Issue 48 Spring 2020

Communicator EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT OF SHARING

New Perspectives INSIDE:

Riyala: Forty Years of Living Water To open more doors, we had to build them!

Into Africa No more changes...PLEASE!

Christian Venues Association

experience the spirit of sharing

Issue # 48

Spring 2020

Leaders Forum 2021 Tuesday 20th to Thursday 22nd July

Mantra Legends Hotel, Gold Coast QLD

g t n i h d r o a e ugh L

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Psalm 119

by Dianne Abbott

am currently reading through Psalm 119 and, as I do, I am struck by the Psalmist’s commitment to pouring over and seeking with all his being to memorise God’s law… ‘meditate…understand…follow…obey … remember…keep…regard…love…stand in awe…’ of the word (just to name a few).

In stark contrast is the law of our land, especially during this COVID period. We question it, challenge it, doubt it, disobey it; and it is incredibly hard to delight in it.

As I ponder this, I realise that we can’t fully trust the law of the land, because we don’t fully trust the authors of the law. We aren’t ever really sure that they love us, or know us, or know enough to put wise laws into place.

How great it is to worship a God in whom we can trust, who is unchanging, perfect and all powerful. How humbling it is to be loved by a God who knows us inside and out, who knows

the past, the present and the future, and who desires only the best for us.

Our Father, who gave us Jesus as the sacrifice in our place.

Our Father who continues to sustain us with his Spirit.

As we navigate these changing times, let us heed the call of the Psalmist in Psalm 119.

May we say: v174 ‘Your law is my delight,’ v97 ‘Oh how I love your law!’ v119 ‘…therefore I love your statutes’ And as we do, may we fully put our trust in the author of the law, our compassionate and righteous Lord, who will direct our footsteps, even when we can’t see the way forward ourselves.

Christian Venues Association

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.

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

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Riyala: Forty Yea R

iyala was first established as a camp venue in 1980. Founding members, Clem and Joyce Gullick (both now deceased) and Ian Morris, had strong connections with Elcho Island having worked there as missionaries. It was this connection that bought them together in Darwin. Their mutual dream was to provide a place where church and other groups could meet in the beautiful natural setting of the Top End. Together they purchased a 20-acre (8 hectare) block at Noonamah, 45km south of Darwin.

The name “Riyala” was bestowed by the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem land. Its meaning is related to “spring water bubbling from the ground”, but also has deeper spiritual meanings.

The land was formerly an uncleared part of the Elizabeth Valley Farm and the river flowing through the lower part of the property made it quite an attraction. The woodlands had been burned annually for many years to provide ‘green pick’ for the cattle prior to the wet season, causing considerable environmental degradation.

Ian, who was both a schoolteacher and naturalist, had a great interest in the natural environment and set about replanting trees that had once occurred naturally in the area. Since those days, with careful management, the natural environment has been restored to represent the once widespread tropical woodlands of the Top End. In addition, many ‘economical’ native plant species have been added to the landscape for teaching purposes.

Today, thanks to the intervention early in its life as a retreat facility, Riyala is now an ‘island of natural history’ and home to native wildlife. With the main habitats: a river corridor, tropical eucalypt woodland and monsoon forest all featured on the block, Riyala provides both diversity and a refuge for native wildlife. It is a sanctuary for species that are quickly becoming rare or endangered in the Top End, including birds, reptiles, amphibians and even invertebrates. With regular flying visits from birds such as the Rainbow Pitta, Rufous

Owl and Rose-crowned Fruit-dove; or drop-ins by mammals like the Agile Wallaby and Northern Brushtail, who are all becoming more relaxed with our human visitors, Riyala has become known as a convenient place for schools and other groups to carry out specialised studies related to the Top End Environment.

As a not for profit organisation, we rely on volunteers to keep Riyala going. The site is run by a board of volunteers who oversee the management and assist with general duties; volunteer ‘Caretakers’ assist with the day to day tasks, and we have been blessed that God always meets our needs in this regard. This support by many and varied people over the years, enables us to keep camping and dormitory fees to a minimum cost, providing access to groups who could otherwise find camping expenses beyond their budget.

