Getting to Know Our Camp Committee
We are a week away from our Church Camp! The Camp Committee has been hard at work since last year planning, preparing and sorting out all the details. Who are they? We interviewed some of them — Hui Li, Nathaniel, Chester, Christina and Mercia. They shared their experience and how they have seen God at work, and how we can be praying for the camp.
Hui Li (F&B)
I was approached by Pastor Thian Chye who convinced me to join the team. Serving has been eye-opening as I get to interact with different people that I do not usually get the chance to. It has also been humbling to see how each of us carry out our responsibilities kindly and patiently with one another.
I do not do well with the “what-ifs”, so when I heard that previous church camps had cases of food poisoning, I panicked. I mean, how can we prevent that despite all the precautions we have put in? This has grown my faith to trust in God no matter the outcome. We can only pray and submit these worries to God. Whatever He wills, it is good for our souls.
Ahead of this camp, and even during the camp, I pray that we would be found giving thanks for God’s gathered people. We rarely have the opportunity to enjoy one another’s presence for an extended period of time outside of Sundays. God has given us un-rushed time to enjoy community, to care for, and to love. So, have fun, be a blessing, and be blessed!
Nathaniel (Recreation and Games)
I was asked if I could help with recreation and games by Pastor Thian Chye and so far, has been a good experience of getting to know the different people on the committee. We all strive to serve the church well through planning for camp! I have seen God at work in the way that the committee and fellow brothers and sisters have come together to help solve problems, whether it be logistical, practical or just being a good encouragement. Grace at work!
Pray for a fruitful camp, and that we would be able to enjoy and also grow in love for the gospel and missions!
Mercia (Camp Booklet and Collaterals)
I really enjoyed our previous church camp as it provided a great platform for me to get to know more people in church as a newer member in GBC. Thank God for the faithfulness of the previous committee who worked hard to put the camp together! Since God had graciously given me more free time through a lighter school workload this year, I agreed to join the camp committee when Pastor Thian Chye invited me to last October. I thought it was a good way to serve and love the church with my time and simple Microsoft Word and Canva skills.
It has been a joy to serve alongside other members of the church who cheerfully use their God-given gifts to serve the body of Christ! Serving in the camp committee has grown my appreciation for and certainty in the gospel. I have seen the other camp committee members live out the new life that Jesus has given them as they rely on God for help through prayer and love self-sacrifically through their service. Praise God for that!
God has been graciously providing for us as we prepare for camp. He has given the team the strength and wisdom to work through hiccups and iron out details and provided other church members to help out with the other roles in camp. Thank God for sustaining us!
Pray for continued strength and wisdom for the committee (especially those who have active roles during the camp) and that God's name will be glorified. Pray also that our love and knowledge of God will abound more and more as we spend the few days in camp reading God's word and fellowshipping with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ!
Christina (Admin)
I was first approached by Pastor Thian Chye late last year to join the team. When I first joined, I did not think too much about what the role involves — only that help was needed and I was available to help write meeting minutes. But as our team met together more regularly, I was deeply encouraged by their commitment to serve God with glad hearts despite their busy schedules, and how decisions were made not based on convenience, but with a desire to do spiritual good.
Through this process, I have come to see that we’re not meeting each week just to complete a checklist of tasks, but that these gatherings are opportunities to strengthen our reliance on God — depending on Him to equip us at every step, from planning and coordination to reworking plans. Lord willing, this camp will be a time where each camper is prepared to engage deeply with His Word. Our hope is that this will help us grow into a true "Community on Mission," which is this year’s camp theme.
Please pray with us that God would open our eyes and soften our hearts. May this camp be more than a time of fellowship, but may it spark deeper relationships and grow us into a community united in Gospel partnership. Just as Paul writes in Philippians, we are called to imitate Christ’s humility and selflessness as we live out our faith together for the sake of the Gospel.
Chester (Logistics and Transport)
My wife Christina is serving as the secretary in the camp committee. In the early stages of committee formation, I understood from her that a logistics and transport I/C was not yet identified and felt it would be a great opportunity and experience to get involved!
We may be a small team, but serving has been quite fulfilling. Organising a (prayerfully) smooth and enjoyable camp for more than 400 campers has allowed us to meet and interact with many members during the process. This also allowed us to grow closer to others we would not have otherwise gotten to know better in church!
The process may be tiring, but it has been such an encouragement to see our team prayerfully serve together with joyful hearts, knowing that we are ultimately serving God. There can be diverse views and opinions during the planning process — I am grateful to God that everyone is patient and receptive to discuss these views, while we prayerfully consider together that in whatever we do, we seek to do all for the Glory of God.
Where there are times of personal frustration, God uses these episodes to reveal my own sinfulness. For this year's camp theme — "Community on Mission", we will be spending time in the book of Philippians. In his letter, Paul reminds the church to be "of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Phil 2:2-3), as we partner for the sake of the Gospel. The planning process has been such a humbling yet encouraging opportunity to act this out in faith.
Please pray with us, that we would come prepared to meet with God through His word. Pray for meaningful conversations and interactions that can help spur one another on in faith, and persist even after! May the seeds be planted on the fertile soil of our hearts during this camp so that it would bear sweet fruit in each one of us.