Issue 46 Spring Edition

Experience the Spirit of Sharing

New Connections Southern Cross Kids’ Camp Changing Lives Pindari Life - Background Story of Alfie’s Journey with God so far…

New Perspective 2018 SOSA Youth Winner Leaning on Legacy Relying on Christ Moving into the Next Cycle of the Life of Poatina and its Community The Tumbelin Story In Reflection Leaders Forum 2019 2019 Heartbeat Conference

Issue # 46

Christian Venues Association

experience the spirit of sharing

Spring 2019

The Christian Venue and the Big Bang!

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T WAS A dark and stormy night, well maybe not, Genesis 1:1-2 says the world was without form, pretty dark and the spirit of God moved upon the waters…the funny thing is, when you involve God in anything you are doing, BANG! Light fills the void!

Springtime is upon us and if you are lucky to have had rain, BANG! It seems overnight, trees are budding, grass is growing, the garden is flourishing and many of your favourite fruits and veggies are making their first appearance. With imagination you could think back to the third day of creation (Gen 1:9-13) and the beauty that must have burst forth in all of God’s perfect glory!

BANG! The sun, moon stars and planets: Day 4 (Gen 1: 14-19) BANG! Fish and Birds: Day 5 (Gen 1: 20-23) BANG! Animals and Man: Day 6 (Gen 1:24-31) On the seventh day God rested and throughout the bible He asks us to do the same. The seventh day was a gift, Jesus himself said that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5), a day set apart for a reminder of the creation week and a day to grow your relationship with the Creator. Ever heard anyone say that creation - the environment - is God’s second book? A second bible? The Bible helps us develop a relationship with God and so if the world around us is a second bible, could we develop our relationship with God through our interaction with nature?

BANG! Did you know? Around 5,000 square kilometres of bushland and advanced regrowth are destroyed annually in Australia. BANG! Urban sprawl is ever increasing at rates never seen before, not

Christian Venues Association

EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT OF SHARING Christian Camping International Australia trading as: Christian Venues Association ABN 74 050 611 295 PO Box 5552, South Windsor NSW 2756 Ph: 1800 009 890 or (02) 4587 7155

only in Australia but around the world! BANG! Larger urban environments equal more light pollution and less of a night sky. If I were the devil, I would be doing everything I could to limit people reading God’s word and slowing that relationship growth. We see degradation of the world and the separation of the individual from the natural environment. Could this also damage opportunities for a Creator to be found in the marvellous wonder around us, if all we see is the concrete jungle and a starless sky?

“The book of nature, which spread its living lessons before them, afforded an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. On every leaf of the forest and stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and sea and sky, God’s name was written.

With both the animate and the inanimate creation— with leaf and flower and tree, and with every living creature, from the leviathan of the waters, to the mote in the sunbeam—the dwellers in Eden held converse, gathering from each the secrets of its life.

God’s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, “the balancing of the clouds” (Job 37:16), the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night—all were objects of study by the pupils of earth’s first school.” (Ellen White, Child Guidance 45.4) I have lost count of how many people visit us, away from the urban world, and state “Wow! Look at the stars!” These guests may never have held a Bible and may never in the future, but, BANG! In some small way, they have made a connection to their Creator and BANG! Light fills the void!

Tim Hutton, QLD Regional Representative Camp Somerset, QLD

Email: info@christianvenues.org.au Web: www.christianvenues.org.au Please note: the views and opinions expressed by the authors of the articles contained in this publication belong to those authors and are not necessarily the views and opinions of Christian Venues Association.

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Southern Cross Kids’ Camps – Changing Lives

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OUTHERN CROSS KIDS’ Camps (SCKC) interrupt the cycle of abuse and neglect in the lives of primary aged kids from hard places.

In 2019, we will have 16 camps and 700 volunteers serving 500 kids across the country. Those are just the basic facts of SCKC, but it is the stories of change that really warm the heart. I received an email from one of our former campers recently and it went like this: “Attending SCKC showed me that I was loved and cared for and how to love myself in a world where I felt damaged and insignificant.