The nature of the Top End climate means our peak usage times are April through to September; commonly called ‘The Dry Season’. While most indigenous groups in the Top End recognise a variety of climatic seasons, the ‘Wet’ and the ‘Dry’ are the two broad categories referred to by nonIndigenous people. This generally means we have a few months of ‘down time’ that enable us to do much of the maintenance required to keep the place functioning.

God has continually blessed Riyala over the years. Just recently we had a Scripture Union kids camp at Riyala. A number of leaders at the camp commented that they had been to Riyala as youngsters with school or church camps and they held fond memories of their time here.

Today Riyala continues to cater for a wide variety of user groups. Schools and Church groups are our most regular guests, but we also host many other community groups who really enjoy and value the time they spend at Riyala. The most common response from people who have stayed is: “It’s so peaceful here - there is a real sense of God’s Spirit in this place.”

You could even say it is bubbling over.

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ars of Living Water The Promise of the Holy Spirit 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

(John 7:37-38 | NKJV)

Rainbo

w pitta fe its chic eding ks

erated n e g e r the f o t r est a r P o f n i a r Riyala

Ian w i grou th St Pet e p exp laini r’s Angl ic ng In digen an Churc h ous p lants COMMUNICATOR 5

To open more doors, we had to build some!

by Peter Schilling

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uther Heights, at Coolum Beach in Queensland, has been operating for over 60 years and our buildings had an average age of 50 + years. While we have been working hard to upkeep our current buildings, our size was the major limiting factor of our reach. There had been too many times over the past decades where we were turning people away because we were simply already fully booked (let’s be clear we had vacancy and empty beds, just not when our customers wanted to come).

At the heart of our decision to build our new accommodation block, Ocean Outlook, was the simple desire to reach more kids.

More beds equals more groups, more groups equals more kids, and sharing God’s love with kids is why we are here. This simple clear sentence was years in the making. Years of

prayer, of discussion, of visioning, of planning and discerning. We believe our best ministry happens when we get lots of contact time with our campers, so we needed more dining space and communal hall space to go with the beds. To us, it is clear God has called us to eat, play and hang out with our campers. Time together. Time when relationships are built and connections made. Time where the Holy Spirit can work His magic. We have been told for decades that Luther Heights is a special place; that God is clearly in residence here. These are not our words but those from our campers, so why not make room for more people to come and experience it.

Luther Heights has never been about the buildings, however we know that by building our new Ocean Outlook venue and The Ridge dining hall we are setting up Luther Heights to endure for generations to come. When we look at the wise decisions made by those that came before us, we know that adding more accommodation and hall space in the late 1970s was key to the success that we have

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been experiencing over the past decade. It was with the wisdom of the past in mind that the members of the planning team looked forward, to building Ocean Outlook. Now in these COVID times, one wonders if we did not build Ocean Outlook when we did, would the COVID pandemic and the resulting shutdowns and economic contractions mean that we would have never built it?

Once it was clear that building was the way forward for Luther Heights, we were amazed just how easily God opened the doors all the way through this building project. We were unsure of how supportive the Lutheran Church would be of our plans, and yet God went before us and we were received with statements like: “we’ve been waiting for you to approach us with something like this,” and “It’s important for you to get upgrading to ensure you stay relevant.” WOW! What a great blessing it was to have the support of the great church and its leadership. God was also present as we discussed with the local council the need to clear a small patch of bushland to make way for the new accommodation block.

We had been told by our town planning and environmental consultants that it was next to impossible for the local council to approve our request and we were wasting our time asking, and yet, our request was granted (with

offset planting conditions) and our consultants couldn’t believe it.

It was after many years of prayer, discussion and research that the leadership at Lutheran Youth of Queensland decided to take the steps forward to constructing our new buildings: Ocean Outlook and The Ridge Dining hall. Our heart and desire for the new buildings was to reach more children, families and leaders with the great news that God loves them beyond measure. Not only will our new facilities help us reach more people; the beds, bathrooms, projectors and air conditioners help secure the future of Luther Heights for generations to come. Through the years of planning, designing, researching, praying and building, it was clear that God had gone ahead of us, blessing us with open doors, support of leadership and local government. Our job now is to reach out and bless others for generations to come, to the Glory of God.

