hills and a cooler breeze was beginning to blow while we were doing this. It was wonderful.

Victory

Some youth take this game very seriously. This is evident in the care they take with forming a strategy, but it is most clear as they run full pelt down a hill to get to the flag, while others run at them to stop them. It was good to watch – and watching is all I want to do.

The Late Show tonight included the showing of videos that were made last night. It’s a while since we have done something like this at a Summer Camp, and I think video editing software has greatly improved since then. These short videos were absolutely outstanding. We probably won’t be able to put them on YouTube for copyright reasons, so trust me that they were great.

And I finally got to the couch for an interview. But just as we were about to start our convener came up to tell Shady that we were running late and needed to finish now.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow night.

Monday is expected to be a very hot day. We’ll do all that we can to keep everyone safe, including swapping our planned activities for Tuesday when it’s cooler.

Thanks for reading all this.

Brian.

Charging the Flag

Is Sherif conducting a choir?

The Settlers

"Hey Ure. Give us a wave."

PYV Summer Camp 2019 – Day Two

Always ready to help one another

Saturday December 28 2019. Today wasn’t as hot as we expected it to be, and for that we are grateful. It might be because the air conditioners work too well here, or the cloud cover that hung around all morning. Either way, we’ll enjoy it while we can.

Today is our first full day at camp, so a lot has happened. We began with the Leader’s Meeting at 7.30pm – which seems a sensible time for such a meeting. Here we prayed for the camp and received instructions for all the various events happening through the day.

Breakfast was another great meal, but the dining room is almost full when we all get together. This means the meals can take a bit longer than we first expect, which gives us more time to talk around the tables. Following breakfast we separated into our study groups. Here is one of the most important times of camp where we sit together in small groups and discuss what we heard in the talk the day before and see how it all applies to our lives. As we were looking at Paul’s conversion experience and the great change that happened in his life, there was plenty to discuss for our own lives.

From there we went into our quiet times. This year we have given everyone a separate booklet to use at camp which they can then bring home and continue to use there for the next month. We pray that this will help to establish a good habit of daily prayer – something which is undoubtedly good for teenagers, and something which is easier for them when they know their parents are praying too.

Colin and Alison say 'YES' to Jesus. 

In our morning worship session today we had a few special guests. First it was a delight to meet our moderator Colin Morrow with his wife Alison. One of the campers commented that he has never been to a camp where a moderator has visited and he was very pleased to hear what Colin had to say about his own conversion, the work he and Alison are now doing, and the call to follow Jesus. Alison
shared with us that 40 years ago she attended her first Summer Camp, and the precious memories of that camp. She then recited a poem her mother wrote for that camp and it was worth hearing it today.

Then we met our new Youth Ministries Director Andrew Edmonds. He was able to talk with campers about his ministry experience, his family, and his desire to serve Jesus in serving youth. I was pleased to be able to pray for Andrew and Colin & Alison as they continue in their faithful work. Over lunch they had the opportunity to talk to a few of our campers and leaders as well.

Andrew is getting pumped and excited about PYV

Today Andy continued to tell us about ‘Finding God’s Will for Your Life’ and the big question to be answered today was “Who should I marry?” We know that this is a question people ask as they reach an age where marriage becomes an option. We know the difficulty and fear with which some people face this question. Today, if they were listening, Andy was able to give excellent guidance and clarity on this issue. This was done in the context of looking at the account of Jesus at the wedding in Cana when they ran out of wine. I’ll leave it to you to ask your children how Andy helped them know who they should marry.

(If they can’t tell you, then send me a note and I’ll give you his list. It’s a good list.)

After lunch we were outside enjoying the campsite as the activity groups went on a scavenger hunt. I’m not altogether sure what they were all looking for as I was manning the low ropes course. Someone did ask about the registration plate on my motorbike, so I think that might have something to do with it. The ropes course was fun to watch, particularly when teams worked out some of the tricks of the course that helped them get through it quickly.

While some enjoyed free time and the chance to play board games or basketball, others were involved in two other activities. Some were at the daily prayer meeting this afternoon where we considered who God is and all he has done for us. Psalm 103 is tremendous for focusing our thoughts here. Others were with Dave Assender having some training in using the Audio Visual gear we use at camps.

If you’ve been to a camp, you’ll know that we depend on the tech stuff working, and for that to happen we need to have people who know how to set it up and how to work all the switches and levers etc. So it was great to see a group crowding around the sound desk learning what this involves.

After dinner, the activity groups had another challenge, a more artistic challenge. Each group selected one of twelve songs from which they had to make a one minute video. With twelve groups doing this, it’s probably good we didn’t have more than a minute, or it would be a very long judging session. I am looking forward to seeing some of the finished products.