I was provided with a safe haven full of happiness, friends and understanding, as well as new experiences giving me the chance to experiment and express myself in a supported environment.

The leaders saw a potential in me that I couldn’t notice, encouraging me to grow and develop. This belief gave me the strength within myself to achieve my goals, work through the adversity of the world and become someone I am proud of. The lessons and memories I have from SCKC drive me on a daily basis to smile, be grateful, to reach out to others and be a better person. I will forever be grateful for my time on SCKC camps and their ongoing support and care. It truly is a life changing opportunity – for campers and leaders. ” Celeste W.

We have been conducting camps for almost 20 years and we are seeing and hearing more stories like the one Celeste wrote in her email.

New Darwin Camp An exciting development in 2019 is the establishment of our recent Darwin Camp. All of the children who attended were indigenous kids in the local foster care system. The children were absolutely stunning.

A highlight for me was waking up on the Tuesday morning before sunrise to hear the sound of footballs being kicked by the kids and their Buddies (the kids Leaders). This typifies what our leaders are like - servants who invest into the lives of the kids that are entrusted to them.

We say and know that our God is love. We also know that when we show that unconditional love to the kids in our care it opens the window for a transformed life.

Are Southern Cross Kids’ Camps easy?…of course not! But is anything worth achieving easy… probably not.

We are so grateful for the support of CVA and the member venues for the ongoing support!

Peter Lusk, General Manager Southern Cross Kids’ Camp, VIC

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Pindari Life -

Background Story of Alfie'sJourney with God so far...

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grew up South Africa in a non-Christian home, giving my life to God at the age of 24. In hindsight, God’s fingerprint was on my life from an early age…my father had a dream to have a son on his birthday, however in the early years of their marriage my mother was told that she would not have children naturally – yet here I am, and I share my Father’s birthday.

At 18 months I pulled a pot of hot cooking oil onto myself; doctors’ initial assessment was that I would not survive – yet here I am.

At 19yrs I was run over by a drunk driver; I believe I died next to the road. What I experienced was incredible, indescribable and hard to explain. I was on my way to heaven and could not wait to get there – an unforgettable voice said, “If you go further, you cannot go back, but your mother and father still need you”. I recall not wanting to go back, but knowing I had to, waking up at the roadside. I knew then for sure that God was real, and from that point was not afraid of death.

Moving on I believed in God but not church or necessarily the Bible – a very convenient outlook at the time. After a few years of an increasingly challenging marriage, my wife and I attended a local Bible study group with the intent of “educating these Christians” who were clearly on the wrong track… we both had a personal Supernatural encounter with God, experiencing the Holy Spirit in an undeniable way, and committed our lives to our awesome Father.

Skipping past miracles from the cool “Godcidence” type to the outrageous “God alone could think of that!”, we relocated our family to NZ… Minimal funds, 2 small children, sharing a $20 bed, donated household items, God blessing us with the encouragement of the local church and miraculously I was in business in partnership with my dad within a year. Our business blessed us and others, growing year after year and doing well despite a tough economy.

Shortly after our third child was born, on mine and my father’s birthday, we were directed to Christian Camping…I was not keen to say the least. In the natural very low wages, a job I knew very little about, leaving our close-knit community and church – after a very loud message from God we went. Starting at $14/hr, as a hosting team leader at Lake Taupo Christian Camp – one of the best jobs I’d ever had! After 6 months I was promoted to Operations Manager, and within 9 months transitioned as General Manager for the outgoing Management.

Staying with LTCC for 5+ years was an amazing challenging learning curve. Learning so many things about Christian Camping, Christians, and myself – the good, the bad and the ugly! I discovered that running programs for disadvantaged and at-risk

young people, over and above the “normal” camp business, was my true calling. Being prompted to relocate to Australia, I naturally assumed God had a custom-fitted ministry waiting for me…apparently not. I managed to have another motorbike accident, almost losing the same leg I had damaged in the previous accident…Returning to my trade as an auto electrician, and opening a small business in Bundaberg, I was quite confused as to God’s plan.

