3 May 2016 | St Agnes, Cornwall,UK [Victor Hulbert with Jennie Hall] Switching countries may be a good way to gain ideas and learn lessons for youth ministry in your home land. That was the experience for Netherlands Union Youth director, Tom de Bruin, when he accepted an invitation to speak at ‘LIVE in a field’, a camp held over the May day holiday weekend in Cornwall, England.
“I accepted because my friend, Steven, invited me,” de Bruin confessed, but he was also fascinated to see “how differently this camp is run to how ours are run.”
De Bruin and Steven Hulbert, the camp organiser, have been friends since student days at Newbold College, but their paths have led in different directions. While De Bruin serves as Youth and Communication director in the Netherlands, Hulbert has taken to the surfing lifestyle of Cornwall, using his love of the outdoors and young people to be a witness in the community and establish a contemporary church plant in St Austell.
Those skills have spilled over into an annual camp that started several years ago with just 35 campers. It now packs the Chapel Porth Adventist campsite with 120 individuals from young babies to great-grandma’s. They also come from a range of religious backgrounds.
Michael Wood posted on Facebook that, “What they have achieved is something truly incredible. The whole thing was so well structured and organised and yet totally relaxed. The most amazing thing with this camp is that I truly believe anyone would go and feel they belonged, not just Adventist, not even just Christians but anybody and that is really something.”
One breakfast conversation with a first-time attender focused on his belief that there ‘is some power out there’ but that he did not know if it was God. That led into a discussion on Creation, purpose and prayer – something reinforced by the prayer times during worship.
“I was impressed by the prayer moments,” de Bruin says. “We don’t have something like that in the Netherlands.” Each day 20 minutes were set aside for prayer. Pastor Sam Gungaloo and a team of prayer warriors were on hand to help whilst others chose to form small groups and pray. A roughhewn cross and a prayer tapestry gave space for people to weave their prayers for others to see and keep in their prayers. In total 101 prayer request were received. “I am looking to see how I can copy/adapt the prayer moments for our events,” de Bruin says.
LIVE In A Field is a relaxed camp. Morning watch, worships, great music, Saturday and Sunday night concerts (gig in a field) are all an important part of the programme and draw others onto the site to participate, but there is no pressure or guilt trip to participate.
“Worship at camp is always one of my highlights,” states Plymouth church youth leader, Jennie Hall. “Surrounded by friends and family we can sing our hearts out to popular worship songs as well as classics like Come Thou Fount.”
Edit Liebhardt supervised an international group of teens from Newbold Church. She says that she was somewhat apprehensive looking after a group of teens over a long weekend, but, she says, it was the best camp yet! “Thank you to the St Austell team for creating an atmosphere where young people can get to know each other, have fun and most importantly want to grow spiritually. I dragged none of them to worship and they came to most.”
Getting the right speaker is important and they all appreciated the ‘Dutch import’ with his impressive graphics and ability to make the ‘unbelievable’ stories of Jesus have a real impact on campers hearts. Liebhardt says, “They all agreed that Tom’s way of preaching is both engaging and thought provoking. The road home was full of stories of good times we have had and I hope it stays with them for a long time.” She adds, “This weekend made me realise just how long I have been away from the things that help me connect to God in the most powerful of ways.”
Sabbath afternoon walks, trips to the beach, games in the hall during Sunday rain and drizzle, all brought the group closer together. It also made them look outward with several signing up to sponsor ‘releasing a child from poverty in Jesus name’ with the children’s charity, Compassion.
What else did de Bruin learn that he will take back to the Netherlands? “This camp was much more laid back than ours would be, we plan almost every second, and start on time.” He may not emulate that in the Dutch culture, but what he did like was a camp with a mixture of generations. “Too often Youth work is a one-eared Mickey Mouse (google it). This camp showed that we can do youth work without disenfranchising the adults.”
Hall concludes, “Everyone had a fantastic time at the camp. Even in a large group everyone, from all walks of life felt included, together as one. I can’t wait for next year’s camp!” [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor
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