N O R TH N S W CO N FE R E N CE N E WS
NOV
2013 Nelson Bay
“Moment of Truth” at 2013 Adventurer Camporee From 20 to 22 September, more than 400 Adventurers and their families, as well as 50 staff (including district directors and a team of clowns led by Graeme Frauenfelder), descended on the Stuarts Point Convention Centre for the biennial Adventurer Camporee. There were 11 clubs from around the conference in attendance. Karen Collum, an author and mother from Ballarat in Victoria, was the guest speaker for the camporee and she spoke on the theme of “Moment of Truth.” Pastor Jeff Parker, Director of Youth Ministries for the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference, says, “She spoke about a range of Bible stories involving children, and also shared modern real-life stories of kids making a difference. To illustrate these stories, she included photos of the children who had stepped up to make a difference in life.” The first meeting was held on Friday night at 7.00pm in the Connections Tent, and apart from a talk from Karen, it also involved an introductory segment from the clowning team, music provided by Leighton Heise and his band, and special items by Adventurer Club members. Special items from Adventurers were featured throughout the weekend, and included violin items, songs, poetry readings and a ukulele performance. On the Sabbath morning of camporee, Pastor Brendan Pratt, Discipleship Coordinator for the Greater Sydney Conference, gave a special presentation on “How To Train Your Dragon,” complete with bearded dragon. Susan Manson, Youth Ministries Secretary, says, “He related it back to the Bible with how the hardest thing to train is your tongue.” The Sabbath programme also included the official Adventurer Club parade where the clubs marched in formation to the Big Tent site, a talk from Karen and special items. Another guest for the weekend was Natalie Miller, who is a Christian ventriloquist and puppeteer. Pastor Parker says, “Lots of kids and parents talked about Natalie’s time at camporee! She was really clever and had amazing stories packed with good lessons. There were also things in her presentation for the parents.” Another feature of the weekend was a mini “zoo,” which included animals like geese, ducks, chickens and lambs. The “zoo” was organised by Pastor Daron Pratt, Children’s Ministries Director for the NNSW Conference, and Lyn and Gil Evans. “It was a real hit with the kids,” says Pastor Parker. On the Sunday, there were activities that the clubs cycled through, including horse riding, clown games, craft, jumping castles and the animal farm maze. “The atmosphere for the weekend was incredible with so many families involved,” says Pastor Parker. “One of the highlights for me was the clowning team, which included kids who were 10 years old, and some as young as three or four.” — Adele Nash More photos on page 3
In this issue:
Page 2: From the President: Biblical ignorance Pages 3: A “Seaside Escape” at Yarrahapinni Page 5: STORM Co: 22 years of making a difference Page 8: Memorial and Hillview work together on Morisset outreachN O RT H P O I N T // 1
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