After 2.5 years, I followed a prompting to apply to Camp Elim in NSW as their General Manager was retiring.

Backtracking to soon after becoming a Christian; I had a recurring dream of a large place with basic camping; this dream built and became clearer over time, including multi-faceted activities and programs, diverse people, foster care…I would want to go back to sleep to “see” the next episode. Passing the dream off as a fantasy story for the most part, and only having a revelation of it as a vision in the last 10 years or so.

Wondering why God had drawn me back to camping, and why Elim, CVA’s very own Graeme Janes arrived one day and asked what my vision and dream for the future was…as I shared with him, he (strongly) suggested I look into a site near Ashford that was closing. With God’s economy, prayer warriors, more “God-cidences” and downright insane leaps of faith, here we are today.

Our needs have been met with willing and good people (legendary!) in our team, machinery, equipment, food – God’s economy providing. Sharing stories (testimonies) with students, teachers, our community – seeing change as God works in hearts; how big and awesome is God, and how privileged to be involved.

Praise Him, and all glory to Him. Alfie Berliner, Managing Director Pindari Adventures, NSW

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Vision from God (in a nutshell) – Alfie Berliner.

The dream/vision has been a very long time developing – some 20 years! God has whispered ideas, given me images, and I am a slow learner! The concept, as I understand it anyway, is having a place set apart for people to reset, renew and be edified so that they can go forward in whatever mission their personal journey with God leads them into. The images are of multiple micro-industries with diverse people, and broad outcomes and avenues. Not only for program participants, all involved are blessed and extended.

The Charity has been registered since 2017, and the objects/charitable purposes have been shaped based on the vision. Parts of the vision have been implemented, and we are constantly in awe as God enables.

Some of the projects and programs we can wrap our brains around are; • Quality care, life skills, good news of Jesus for at-risk kids and underprivileged kids using the remote location, beauty of nature and challenging activites.

• Respite care for foster children – short term breaks away from their “normal” stresses. Programs and people that will build their self-esteem and show the love of Jesus in a practical way.

• To provide jobs and partner with young Christian adults to give them the opportunity to obtain an outdoor qualification. Empower, and teach them to set up and run their own business in an area that God has inspired them to, and to grow them in their relationship with Jesus.

• Outdoor adventure venue & programs for schools ( www.pindariadventures.com), teaching team building, self esteem, resilience & perseverance, but most importantly demonstrating the love of Jesus through the programs and people.

• Place for Christians to come and spend quiet time with Jesus in the unique landscape and sheer space.

• Venue for Christian speakers and Christian music festivals set in an outdoor theatre.

• Community “bush” church.

• Tourists can come and do “THE JOURNEY” which is an outdoor adventure program to find themselves and Jesus.

• Provide work experience and jobs for a jobless local community; and for young people from anywhere to get a taste for a profession they may want to pursue in outdoor adventure, property maintenance, farm work, administration, commercial catering and more as the charity grows.

• Family camps for all families (regular Christian families, Foster families, secular families) with a focus on Christian families ministering and mentoring to other families, workshops for parenting, marriage, finance, life in general.

• Worship cafes and outdoor church.

• Single parent camps with support programs, counsellors.

• Father son camps, Mother daughter camps • Sport and social groups - Fishing camps, Fitness challenge camps; and in time, much more.

The site at Pindari was historically run as a “back to basics” outdoor adventure centre. It is a unique and enormous site, that has endless scope. The location is surrounded by socially and economically disadvantaged communities, firmly in the drought zone.

Our needs are great but He is greater, and we are asking for more prayer warriors as we consider the way forward, and navigate the hurdles we are facing.

Please consider us and speak to your families, friends and churches – we know that this mission has aspects for all to be involved in some way.

