F2F Christian Life Week is Back
Christian Life Week, fondly known as CLW, has made a terrific start to their 2022 program. Our July camp (CLW Purple) was enthusiastically attended by 32 youth and 16 leaders. We had a lovely blend of new and returning campers and leaders, which is very promising for ongoing fellowship as well as new outreach.
We were blessed with sunny winter days in the beautiful Grampians. As always, the Tandara Lutheran Camp staff were incredible hosts. We are so grateful for their continuing support. We were also blessed to be joined by Pr Carl Richter, from Mildura. He was a great addition to the week, answering tricky theological questions during the studies, leading worship each day, and getting involved in the rest of the activities.
Our studies this year focus on celebrating the many gifts that God has blessed us with. We discussed that God generously invites us to become part of His family, and what it means to accept this invitation. Keeping in theme with celebrating God’s big party, we talked about how we decorate our worship spaces, the gifts that God gives to us, and whether we need to bring gifts to God. There were also quiet times throughout the week where campers and leaders were encouraged to sit and spend one-on-one time with God – praying or reading the Word. This time alone with God is incredibly valuable and we encourage campers and leaders to keep this habit while they are back home. The studies were also broken up with plenty of icebreaker activities, night-time stargazing, service activities, and team sports.
We were very thankful to be able to meet in person again after a few years of disruptions. It was such a joy to be all together and growing in friendships and faith together. Campers and leaders were all very happy to be back at Tandara, and we had a great atmosphere for the entire week.
As leaders, we are indebted to the parents who support these young people to attend our camps, through paying camp fees, transporting people to camp, and trusting us to look after them for the week. We understand that the cost of camp can be a barrier to some campers attending, and we encourage people to contact us for financial support.
We are very thankful to parents, pastors, and youth workers who support these people in their home congregations. The continual support of a young person’s faith is very important – older Christian mentors in home congregations and youth groups are an important part of this. We love to see how the campers have matured from one year to the next. Also, we love seeing a young person transition from being a shy camper, to a more confident and experienced camper, and even continue on to become a leader or committee member. We are always looking for new leaders and committee members. If you feel called to this, please do get in touch.
As a person who was very fortunate to attend six CLWs as a camper, and many more as a leader, I understand the profound positive impact that camping ministry can have on a person’s faith. It really is incredible to be immersed in a group of like-minded people and spend a considerable amount of time growing in the Word. Being in an age where it may be ‘uncool’ to be a Christian, it is very powerful to have support from Christians of a similar age. Yet, we are called to be missionaries in our own communities, so it is important to return to our home life and share the Good News with others who do not yet know Jesus. It is our prayer that our camps grow all people in faith, and that our participants are encouraged in their walk with Christ.
This program will be re-run September 26th-30th, with all high-school age students invited to attend.
Please contact Emilie-Rae for details, or visit our Facebook page: LYV’s Christian Life Week.
0428 461 809 clw.lyv@lca.org.au
Written by Georgia Maroske, Lutheran Youth of Victoria
