ARPC Church Camp

I love camps, ever since I was young, I'd attend Junior Fellowship camps whenever I could, when I grew up in Zion BP church, Serangoon Gardens.
Of course the reasons for loving these camps, have changed. I used to love camps coz it was fantastic fun, we'd stay in dorms, have crazy skits put up during dorm inspection, hang out with friends all day and night, play lots of games like water bom fights, captain's ball, relays, and the climax was always some night games, where there'd be a dungeon for those captured. Oh, and of course we got to chat up the girls!

Since I attended ARPC since 1994, I've attended quite a few ARPC camps, whenever I could. The first I attended was in Kuantan, I think, with Philip Jensen as speaker. During the years we were first in Indonesia 1997-2003, we didn't go for any, but we did for most of the other years.

ARPC has grown from 100+ (back when we first attended), and now maybe 2000. We used to know everyone those days, and I loved the close fellowship. The years we were first in Indonesia, were.... disorienting. Each time we visited, it just exploded in numbers - it went from maybe 200 to 1000 in the 6 years we were gone (we take full credit for that!), and we felt more and more lost and detached each year.

By the time we got back in 2003, we felt like new comers all over again, esp with 4 services, our old friends were scattered across the services. It was actually hard to make friends (beyond the hello and goodbye) during the limited time we had on Sundays, and was pretty much limited to those with similar demographic - young families with young kids.

2 things helped, in me getting to know people better: 1 was attending a Discipleship Group, and the other was going for church camps.

Church camps are great because
1.Everyone at one place - instead of spread over 3 or 4 services. Everyone who goes that is. And with this year, there's about 900 folks to attended, which is an astounding proportion of the church there.

2.Everyone's captive - Except for Malacca, where everyone tries to sneak out for meals, other locales been good, coz everyone is stuck at the site - perfect for getting to know folks!

3.Time to fellowship - we just have more time and opportunities to chat, during the bible study group times, as well as the meals, which we try to sit with different folks each time. Also, most of the afternoons are free, so there's time for the kids to go hang out with other kids, play some sport, or take a nap (wait... that's not fellowship?). There's always some activity on, where you can catch up with old friends, or meet new ones. During Sundays, there's really little time to catch up, everyone's busy as bees, and zipping off somewhere.

4.Sermons - it's also a great opportunity to be learning from God's word. This camp, the theme was "Heaven and Hell", there was 8 talks, with each talk going for 1 hour or more! So we're talking about 8-10 hours of solid bible teaching.

So God willing, my family will be there each year. It's great for us to stay connected to a home church, catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

ARPC Church Camp 2007

I love church camps.

I grew up in Zion BP, attending tons of em... although they were more social then. As an adult, it's different.

With a church so large (1,000 plus folks), its normally hard to get to know people.
We normally sit the same place during the service, talk to the usual folks we hang out with. So in church camp, with us assigned to groups, through the activities & bible studies, we get to know just that few more folks. Plus meal times are another way to meet new folks.

And you know, we just aren't as rush. With lots of free time, we can just chill, relax and chat away. Nice.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this year's church camp. The speaker (David Cook), spoke short sermons, but sure hit on the spot. Very application-able. One particular take-away, is my renewed understanding of the Parable of Wise/Foolish builder.

MT 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Now, I've always taken the foolish guy, who builds his life on like material stuff, whereas the wise builder is the one who builds his life on Christian stuff.

Well, not quite. Look at verse 24 and 26 again - Both the wise and foolish builders, BOTH HEARS the words of Jesus. The key difference is that one "puts them into practice" whereas the foolish chap, hears but just boh chap/does nothing. It is whether we heed & put into practice Christ's words. Hearing must be followed by obedience.

So far so good? OK, here's another lesson from the church camp - Jesus says, we cannot serve both God and money - this we know. But how often has that become: "ideally, we cannot serve both God and money"; or "we can balance both, although God still ranks ahead of money" - we tell ourselves.

The problem is that Jesus says it is IMPOSSIBLE to serve both God & money. We hear it, but do we believe it? Does God really know what is best for us?
Love our enemies -get real.
Cannot serve both God and money- ridiculous!
Really, I know what I can do and cannot - better than God.
I really want to run my Christian life, my own way.

Uh oh - smells a tad bit like sin no? smells like the foolish builder - we know what Jesus says, but rather than simple obedience, we don't put it into practice, instead we justify it away.

So it isn't easy.
Eat from any tree, except the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil - ok.
Enter the promise land, and the land is yours (just ignore the well built army, who's bigger, better trained, and better equiped than a bunch of wondering slaves) - ok.
Love your enemy - ok.
Go and teach your wealth a lesson, and give half of your savings to God's work - ok.

It's really the best way to live - do we dare to believe and do it?
Just do it - God's way.