Then we finished with supper and the Late Show with Shady and Di. I was prepared again for my interview but missed out after an interview with Aradie and then a game went over time. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow. A highlight tonight was the legend that is Matthew Burns being our cabaret singer for the game. Campers needed to guess the missing line from a song and Matthew volunteered to sing these songs. He was fantastic.

Our first full day has come to an end. If you read this before you go to church in the morning, can you please bring our camp to your church community to be praying for us? Please be praying for safety in hot weather, for God to open hearts and minds, and for lives to be transformed.

God is at work here.

PYV Summer Camp 2019 – Day One

December 27 2019. It’s not the hottest day that we’ll have, but it’s still pretty warm here at Forest Edge Camp. The cool air of the evening is around us as I write this and I’m hoping that the rooms have cooled enough to allow people to have a good sleep.

Registrations opened at 3.00pm and there was a good crowd of people ready to sign in right on time. With campers, parents, leaders and a few younger siblings together it looked and sounded like there was a lot of excitement in the air. We have a few campers attending their first camp, and not just the young campers either. This is a cause for excitement too. There’s also a few attending their final camp as they have finished Year 12 now. More on that in days to come.

Caleb working the crowd

After a time to set up and play a few games, the introduction session gave us all a chance to meet the leadership team at camp, to be reminded of campsite and PYV rules, and to be introduced to the speaker and theme of camp. We also met the group of YouthMETRO trainees who begin their intensive week of study today.


Time was set aside for people to meet together in their dorm groups before dinner. Over recent years we have found this time to be incredibly valuable to get to know each other early in the camp. It’s hard to get to know people when the first time you meet them is in the dark while you’re trying to set up your bed. We also know how important the leaders are in the dorms. As I write this, many of those leaders will have prayed with the campers in their dorm and will continue to do that through the camp. Perhaps you can say a prayer with them around 10.30pm.

Dinner was fantastic, as it always is at Forest Edge, and then it was into our first worship and teaching session. I learned a new song (How long, O Lord) as we sang together, but the highlight of the session for me was Andy May’s first talk on Finding God’s Will. He helped us all to see that God’s will for us first and foremost is to know Jesus. It sounds a bit simple when I summarise it like that, but maybe it really is that simple. Anyway, when your children get home, talk with them about what they learned from Philippians 3 on the first night of camp.

Winners are grinners

The Late Show with Shady and Di gave us a fun conclusion to the evening. There was an interview with Caleb, a vote on whether it’s normal to eat chips first or hamburger first, and a ‘Price is Right’ competition. I was disappointed when they announced they were going to interview me, but then ran out of time. Maybe tomorrow.

We are off to a great start at camp. Pray for open hearts and open minds. Pray that God will glorify himself. Pray for endurance on hot days. And please continue to pray for Andy and all that he has to say.

YouthMETRO Trainees and Leaders

PYV Summer Camp 2019 - Hot, but not our hottest.

Today the 2019 PYV Summer Camp begins. For those who have been looking at the weather forecast, we know that we have some pretty hot days ahead, and maybe if you are a parent you're keen to know that we will look after your children in these conditions.

The basic answer is 'yes'.

What PYV will do is to have plenty of sunscreen available for everyone to make use of. We will allow extra time where needed for people to fill up their drink bottles and to carry them wherever they go. We will do all that we can to ensure the young people in our care are safe.

BUT - WE NEED YOUR HELP. We cannot make a child wear a hat if they didn't bring a hat with them? We cannot urge them to carry their drink bottle if they don't have one with them. So please, PLEASE, make sure a good hat and bottle are in the bag coming to camp. Some of our leaders are well prepared for the week with hat, bottle and sunglasses.

You might also be comforted to know that this will not be the hottest Summer Camp PYV has been through. My memory of our last Summer Camp at Forest Edge is that it was still 38 degrees at midnight as we celebrated the new year. At least it won't be like that this year.

The other concern that people might have is the potential for bushfire. And I want to calm any concerns parents might have on this.

PYV has done a Risk Assessment on many aspects of camp, and fire is one of these. We believe we are ready. Forest Edge CYC Camp is also well prepared for such an event and we will be able to leave the campsite if we need to. And you can be assured, we will be leaving the campsite if we need to.

So, it's going to be hot. It's summer and heat should be expected. But that's not the main focus of the camp. The focus of this camp is "Finding God's Will for Your Life" and I'm confident that when camp is finished and we are all heading home, we will have a better understanding of how we can truly discern God's will for our lives.

Please be praying for a safe camp, and be praying for what God will do among us.

We'll be updating the blog each day for you to keep up with what's happening.

Brian.

PYV 2019 Summer Camp starts next week.

Friends and supporters of PYV. Thank you once again for your ongoing prayer for the youth of the churches in Victoria. I know that for many it has been a significant year. I hope for others it will end that way too. 

Next week our 2019 Summer Camp will be beginning at Forest Edge near Neerim South. We will have 185 people with us at the camp including campers, leaders, YouthMETRO trainees, and a few special visitors. 