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TIME TO CELEBRATE THOSE YOU WORK ALONGSIDE "I FELT HONOURED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED"

PAULINE GEIER

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN "THIS EXPERIENCE HAS PROVIDED A NEW PERSPECTIVE AS I NOW SEE CHRISTIAN CAMPING IN A BROADER SENSE"

EMMA BENNETT 2018 YOUTH WINNER

2018 OPEN WINNER

OPEN CATEGORY YOUTH CATEGORY VOLUNTEER CATEGORY HTTP://WWW.CHRISTIANVENUES.ORG.AU/_SOSA 6 COMMUNICATOR

New Perspective

Emma Bennett, Crusaders, 2018 SOSA Youth Winner

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N JULY THIS year, I had the opportunity to visit two Summer Camps in Canada! These campsites are both members of Christian Camping International and are located in the province of Ontario.

it was the people. The staff were friendly, passionate and full of energy! Despite the lack of rest at camp, their love and joy in serving Christ and sharing His Name with the campers, was evident each day.

The first week I had the privilege of visiting Medeba, who were running their first camp of the summer. They had their youngest age group that week and I absolutely loved spending time with the campers as they tried new activities and learnt about God through a puppet show each day.

This experience has provided a new perspective as I now see Christian camping in a broader sense. I don’t just think of the organisation I work for, or the campsites around Sydney, but rather, I have gained a greater knowledge of Christian camping worldwide.

In the second week I had the chance to witness what it looks like to run a camp for 600 campers of all ages at Muskoka Woods. During my time there, I was able to see new activities in action and meet with many of their staff.

I have been able to experience different camp programs, learn new activities, gain a broader understanding of this ministry but most of all, I have been reminded of the blessing it is to be able to share the gospel so openly on my own camps.

Throughout my visits, and since coming home, I have been incredibly encouraged and challenged. Before leaving, I was very nervous as I had never travelled alone and definitely felt out of my comfort zone. This experience has strengthened my reliance on God. Each step I walked away from familiarity, I was drawn back to relying on Christ, not on others or myself.

Many people have asked me, “what was the highlight?” or “what stood out to you the most?” and I must say, at both campsites,

Finally, I have been personally challenged to be prayer ful for our brothers and sisters sharing the gospel around the world. We are working together to serve Christ and I, therefore, think it is important that we are reminded to support and pray for each other.

Emma was the 2018 Spirit of Sharing Youth Award Winner. Thank you to Ministry of Tech, David and Sharon Wilson, for sponsoring this incredible opportunity.

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Leaning on Legacy; the exciting drawcards of our site is our western horse-riding program. School and weekend bookings alike have the opportunity to experience entry level riding lessons by our experienced instructors, with progressive lessons available on our holiday camps through our graduated riding program. This horse-riding experience is by far our most popular and memorable activity at MVR.

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hristian camping is one of the most unique ministries in the world. Being given the opportunity to demonstrate our Christian faith through our daily lives is an incredible blessing!

Mill Valley Ranch is a Christian camp with a strong focus on ministering to youth through our school and holiday programs. We have been operating for 52 years, of which the last 3 have been as part of the Baptist Camping Victoria family. Dressed as an old western township, our site is located an hour east of Melbourne’s CBD and has facilities to sleep 165 people in ensuite accommodation and an additional 53 in our authentic covered wagons.

Arriving at Mill Valley Ranch is like stepping into a whole new world. Not only is the site unique in its appearance, but with its activities as well. One of

As the name suggests, Mill Valley is situated in a thriving valley environment with many trees, wildlife, and waterways. This environment not only serves as a great escape destination for retreats, but also offers a wide range of educational options for our school programs.

Students often learn about the natural environment, changes over time, human impact as well as what life would have been like 100 years ago at our old bark hut. These educational options, paired with our adventurebased activities, make for a great combination for school camps.

There have been many exciting developments for our site over the past few years, specifically since joining Baptist Camping Victoria. We have seen an influx of bookings (leading to greater ministry impact) as well as physical developments around the site. The biggest of these developments is our incredible undercover horse-riding facility, something we have dreamt of having for decades, as well as a new accommodation wing capable of sleeping 50+ people.

As BCV have a well-established internship program, we have now also been able to take on a second year intern this year, with hopes of seeing more through the program in the coming years.

