In church life, many of our brothers and sisters-in-Christ would agree that we do not have enough time and opportunities to be together. Although we have cell group, fellowship, and prayer meetings outside of Sunday worships, these times of gathering are actually insufficient. We spend way more time interacting with our colleagues and classmates. Since our brothers and sisters in Christ are our companions in the spiritual journey, we need take seriously building our relationships and bonds with each other. It is not impossible to build deeper bonds with one another given the limited time, but it would require deliberate effort and enthusiasm of everyone in creating this opportunity to do so. Maybe we could go on a vacation as a church, allowing our brothers and sisters-in- Christ to build closer ties in a relaxed environment.

This is the reason for the Church to organise a church camp. During the June holidays this year over the weekend 7-10 June, we will go on a vacation to the island of Batam as a church! For the brothers and sisters-in-Christ who have experienced our church camp, they would agree that it is the highlight of church life. We got to know each other at different levels through spending time at the camp. Because of activities in the camp, we got to know more about the brothers and sisters whom we do not meet often. We may even get to discover mutual interests. This could well be the beginning of bonding for days to come. The upcoming church camp is no exception to what was just mentioned.  We have group activities planned for participants that are suitable for young and old, They allow fellow brothers and sisters to interact with and learn from each other. 

While the church camp allows us to build better relationships and stronger bonds, it should also enable us to put down our burdens and shift our focus to God’s Word. During the camp, Pastor would attempt to dive deep into the letter of 2 Corinthians in 4-5 sermons. We will  discuss and share how we can apply God’s Word to our daily living. In the camp, we could allow ourselves to be fully immersed in God’s Word. There are too many hustles and bustle in our daily lives that distract and disturb us from fully focusing and meditating on God’s word — the church camp provides a space for us to do so.  In order for parents with young children to enjoy rest in God, we have arranged two or more Sunday school teachers to teach Bible stories and do handicraft works with the children, while the adults engage in group discussions. Young children too, would enjoy a spiritual feast prepared for them during the camp. The church camp should be a place where everyone could rest in the Lord.  We could obtain temporal detachment from the busyness of life to grow closer to God.  The apostles in the book of Mark was invited by Jesus to rest after a day’s work. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:30-31).  When we come to church camp, we would be responding to God’s invitation just as the apostles would. To rest with Him and enjoy the time of being close to God; to also recharge oneself, to gain the energy to live a life for God. 

The coming church camp would be held at Holiday Inn Resort, Batam, with facilities suitable for everyone in the family.  A sumptuous buffet is also prepared. We will be spending most of our 4 day 3 nights in the resort. There will also be time allocated for participants to shop for local goods. As for transportation, we will be taking a ferry to the island. The arrangement is simple and convenient. I am looking forward to everyone coming to the camp. Moreover, the last time we had a church camp was in the year 2018 before the pandemic put everything to a standstill. We missed our bi-annual church camp twice. We thank God for this year that our church camp could resume. We do not take the opportunity to participate for granted.  Let us grab this opportunity, sign up now, and go on a vacation with the church!

translated by Elaine Chew