St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Manurewa
This year I was given the opportunity to attend a Christian camp called Going Further held at Great Barrier Island. From beginning to end, the journey launched me into an experience I had never imagined. The boat ride was an adventurous trip through the wide open space of blue sea, and for the first time in my life I experienced “sea turbulence”. Upon arrival, the sight was spectacularly breathtaking. Hidden in an extraordinary cove surrounded by trees, water and sun was my sanctuary for the next six days. I embraced it immediately. And so began my journey of renewal.
Going Further was a camp like no other. From the moment I embraced its surroundings, everything fell into place. Relationships were formed from a common bond between hobbies and the love for the great outdoors. God was truly working in his mysterious way. I realised then that there were so many things about my relationship with God I had never explored before and this was now my chance to do so. Growing up within the church I felt as though I knew everything about God and his plans for me, but this camp was God’s curve ball and it made me realise that I was still in dire need of emotional time with God. Brooke Fraser sums it up nicely in the bridge of her song “Hosanna…”: “Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me”.
Going Further implanted a seed within me that will continue to grow and overflow onto others. I feel empowered and revived and passionate about God’s word and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
Island Bay Presbyterian, Wellington
Going Further for me was a time of growth, fellowship, community and fun. I remember asking one of the leaders on our last day, “why doesn’t the Church teach this stuff? Why haven’t I heard most of this before?” In one short week, I was exposed to teaching on spiritual practices that I’d never encountered in a lifetime of church attendance.
Laidlaw College lecturer David Crawley’s teaching on forms of prayer, including the Examen, Ignatian meditiation and the “Prayer of the Heart” were extremely helpful. There’s been very little teaching on “how to pray” throughout my church life.
Other highlights included Malcolm Gordon going through the Scriptural basis behind the traditional Presbyterian order of service, and Carlton Johnstone’s talk on church as a spiritual practice. Both were strong reminders of why we do church the way we do.
Going Further was also one of the few youth events I’ve been to at which, despite my introversion, I felt included, with a real sense of community and fellowship.
Being on Great Barrier Island had its advantages. A week of afternoons spent in the sun, kayaking, swimming, snorkelling, reading or gardening was just the break I needed, and more than made up for the awful summer weather we had had in Wellington.
Everyone who attended Going Further was raving about how awesome it was. I’d like to thank the organisers for putting together an amazing week, and to encourage anyone who has an opportunity to attend the next one: go for it!
Wallacetown Presbyterian Church, Invercargill
Here we were, young adults, many who were youth group leaders from the across the land of Aotearoa, about to embark on a whole new adventure; an adventure called Going Further.
Of all the places I’ve attended camps, Great Barrier Island was one of the most isolated, idyllic, and conducive to connecting with God. The scenery enhanced the experience of Going Further in a way that no other place could.
The first three days had a similar structure: devotions, breakfast, worship, and speaker, habitus (Christian disciplines), lunch, outdoor/indoor activities, dinner, worship and speaker, small groups. On Saturday, the morning programme remained the same. In the afternoon we had an opportunity to help the volunteers who run the Orama camp facility with some outdoor jobs. It was great to feel productive and in some small way give back to Great Barrier Island. After this we headed out to one of the island’s picturesque beaches and had a time of fellowship and food and shared in communion together.
On Sunday morning we “did church” outside. Being under a canopy of the heavens helped my soul to be in the “church groove” immediately. We sang a simple song and in between singing this simple refrain, campers shared items that had been meaningful for them during the camp. For example: songs, Bible verses and original poetry.
On Sunday afternoon with settled seas we prepared to say our good-byes. There was a huge sense of community established between the campers of Going Further and we were all reluctant to leave the tight nucleus that our camp had become.
There were too many God moments to express. Words just aren’t enough to retell what the Going Further experience was like so if you’re a young adult you should come next time and experience it for yourself.