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Relying on Christ These stats and details give you an understanding of how we operate, but they don’t truly show our heart and vision, the true value of who we are as Mill Valley Ranch and Baptist Camping Victoria, and our desire to see God glorified and the Gospel ministered. One of the most powerful and unique aspects of our camp experience comes from the way we include the Gospel in multiple facets of camp.

Each school booking is given the opportunity to take part in our Cowboy Chapel whilst on camp. Meeting in our authentic 1888 chapel, we teach the students fun and exciting camp songs as well as share a Christian message moulded around each school’s specific values. If the school chooses to opt out of our chapel sessions, then we will run our MVR Values program. This is again a time of sharing a message around the school’s specific values from a Christian perspective, however, far less confronting for the public-school system.

Our most exciting camps are easily our Roundups (our school holiday program).

We run these 5-night camps every week of the school holidays. As Roundups are our bigger, more exciting and more labourintensive camps we rely on the help of many extraordinary volunteers. We are so grateful for every single one of our volunteers, past and present, as they have diligently served and facilitated an atmosphere of openness to the Gospel and growth in Jesus Christ. Roundups aren’t just about running fun activities with kids, and if you asked any of our staff, none of us would do what we do if we didn’t also have incredible ministry opportunities during these camps.

Our Roundups are an incredibly rewarding experience as we witness lives being changed over the course of the week and the years, as most of our campers return multiple times. In the past 12 months alone, we have seen over 200 young people make the decision to follow Christ here at MVR! That’s 200 lives that will never be the same! Praise God for the impact we are able to see for His Kingdom, but even more so for the impact that we may never even know about. He is faithful, and we are so humbled and thankful to see this in our daily operations.

Sam Mudie, People and Program Coordinator Mill Valley Ranch, VIC

Protection & Prayer As many may be aware, we had recent bushfires threatening the property and surrounding areas.

Mill Valley became one of the headquarters for the CFA during this time. Thanks to their tireless efforts, along with many prayers, our property was protected. We want to thank all of you for your support and prayers during that time as well as the CFA for their selfless work in fighting the fires. Unfortunately, not all the properties in the region could be saved, with many people losing houses, land and stock. We have since been able to connect with our local community more than we had before, as well as being able to support other ministries as they brought aide to those affected.

Please join us in continuing to pray for and support those affected.

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Moving into the Next Cycle of the Life of Poatina and its Community

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HEN YOU MENTION you are from Poatina, most people ask where is that? Poatina is a small town located at the foot of the Great Western Tiers in the Norther Midlands of Tasmania, it has a unique history and journey that has led to the present day.

Originally Poatina was built in the 1950s as the construction town for the Poatina power station. At the peak of construction, it was home to more than 2,000 workers from all around the world. The original plan was for the core of the town to remain to house the operational staff for the power station but by the mid 1990s a level of automation and remote operation, that could not have been imagined by the original designers, meant there was only a few families left in Poatina.

When the government decided to sell Poatina as it had no future use for it, Fusion Australia purchased the entire town, then consisting of approx. 50 houses, community facilities and “The Chalet� complex. Fusion Australia leadership could see great potential for the development of a community to support the at-risk young people they were working with and as a National Training base. As with all communities there have been cycles through the years, times of growth and times of change. Today there is a population of just over 100 people who call Poatina home, from young families to retirees, all committed to be part of an intentional community. There are a wide variety of occupations and enterprises that make up Poatina today.

One of the key enterprises is the Poatina Chalet, operating as an accommodation and conference centre, hosting a variety of individual travellers and groups. In addition to the Chalet building, providing 3-star Motel and Hostel accommodation, there is a number of 2 story mountain Cottages available for short-stay accommodation; a large community hall complex that seats up to 250 people with a number of smaller meeting rooms provides ample space for all types of activities; and, to meet the needs of groups we host, church conferences, craft clubs and motor sport events.

Poatina is also a popular stopover for cyclists travelling the Tasmania Trail.