Andy May is our speaker and we are excited that he will be able to help our young people with the topic of "Finding God's Will for Your Life". As some of the group are finishing school and determining what to do from here, it's an important topic. Speaking of that group, some of these people have been to every summer camp through their secondary school years and we will give them a bit of a farewell at the end of camp. Perhaps you could pray for them while your praying for Andy. 

Caleb Schulz is our convener for the camp and he - with the fantastic support of his executive leaders - have brought together a wonderful team to lead our study groups, activity groups, and workshops. You can find out more about the workshops at https://www.pyv.org.au/camps/summer

Chris Shaw and Nate Barbieri are leading the YouthMETRO trainees as they have their intensive week of theology and evangelism training. Many churches have seen the positive fruit of YouthMETRO over the years. Perhaps there's someone in your church who could be exploring this for 2021. It's never too late to start the conversation about that. 

We will aim to be posting a daily update on the Ministry and Youth Blog for parents and friends to keep up with what's happening. We invite you to enjoy this each morning - https://ministryandyouth.blogspot.com/

Please continue to be praying for what God will do at the camp. 

Thank you.

Review – A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry

Earlier this year I received a Facebook notification pointing me to a review of A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry by MikeMcGarry. I read the review and bought the book. Now I wish I could buy a bundle more to give to others. Here are five reasons you should read this book if you are in pastoral ministry (not just if you’re a youth leader).

1.       It teaches us what the Old Testament has to say about young people in the faith community

To appreciate what we find about ministry to youth in the Bible has a whole, we need to step back from our current understanding of youth ministry. This is particularly so when we read the Old Testament. McGarry writes, “There is no verse that explicitly commands youth ministry, but the family and the community’s mandate to raise up the next generation in the fear and obedience of the Lord is overwhelming.” (p19)

This chapter leads us through some history and some texts that make clear what happens when the faith isn’t passed on to the next generation, and the Biblical imperatives to make sure it is. And when we as parents feel overwhelmed in this task, he reminds us that the task belongs to the whole community of faith.

“Parents are consistently affirmed as the primary disciple-makers of their children, but the Psalmist’s example clearly shows the commitment of the community to the young.” (p30,31) You can read Psalm 71:18 and 78:1-8 to see what he means.

2.       It teaches us what the New Testament has to say about young people in the faith community

  

McGarry picks up the theme of discipleship in this section. In no way does he contradict what he sees in the OT as the role of the family and community in teaching the beliefs and standards of faith. Instead he tightens the focus a little recognising that this is now the other side of the crucifixion and resurrection and now all Christians have a Messiah to follow. So we are to be disciples of Jesus no matter who our human teacher might be.

One interesting aspect McGarry raises is the age of the disciples. Perhaps they were young adults who Jesus trained and through them he has changed the world. How much do you expect of young adults today?

The place of children and youth in the life of the early church is also raised here, and that’s important today because of the place – or lack of place – that this age group has in the faith community. Paul wrote letters to churches and clearly believed the children would hear what he had written. This means that these age groups would be together. (But I’m jumping ahead of myself here.)

“Rather than viewing children and youth as ‘members in waiting,’ the biblical witness consistently affirms their value and reflects a shared commitment by the community of faith toward the next generation. Pastors and Christian leaders today who overlook the young are in blatant disregard of the biblical pattern of ministry.” (p56)

3.       It shows the place of youth in the faith community

Following from the previous point, have a look at Titus 2:2-6

2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

See the different age groups mentioned there? Older men; older women; younger women; young men. You can also look at Ephesians 5:22-6:9 and see the age groups listed there and realise that when the letter was read to the church, all these age groups were together. Is your church like this?

McGarry doesn’t have to work hard to show what the Bible is teaching about the place of youth in the faith community – it’s where they belong.

“Christians are the people of God, and there is no age restriction mentioned.” (p87)

“When each member is serving the head of the Church with their individual gifts, the members are united together through the bond of Christian fellowship as the body of Christ works in harmony.” (p89)

How are the youth of your community of faith using their gifts?

4.       It shows the importance of the community in the faith of youth

McGarry quotes Wayne Rice, co-founder of Youth Specialties. It’s uncomfortable, but worth hearing:

“I have all the respect in the world for youth workers in the church, but I’ve become more and more convinced over the years that God never gave t youth workers the responsibility for making disciples of other people’s kids. . . What we have today is not really a youth ministry problem. It’s a church problem. Truth is – it has always been a church problem.” (p73. Emphasis his)

It’s really easy for me to complain about the youth in our church, or to blame the parents when the youth leave. But in reality, that’s just a cop out. If I’m part of that church, then I’m invested in the spiritual life of that child. If that teenager leaves, do I even notice? Do I know his name? Do I know what she is doing at uni? Or have I assumed that’s the youth leader’s job.

