Annual Church Camp

Mar 11, 2016

Thank God for the Camp !

“Life – Seek It ! ” was this year’s theme, and over 300 Hong Kong and overseas brothers and sisters gathered together for our annual camp at Wu Kwai Sha Youth Village.

We focused on the well-known verse in Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.

Over the three blessed days we spent together, the church gained a refreshed understanding of what God truly wills for us to seek first. Praise the Lord for His word is living and powerful.

On the first day, we started with a series of mini-games to break the ice. Everyone was warmed up from all the laughing and giggling in playing games like cup-and-ball and hockey with the special props-toilet plungers.

After dinner and a passionate session of praise and worship, Pastor Gavin gave the first sermon on where the “seeking” starts. The gospel of His kingdom is one of grace and His righteousness is received by faith. Our God has a heart of giving and a never-changing desire to bless us abundantly. By first setting our eyes on the finished work of Christ and desiring to know His heart, we can find true fulfillment in life and return to the peace He has given us. At the altar call, brothers and sisters responded by casting all our cares on God and allowing Him to set us free. Praise the Lord for ministering into our hearts in very personal ways.

On the second day, Pastor Gavin took us deeper into the Word to learn what in fact is “the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. In fact, His kingdom is within each of us – in the Holy Spirit which dwells in our heart. By letting our inner man flow in the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, we will also change outwardly and bear much fruit. When we all come together as a church, we are His kingdom which can be fruitful and multiply. Pastor Gavin then explained how His righteousness had been given to us by a divine exchange. We are all complete in Christ. When we keep receiving this gift by faith, it will motivate us to walk away from sin, and sin will have no dominion over us. Praise God for His everlasting love and mercy !

Later in the afternoon, brothers and sisters gathered outdoors for our first ever “Hope Fun” event. It was an activity involving a sea of colourful balloons. After a cheerful warm up dance , everyone was joyful and ready for the challenge. Brothers and sisters were placed in teams to create a web using nylon strings. Then, using the web, each team had to gather as many balloons as they could, and balloons of any one of the church logo colours carried double the points. Each team used their unique strategies and there was much laughter and popping of balloons. The scene was colourful and delightful. Praise God for the unity in each team ! One team truly put Matthew 6:33 into action by only gathering balloons of the church logo colours, and they won!

In the evening, brothers and sisters were spit into different teams for another challenge. Each team was given a jigsaw puzzle to put together. As time was limited, despite tremendous efforts, no team was able to complete their piece. However, when we put the incomplete pieces together, we were able to see the complete picture. Praise God for it is never by our works, but by His grace, we are complete. Pastor Gavin also encouraged the church to meditate on and memorise Psalm 92 over the coming year, and to declare His love and faithfulness every day.

On the third day, the Mission Sunday morning, Pastor Gavin gave the final sermon on how we could make each day of our lives count. Just like how God prepared manna for the Israelites, He has prepared everything we need one day at a time – we simply need to trust in Him every day. When we focus on seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, we can rest in Him; and when we rest, God can work in our lives and make our days count. Praise God for He is our provider and all things will be added unto us ! Pastor Gavin also encouraged us to let His provision overflow to others by supporting the church’s mission work, and we responded by giving our mission pledge.

After lunch, the church gathered to take our group photograph. After enjoying fellowship with one another in care groups, brothers and sisters left the campsite joyfully.

Praise the Lord for the blessed 3 days ! Let us continue to seek His kingdom and His righteousness together !