Hannah Cossey is the Young Adults Coach for the Upper South Baptist Association.
Eastercamp is for teenagers, but the number that gathers is the Kingdom; from babies through to adults in the “retired” age category, we gather together and are blessed because of it. As God’s gathered church, we are also a blessing. Many young people are invited by friends each year and get to hear about God in a meaningful way for the first time; they learn how they can be in a relationship with God themselves in the context of a church community. Not only that, but we often have a few of our adult volunteers share that they had felt distant from God but that God spoke to them, too.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray,
Our Father, you are Holy
Let your kingdom come and your will be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us, and lead us to forgive the ones who hurt us, just as you forgive
Save us from temptation, deliver us from evil
Yours is the kingdom, now, and forever.
At Eastercamp, we see God’s answers to our prayers.
We focus on Jesus and everything He revealed to us about God, Father, Son and Spirit. We gather to worship.
We eat well, and many celebrate the food.
We create space for the vulnerability of being forgiven and learning to forgive.
We seek the ministry of God; we ask the Holy Spirit to lead and minister to see people set free from the effects of evil.
We pass on the faith knowing that God’s Kingdom is Forever and for every generation.
Jesus also had His own prayers, and in John 17:20-23 we read one of those prayers: I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
At Eastercamp, we gather as God’s Church, celebrating the good that is experienced by doing things together. We see God’s glory. Our unity is an answer to Jesus’ prayer.
Young people from Motueka said their highlights were:
- Loved the prayer tent (JB 16 Female)
- Great workshops, esp the one about Praying for other people (KV 16 Female)
- Good food, Pie Day (RV 15 Male)
- Sunday night and praying together afterwards (EC 16 Female)
- I loved working with other groups to make it all happen (Pastor)
Young people from Blenheim said:
- I really enjoyed camp—it helped me grow closer to God. The food was also amazing! (Mavis)
- It was an amazing experience that helped me learn the true story of Easter. I’m glad I made the decision to become a Christian. (Aurora)
- It was pretty good—I had a great time and might even do it again. (Maddox)
- It was an honour to be able to take a small group of rangatahi to camp that have minimal engagement with the church. (Youth Pastor)
Young people from Ilam said:
- I liked that it wasn’t just a place for beginner Christians. It felt like a place to grow.
- Ten out of ten mud. Would eat it again.
- I really loved it. Big top dancing was great and the speaker on the last night was really good.
- I loved the foot-washing analogy about forgiveness.
Young people from Kaiapoi said their highlights included:
- Hurricane and making friends
- The Finding God in the Silence workshop
- Making a bestie and being there with Jesus
- Prayer tent
- My highlight of camp was seeing the relationships/connections amongst our group grow and getting good sleep. (Youth Pastor)
Young people from Timaru said:
- The best thing was the atmosphere of worshipping together (Hunter)
- Good to know there is such a big Christian community of young people (Grace)
- Last night of Big Top and the feet washing made me feel God’s presence, and it was special to be there with a friend (Alyssa)
- See young people building relationships with each other (Youth leader)
- I was so impressed by the number of our youth (including two year-9s) who waited over an hour to get into the prayer tent to experience being prayed for prophetically. They were not disappointed! I also loved the space to be able to connect with and provide a little bit of support for our youth leaders. (Pastor)
Young people from Papanui said:
- I felt God prompting me to let Him into my life, so I want to give myself to Jesus and learn more about His story. (Will, 16)
- At EC25, Jesus filled me with the Holy Spirit and told me that I should forgive the people who have done me wrong. (Madie, 16)
- Seeing our young people actively participating in ministry time was so encouraging; they were courageous in praying for one another as the Spirit nudged them to do so! (Youth Pastor).
Reflections from New Generation:
Our young people said that learning about identity in the workshop was so good and how to find their identity in God. It was so helpful having speakers talk about issues that young people face through things like the internet and social media that keep them distant from God. When we avoid talking about these things that young people are struggling with, it means they struggle longer. We will be creating resources to keep talking about these things together since they have now been talked about so publicly at Eastercamp. (Youth Pastor)
Reflections from Oxford Terrace:
Friday night at camp was really good. We had 11 of our youth respond. Many of them responded that they were thirsty. And some also wanted to make a recommitment to Jesus. It was so good seeing the counterfeits or thirst traps of the world exposed and then seeing the courage many young people had to stand up in response because they were searching for more and wanting to lay down and get rid of those counterfeits in their lives. The gospel message was strongly shared. (Youth Leader)
A young person from Oxford shared:
I asked for prayer for my ears because they hurt a lot. My leaders prayed for my ears, but they also gave me a word of encouragement to not worry about the future. That was nice, and it was what I needed. I often worried about my future, but not anymore.
The evidence of God on the move can be seen happening globally. And if you’ve heard stories from other parts of the world and then asked, “God, when will it happen here?” Be encouraged; we are seeing God move powerfully in this country, too. God is gracious and kind, abounding in love, patient and bearing with us in our human struggle to get on the same page with Him. Jesus is in our midst. He is making a way for people to see He is the Way to God. He is able tochange lives, and we are seeing young people choose to do what it takes for Jesus to be the answer they accept as the Truth for a better Life.
One of my personal highlights was seeing young people walking over to one of our marquees at 7 am on Sunday morning at camp because they wanted to take the option to get up early and pray for their schools together. Over the next month, many youth ministries will be preparing to send young people to the South Island XTEND, a discipleship-intensive and intentional leadership development camp. Our young people are on fire for Jesus. Keep up your support through relationship and encouragement, through prayer and through the finance that helps our youth to keep attending these spaces that grow their faith and connect them with other Christian peers.
“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” - Jesus
Jesus, let your Kingdom come!
Watch the Southern Eastercamp video here
Photo: From Southern Eastercamp Facebook page