The biblical model of church life doesn’t put the young people in one room while the adults are in another room. Instead the biblical model of church life is an inter-generational one with all ages sharing life and worship together. McGarry comments, “ . . . the entire church shares a commitment to nurture the faith of the next generation while seeking opportunities to involve them in the rhythms of the church.’ (p88)

(I’m not suggesting that the age groups can’t have time on their own. That’s valuable. But don’t let that be all they do.)

5.       It encourages me to see the catechism in a very different light

I’ve been involved in promoting the catechism for a few years now, but reading this book has challenged me to see it in a completely different light. You see I’ve always understood that the purpose of the catechism was for parents, and particularly the father, to use this list of questions and answers to teach the children. I expect I’m not alone in this thought. McGarry points back to Luther and comments that in the catechism Luther provided a resource whereby the parents received doctrinal instruction even as they taught their children. (p62)

I nearly dropped the book when I read this. One of my concerns about using the catechism is that it expects parents to understand the doctrines of Christian faith, and maybe they don’t. But now I can see it is possible that in using the catechism consistently, both the parents and the children are being instructed in faith. Brilliant!

He also comments on the place of the church to support and equip parents in this task.

“Parents were the primary disciplers of their children, but the church leaders were the primary spiritual leaders of the family.” (p63)

I wish I’d written this book.

Some years ago a bloke I know held up a book and said to me, “This is the book I wish I had written.” I feel much the same about McGarry’s work. A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry will be a great encouragement to those involved in youth ministry, it’s true. But more importantly, I think it’s a book that should be read by elders and pastors as they take the responsibilities given to them.

At 164 pages, it’s not a long book. Get it and read it.

PYV North Camp 2019 - Day 3

Our day 2 ended with a pretty competitive amazing race in our North-Pole-themed costumes and a campfire - always a great way to finish the last night of a camp!

Day 3 was an encouraging start to the day for the leaders, where we could show our appreciation for all the efforts and preparation that everyone put in to do their roles on camp. Serving in teams on camps is always a reminder that we are one big body of Christ, each with our own roles but each working together and complementing each other to serve God and his people. 

We had a great last session on Romans 5 - Clint preached on how we are now able to have peace with God. He unpacked the practical realities of what that looks like, one including a firm assurance of our salvation. It was great to overhear some of the campers chatting about what they learnt about Jesus on this camp - for some, a reminder that our works cannot save us, for others, a reality dawning of Jesus' sacrifice providing us peace with God.

We are so thankful for camp and the opportunities that campers have to hear the gospel of God preached so clearly. We pray that God would keep growing in the hearts of all who came to camp!

 

East Camp 2019 – Day Three

Some of us had an interrupted night’s sleep with a couple of sick boys at camp. Nothing to worry about though. I’m sure it’s not  . . . . . .(sshh. Don't say it.)

Being the final morning of camp, the rooms were busy with the activity of packing up sleeping bags, clothes and towels. Fortunately, there is plenty of room under cover in case it rains, and we’re not sure if it will rain again or not.

Our morning session included another testimony. Listening to the testimonies of three leaders through the camp has been an absolute highlight for me. Your children have heard people talk about the struggles of being a Christian and a teenager, though more to the point, they’ve heard about the struggle of pretending to be a Christian on Sunday’s and revealing their true heart at school. What a difference Jesus has made to their lives.

Which leads me to wonder, do young people hear the testimonies of faith in your church? Do they hear from people who can speak of a transformed life? Or of people who can testify to God’s faithfulness over many years? Let them hear your testimony, and encourage others to tell their story too. It will be a help.

Dave’s talk today was on “The Power Within The Gospel” and we spent this time in the book of Romans. The opening verses reveal to us the power of the man – Jesus who is both human and divine. The power of the message is seen in Romans 1:16-17 where we see that we fall terribly short of the standard God sets, but that he takes the initiative to save us. Then Dave spoke about the power of the mind. Romans 12 begins with some challenging comments and in discussing these, Dave has encouraged us all to stop living for ourselves and instead to join the resistance against the pattern of the world.

Towards the end of the session a panel answered some good questions that campers have asked over the camp. If you’ve read my posts before you’ll know that I think it is vital to give space for teenagers to ask questions, and I’m very happy that we continue to do this at PYV camps. Do you do this at home? At church?

Right now the study groups are meeting for the final time. Soon they will break up and people will find a place to sit to enjoy some private quiet time – a chance to sit and read Psalm 146 for themselves and see how it applies to their lives. Then we will have a final meal and a wrap-up session before all the parents start arriving to take their children home.

Thank you for praying for the PYV Camps this weekend. Your prayers have been answered with people coming to faith, people finding more assurance, and people finding others they can share their struggles with. 

Please keep praying for the teenagers in our church.