Church Camp 2024: Growing Deeper In Christ
BBPC's annual church camp was held at the Thistle Hotel, Johor Bahru, from June 9 to 12, 2024, under the theme 'Growing deeper in Christ'.
The camp committee had meticulously crafted out programmes for the four days, ensuring that the logistics (coach and room arrangements) run smoothly. In line with the theme for the camp, Pastor Graham shared: “Our Christian life is like walking up an escalator which keeps moving downwards: if we don’t put in extra effort, we will be pulled down by all kinds of worldly forces. Although our salvation is secure, we must keep pushing upwards, striving to be more like Christ in thought and action.”
140 camp goers, young to old, were divided into 10 groups, each led by an appointed leader to facilitate discussions. The keynote speaker, Rev. Tan Kay Kiong from Covenant Evangelical Free Church (CEFC), taught us about deepening our relationship with Christ. He placed significant emphasis on 'Identity,' 'Community,' 'Spirituality,' and 'Adversity,' illustrating their relevance to our lives.
Rev. Tan’s sermon offered clarity on celebrating our identity in Christ. He emphasised that ‘growing deeper in Christ’ is a deliberate journey requiring perseverance and a steadfast focus on Christ as our Saviour and Lord. Rev. Tan's encouragement to celebrate ‘what we do for Christ, who we are in Christ, and how we live through Christ’ was especially uplifting. The sermon also warned against falling into several traps, such as defining ourselves by our past, our performance, our possessions, or others’ opinions. Instead, it reminded us to ground our identity in God’s perspective of who we are.
Reflections
Pastor Graham Ng (BBPC)
Pastor Graham's main takeaway was from Ps. Tan’s analogy comparing the church to either a cruise ship or a battleship. It served as a strong reminder that as believers, we should not expect an easy, laid-back life. According to Ps. Tan, we are already in “battle mode” as the church is part of God’s mobilised army, tasked with extending His Kingdom. A battleship requires everyone to be on duty, alert, and actively serving in their roles, prepared to work and sacrifice for the mission’s sake. In contrast, a cruise ship represents leisure, relaxation, and entertainment, where others serve you.
“As captain of the BBPC ship, I am responsible as Senior Pastor for not letting our ship drift from the other ships in the fleet, or getting distracted from the main mission because I have to answer to the “Admiral” – Jesus Christ, the head of the church,” Pastor Graham stressed. He further underscored the critical importance of teamwork, with all “crew members” fully committed to the mission as outlined in the Bible.
Benjamin Lim (Camp in-charge)
Benjamin Lim reflected that he was touched by Rev Tan’s message, especially the concept of ‘Koinonia’, involving sharing in an inward communion among believers as a result of our spiritual confession in Christ, and sharing an outward commitment among believers as a result of our communication and contribution to one another. This sense of community was shared and experienced in our BBPC ship, and he felt everyone had an epiphany when questioned if this church community was a fair-weathered cruise ship or a hardened battleship. Also, in dealing with adversity, we were encouraged to reach out to Jesus in our pains and losses.
Pastor Koh Chao Rui
Pastor Koh found it heartening to witness inter-generational interactions and intra-generational fellowships at the camp. He also emphasised the importance of finding a balance between resembling a cruise ship or a battleship in the post-camp reflections.
Zheshen (Group leader)
Zheshen, one of the group leaders, was greatly encouraged by the sharing within his group. He observed that everyone possesses a sincere desire to deepen their relationship with Christ and to serve Him in various capacities. Zheshen was also blessed by the peaceful moments of meditation during our early morning prayer walks.
Alvin Huang (Group leader)
Alvin Huang, another group leader, reflected that leading the group at this church camp was an insightful journey to deepen understanding of one another and apply lessons learned from various pastor's teachings. He personally learned that we are all in this journey together, with a strong collective desire to draw nearer to God through His Word, church community, and prayer.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 church camp was a resounding success, and all glory goes to God. Through His grace, the camp was exceptionally well-organized, and everything ran like clockwork. Rev. Tan Kay Kiong's lectures were not only insightful but also held the audience's interest throughout. Camp goers experienced a meaningful time of fellowship and deepened their understanding of God's Word at the same time. We can hardly wait for the arrival of the next church camp!