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Into Africa

by Gr

have a friend who regularly visits regions of Africa. When there, he holds teaching schools for all manner of groups. One year, he invited me to accompany him to Africa.

I immediately felt a tension rise within me, and I declined.

businesses. I ran a business seminar in Lokichar and, through relational connections, helped establish a bean business; a small hardware shop (which operates out of a shipping container); a butcher shop; a motorbike transport business; and a piggery.

Recognising it was fear that drove my decision, I chose to dig into that fear and realised I held some lies about the safety of going to Africa, as well as a need to control my circumstances.

Ultimately, I realised I needed to live from a place of trust in my Father.

I taught basic principles of business and gave practical advice on understanding your personality type related to business. I also pointed out that the root word of business, ‘busyness’, means anxiety.

My friend asked again the following year, and off I went!

It was easy to fall in love with Kenyan people and Kenya. About the size of NSW, with 45 million people - it is a happening place! Like Australia, Kenya has coastal regions, lush productive areas, and places like the outback. It also has a multicultural feel with different tribal groups. I encountered respect, warmth, interest and engagement as we travelled all over the countryside, stopping in: Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisii, Eldoret, Lodwar, Lokichar and other small towns.

Along the journey, God put on my heart to work with people in helping them start or improve their

Staying in a traditional Kenyan village

Standing alongside these dedicated Kenyan business people, I saw and heard a recurrent tale.

Their business is run faithfully, is doing well and then, all of a sudden, a child or family member gets sick; money is taken out of the business to cover costs; and the business cashflow is hamstrung, along with the ability to buy stock and pay rent.

The ‘problem’ seemed easy to identify. Yet, I also realised my lack of perspective. If someone is sick in Kenya (where there is no Medicare) and needs medical help, the cost to the family is equivalent to a low-income Australian family finding $1,500 AUD to get help from the hospital. Helping family is a crucial part of the cultural and tribal traditions.

Saying no does not seem like an option.

Why did the chickens (20 of them!) cross the road?

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rant Laidlaw, The Log Cabin Camp VIC I met a young boy who was very sick with headaches and a bad cough. Like my son, his name is Samuel, though a few years younger.

I wanted to help but was advised not to give money directly to the family. Instead, a Kenyan friend volunteered to take the boy to the clinic, where I would cover the bill. It turned out the headaches were caused by wearing the wrong glasses and an x-ray revealed he had serious pneumonia. New glasses and the right medicine soon had him firing on all cylinders. It was the best $150 I had spent in a long while. It is truly more blessed to give than receive and visiting Kenya reinforced this.

I gained so much from the shift in my perspective.

Two weeks in a remote village, where I had a sponge bath every few days, made me deeply appreciate half a bucket of water! I slept in a hut at my Kenyan friend’s home, surrounded by up to 40 people; it was one of the most challenging, yet memorable experiences I had. Then sitting with elderly Kenyans and hearing their stories of lions and love from a bygone era, let me experience the privilege of learning from a world that is disappearing. At one gathering, I was a respected guest and given the “honour” of stabbing a goat in the heart, which was then cooked in front of me. In all these things, I realised culture can be

Main dining hall at Wendo Retreat

different, but humanity is always the same.

As suggested by CVA, I took the opportunity to visit Wendo Retreat, near Nakuru, and met Charles Wahome Mwai who runs the camp. It was inspirational! Charles started the camp with 10 street kids, who he trained in practical skills and has built an amazing ministry. The camp is a beautiful site with buildings that are primarily used to minister to children and families who have experienced trauma, at no cost to the campers!

Money is raised by selling the honey from the beehives on the property. The whole camp was truly incarnational and inspiring, with food gardens, recycling, a library and more.

My time in Kenya taught me about myself, our humanity and the glorious diversity within the Body of Christ. I am thankful for all this and for the ongoing connections I made. I learned there are many people and organisations doing great work in Kenya, Africa and all over the world. In visiting Kenya, I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel; but I did find myself responding to the Divine connections the Spirit blew my way, and I trusted in my Father’s love, to reveal the Son. And in doing so, both my fear and my need to control were swept away.

Accommodation at Wendo Retreat.