Poatina boasts, along with the usual small-town facilities, a number of other attractions, including one of the best 9-hole golf courses in Tasmania, an Arts Centre and fully equipped Hot Glass studio.

Poatina maintaining much of the style of its history, is a great place to visit simply for a break or for an organised activity, Poatina has all the charm of a small town and a friendly welcoming community.

Ian Edgar, Manager Poatina Chalet, TAS

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The Tumbelin Story

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UMBELIN is a local Ngarrindjeri word which means ‘awaken and live’. It’s also the name of Baptist Care SA’s adventure therapy program which helps young people aged 13-18 who want to deal with their unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol. For young people whose lives and relationships are bearing witness to the harmful impact of alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse and addiction, ‘Awaken and live’ is not just a motto, it’s precisely the outcome we’re looking for.

Tumbelin has become a significant element of the work of Baptist Care Adventure, alongside Mylor Adventure Camp which recently celebrated its 60th year. Now in its 12th year, Tumbelin programs run throughout multiple South Australian regions and the Adelaide Hills. The program is funded as an AOD treatment program through Primary Health Networks and the Federal Health department. In terms of turnover, it has now outgrown its more established counterpart at Mylor, but it didn’t start that way…

Surprisingly, the genesis of Tumbelin didn’t begin with Mylor Adventure Camp, but rather Baptist Care SA’s inner city work with homeless young people.

A few pioneering individuals such as Dave Wright and Ben Hopkins had the simple but profound idea that it might be good to take a bunch of young people experiencing homelessness camping. Like most good things, it started without great fanfare.

After work on a Friday someone would drive the Baptist Care Troopy to the various youth shelters around Adelaide with a simple invitation, “Anyone want to come camping?” We supplied all the gear, volunteers supplied everything else, and it soon grew into a thriving ministry.

Fast forward 15 years through periods of both growth and challenge, and Tumbelin now sits comfortably within the Baptist Care Adventure portfolio based at Mylor Adventure Camp in the Adelaide Hills. In that time, some of the wider benefits to Mylor Adventure Camp have included: • a genuine career path for facilitators to become adventure therapy practitioners.

• the facilitation skills that our staff develop working with Tumbelin participants, some of whom have very high needs, is invaluable in our other mainstream programs, and • the ‘R&D’ that goes into developing the Tumbelin program filters throughout all of our other programs.

So, despite the challenges and uncertainty that come with the territory of government funding, Tumbelin adds richness not only to the lives of the participants within the program but also to other programs of Baptist Care Adventure.

We Bought a Farm…

And the Tumbelin story continues to evolve. We recently received a grant to develop Tumbelin Farm – an adventure based residential rehabilitation program for young people dealing with their more acute AOD misuse and addiction issues. Tumbelin Farm takes things to another level entirely, and our hope and our prayer is that many more young people’s lives will be transformed through this exciting new initiative.

If you’d like to see firsthand the impact that Tumbelin has in the life of a young person, check out Kyle’s story at https://baptistcaresa.org.au/a-newpathway-for-kyle God Bless Tobin Hanna, Senior Manager Baptist Care, Adventure, SA

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A PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR THOSE EXISTING AND EMERGING LEADERS WITHIN CHRISTIAN VENUES ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP WHO ARE LOOKING TO BOTH FORMALISE THEIR EXISTING SKILLS AS WELL AS DEVELOP AND EXPAND THEIR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE SO AS TO WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY WITHIN THEIR CHOSED MINISTRY AND VOCATION. STUDY@CHRISTIANVENUES.ORG.AU

In Reflection Why did you decide to enrol in the Master of Leadership?

I am a person who is driven by curiosity, with a real desire to keep growing and learning. That was my original motivation for pursuing the Master of Leadership. However, now that I am nearing the end of the course, I realise that my intuitive understanding of leadership, gained from previous experience, was merely a foundation for stepping into further leadership. By undertaking my Master of Leadership through ACOM I found the perfect next step.

How has the course shaped your understanding in responsibilities as a leader?

