Fantastic, inspiring, exciting, these were just some of the words used to describe the seventh Community Camp in Chapel Porth, Cornwall.
Sixty campers were on site of which 25 were none Adventist. The two main Churches that supported the Camp were Central London and Milton Keynes SDA Churches.
Over-looking the Atlantic sea on the tip of Cornwall, the view stunning, the waves majestic, and as always the fellowship was warm. The Camp was strategically planned and well invested in by not just the Churches but also more importantly, supported financially by the TED, a higher division of the Church organisation. The President of the SEC also directly supported the Community Camp as he did last year. Our humblest thanks go to our supporters for believing in the Camp.
Our theme for this Camp was, “Finding Your Life Purpose” and our main speaker was Joao Macedo, a recent Newbold Ministerial Graduate. Morning devotions was taken by Colin Stewart, and evening devotions was taken by Joao Macedo.
This long term, patient outreach program attempts to introduce people to our faith and ultimately our Saviour in a fun, healthy, and relaxed environment with plenty to time to socialise and learn. As well as morning and evening devotions, other activities included, bike riding, horse riding, go-karting, and a day at the leisure centre and much more enabled everyone to connect and become friends.
We say a massive thanks to Victor, our personal chef who took time off from work in a busy London establishment to work to serve us as he said he loves serving. He blessed our hearts with his food presentations. To God be the glory. Listen out for our follow up programs.
My colleague Joao shared his personal experience below:
If there is one thing you should know about me is that I hate camping, and I have hated it since I was a little kid. Don’t get me wrong, whenever I would take part of our Pathfinder camps back in Portugal, I would love the activities—daytime and night-time walks, worship, games, so-called ‘radical’ sports, etc. However, I was never able to feel anything but disgust towards the whole sleeping-in-tents business.
It comes as no surprise, then, that I felt happiness and relief when we finally arrived at the Chapel Porth campsite. Firstly, the site is framed by a breath-taking view over the ocean, and the site’s surroundings are astonishingly beautiful. More importantly, however, there were no tents in sight—just comfortable, warm, full-of-walls-and-ceilings caravans. My heart was content!
If the first impression was positive, even more positive were the days I was to spend there. I was invited as the main speaker for the week and this probably meant that, unlike all of those who had to listen to my devotionals, I could truly enjoy the camp to its fullest. The biking under heavy rain on the first day, the time spent at the Carn Brea leisure centre, the horse riding, and the midnight walk on Wednesday evening were some of the highlights for me.
But there were also two other aspects I truly enjoyed during Community Camp 2019. The first was the food. With the Central London Church’s group came a true Chef—a man who has worked in some of the most best-rated restaurants and hotels in London. This meant that the food served to us throughout the week was simply top-notch. Or, in the words of a Chapel Porth veteran, ‘the best food I’ve ever tasted in this place.’
The second truly enjoyable aspect was the possibility to minister to people with real needs, issues and struggles. Without going into too much details, the type of ministry a theology graduate like me can do in a camp like this is unlike anything we hear about in the Seminar’s classrooms or encounter in the Church’s pews. And, somehow, having the opportunity to engage in this type of ministry gave me a sense of personal, professional and spiritual fulfilment that I’ve been finding difficult to come across elsewhere.
Overall, being at Community Camp 2019 was an experience that truly brought joy to my heart. I was able to connect with people, to go on amazing adventures, to minister to people with real needs and to enjoy outstanding food. So, maybe I should reconsider my stance on this whole camping thing…