The Masters course has shaped my understanding of leadership responsibilities in two major spheres.

Crucial to my new insight are the areas of character and competency, and how they work together to build high-quality leaders. These two areas feature throughout the course and reinforce the fundamental qualities of leadership excellence. In their character, high-quality leaders must have a sincere heart, be driven by discipline and possess an attitude that always reflects that they are doing their best for God. Yet this godly character needs to be backed up by a high level of competency in the skills required to manage, organise and maintain proficiency of themselves and others.

Has this course deepened your relationship with God? The course had many opportunities for me to deepen and strengthen my relationship with God. I chose electives that were mostly focused on spiritual formation and practice. The opportunity to

spend time growing academically and personally, and to witness how God draws Himself to us, has become a vital practice and discipline for me. The growth and learning I have experienced through the Master of Leadership has strengthened my own leadership and increased my awareness of Him in everyday life.

Completing the Master of Leadership, have new opportunities been presented to you?

Throughout my studies, many opportunities came up that allowed me to improve and gain higher responsibilities. Most significant has been a change in roles for me as I moved from Departmental Leader in one organisation to Executive Leader in another.

My new role has increased my responsibilities and I can confidently say that the Master of Leadership prepared me for this new challenge.

Why would you encourage someone to enrol in this course?

I would encourage anyone who is seriously sensing their calling to an executive role or higher leadership in God’s Kingdom. Whether you are called to serve in Church, affiliated Church or a Christian venue, the Master of Leadership course will provide the essential understanding, skills and practice to become the leader that God wants you to be.

Andy Flaherty, Connect and Creative Pastor Lighthouse Church, NSW

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LEADERS FORUM 2019

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eaders Forum is an opportunity to connect with other senior staff from different Christian Venues across Australia. It’s not only an opportunity to learn from each other and worship God, but also be encouraged in what you’re doing at your own site.

churches, charities, schools or otherwise, to enable them to achieve more effective outcomes. Our focus was on Boards of organisations, and what are some of their key responsibilities: Setting and Monitoring Strategy; Budgeting; Managing Risk; Complying with the Law; Guarding Reputation and Setting Culture and of course to Act Honourably.

Stephen also highlighted that Boards are there to govern, not manage sites/organisations. If you feel it’s a time for a review of your Board or you need some guidance on roles and responsibilities, CMA Standards Council are a great resource.

Bruce Burgess from PeaceWise - Christian solutions to conflict, led us through a process of how to manage conflict as individuals and also how it might be implemented across a whole organisation or school. PeaceWise exists to provide practical help and real hope to a conflict-weary world. They help individuals, organisations and communities learn lifechanging biblical peacemaking principles and build cultures of peace.

We all have our tough days, and sometimes wonder if we’re doing enough, or doing the right things.

Leaders Forum is a safe environment where we can chat and debrief with people who understand what we’re talking about and get some expert input about key issues that face us on a day to day basis.

The third presenter was Murray Bingham from Robertson and Chang, Learning Architects looking

Leaders Forum 2019 was held at CVA member site CYC City in the centre of Melbourne. Location, location, location! What a fantastic site! Walking distance from Southern Cross Station and easy access to all the city highlights. CYC City is set up so that each group staying can be designated their own floor of the building with security access.

It’s a great place for group stays in Melbourne, and schools can be confident of a safe environment for their students.

Our first speaker was Stephen Kerr, from CMA Standards Council. Their mission is to help build faith and trust in Christian organisations, be it

at Leaders Health and Sustainability. Murray presented a plethora of tools and processes to help us look after ourselves. There was something for everyone in his presentation which included looking at the impact of positive emotions; how stress impacts personality; work lifecycles and the power of gratitude.

As leaders there is always the risk that we don’t take time to look after ourselves or invest time in reviewing our practices, mindsets and knowledge base.

Leaders Forum is about all these things and assists us to not only survive but thrive.

Michelle Harris, Centre Manager Nunyara Conference Centre, Uniting Venues SA

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2019 Heartbeat Conference

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N JULY CVA hosted the Heartbeat conference in Victoria.

As a relative newcomer to managing a Christian campsite I was excited to attend and spend time with others involved in running small sites. We spent 24 hours together at the Upper Plenty Conference Centre where we had the opportunity to share together, pray for and encourage each other.

We started our time together with afternoon tea and a tour of the campsite. What a beautiful facility in a beautiful area! So many ideas for implementing at my site… eventually!

In our first session we spent time getting to know each other, sharing about ourselves and the sites we were from and praying together. After dinner we shared some of the challenges that we are facing on our sites with a chance for others to provide some suggestions that may help. It was great to hear from people with so much experience in Christian camping and to know that we’re not alone in this journey. Session three was about hospitality evangelism and was my favourite session. We were encouraged to think about the identity of our site, the things that make our sites different and what makes a stay at our site exceptional.

We also talked about how we do hospitality well, how we show and share Jesus in our sites and the importance of relationship before sharing the gospel.

After lunch, we heard about the results of the research into camping. It was so encouraging to hear that the research supports the benefits of camping and to know that I am a part of making this happen for so many people each year.

Coming from a site where I work with just one casual staff member doing everything from bookings to cleaning and weeding, it was such a joy to spend time with others who work in similar conditions, to be able to ask questions, share experiences, pray for each other, and fellowship together. It’s easy to look at bigger sites and dream about being like them, but there is an important place for smaller sites.

It was great to get to know some people from other Christian campsites and I look forward to the next Heartbeat conference. If you have the chance, I’d encourage you to attend the next one!

Mel Hatton, Manager Kihilla Retreat and Conference Centre, NSW

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W

the LAST word Page Pitt should have failed, but instead he succeeded. After losing 97% of his eyesight at five years of age, he refused to attend a school for the blind. He was accepted into public school where he played baseball and football. Remarkably, he went on to complete college and become a top-notch journalism professor with a reputation for demanding excellence.

For example, a student once asked Pitt which he thought would be worse; blindness, deafness, or not having arms and legs. He replied, “None of those things! Lethargy, irresponsibility, lack of ambition or desire: they’re the real handicaps. If I don’t teach you anything but wanting to do something with your lives, this course will be a magnificent success.”

Often, he told his journalism students, “You are not here to learn mediocrity, you’re here to learn to excel. If I send you on a story and you don’t get it because you’ve a broken leg, call me from the ambulance and I’ll forgive you. But don’t give me excuses! They wound me, and your explanations pour salt in the wound.”

Gee, that’s the kind of teacher you’d either love or hate! It reminds us of this much at least, our biggest enemy is not the challenges we face; it’s ordinary stuff like complacency, negativity or selfimposed limitations and self-pity.

We’ve got all kinds of excuses for accepting mediocrity. If only we had more money, better eyesight or were thinner or taller or came from a more privileged background. I have often told myself ‘if only I was right-handed, I’d be a better guitarist!’ (I play a right-hand guitar).

Then I think about the famous gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, who had only two fingers on his left hand, the others had been fused together in a fire when he was a young bloke, who was known for his speed and innovation in playing jazz.

Phil Keaggy, Christian guitarist, gained a reputation as a very fast (and creative) guitarist even though he was missing his middle finger on the right hand.

Excuses! Two millennia ago Paul wrote, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

That means with God’s help, you and I can rise above circumstances that ordinarily spell failure. So, excuses or trusting the God who believes in your potential, what’s it going to be for the rest of 2019?

Gary Baker NSW Chaplain

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I am the vine; you are the branches. John 15:5

Phillip Island Adventure Resort Monday, 27 to Friday, 31 July 2020

Keynote presenters

Pastor Kevin and Kerry Butterfield Wellspring Church, Connecticut USA

Workshop focus areas Leadership, Campers, Maintenance, IT, Activities and Personal

tradeshow

1 Day Event

Experiences

Flight Simulator Go Karts Koala Park Penguin Parade Giant Swing | Flying Fox | High Ropes Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 16 COMMUNICATOR