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No more changes...P Graeme Janes, Christia W hether good or bad, ‘change’ indicates a shift; when what we started with has been made different, altered, switched out, replaced, or somehow modified.

There is change that is thrust upon us. It’s the kind of change nobody likes or wants. “Change is hard; you can’t change others; and if only their circumstances would change…”

Then there is the change we choose. It’s the type that enriches and opens us to new experiences.

“Let’s change it up; change the scenery; change our perspective; or make a positive change.” Often, time at a retreat can lead to this type of change.

This year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much change has been thrust upon us, sometimes on a daily (hourly) basis. It would be easy to believe that we have been living in a constant state of disruption. This, for some, has led to fear and anxiety. Normal expectations have become luxury, planning ahead is deemed foolishness, and our human interactions must be kept at arm’s (1.5m) length.

Seven months (and counting) of uninvited external changes have had a monumental impact on our personal, spiritual, relational and working lives. Add to that the everyday shifts of life: young children, adult children, ageing parents, illness, deaths, births, marriages...and you could be forgiven for shouting to the heavens: “Enough change! Make it stop!”

Each time I felt myself get ready to raise my voice in despair and frustration over these past months, a verse of scripture, from Isaiah 43:18-19, has played over and over in my mind: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (NIV) And then I remember; our God has got this. Our God is unchanging. He is our constant comfort in times of need.

As I think on Isaiah’s words, I am filled with excitement for the new thing that God is doing, even now; for the paths he is making in this pandemic wilderness; and for the fresh springs of new life He will draw from the driest stone.

I see this hope in ‘a new thing’ throughout much of our membership. It is played out in the faith-filled decision to undertake site refreshment during the forced closures; or investing in new resources, new ideas and new hope. All of these boldly optimistic activities have been undertaken during forced closures, a time of no bookings and no income. Our God has emboldened us towards our new thing; the future of our ministry may look different in earthly terms, but with our unchanging God at its centre, we are assured of His goodness in all things.

I see this hope as groups rebook as they are able; in the stories of strong bookings for holiday programs; and through the excitement as school camps arrive.

Out of the silence of an industry in shutdown, I hear the growing roar of Spirit filled waters rising from the voices of our Christian camping community.

As His witnesses, we can boldly declare our God is good, even in these times, especially in these times.

He has shown great provision, He has prepared us, and He has carried us.

Isaiah 43:1-2 “…Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.

I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—” (MSG) We have faced the storm of a global pandemic, navigated the rough seas of forced industry closure, and been burnt by the fire of thwarted ambition through restrictions and restructuring our operations. For some, sadly, it has brought to an end this ministry of Christian Camping. Yet, through it all, God is with us. He is for us and we need not fear change, as He is unchanging.

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PLEASE!

an Venues Association

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the LAST word D

YET...

o you remember learning about conjunctions in your grammar lessons at school? It’s a ‘connecting word’ and one function of a conjunction is to connect two phrases in a sentence.

‘BORING…” you might say, but there is a conjunction in Scripture I want to draw your attention to; something to get excited about.

Let me take you to the book of Lamentations (thought to have been written by Jeremiah). It can make for a pretty depressing read. In chapter 3, the writer lists his afflictions for which he blames God: ‘He has bound me in heavy chains…he has blocked my path…I cry and shout and he blocks out my prayers…He shot his arrows deep in to my heart…He has filled me with bitterness…Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!’ and the list goes on…

No doubt you could write your own list of laments!

Complaining is part of the human condition. Especially at this time in our world, it’s easy to have a ‘glass half empty’ perspective, thinking about what we don’t have, of the things that might go wrong, our fears for the future.

never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.’

‘YET’…the whole direction of the passage has changed. He has chosen to re-focus on the truth of God’s goodness, and this flies in the face of his list of complaints. The list of complaints isn’t the end of the story!!

We all have our own list…things we’re angry about, people we are angry with, things we don’t understand, failures in our life, opportunities we didn’t take, fears about the future…YET we call this to mind: God is good, God is faithful and his mercies never fail.

17 ‘Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 YET I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength!

He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

(Habbakuk 3:17-19)

Jeremiah made his list of gripes through 20 verses, but then the conjunction comes into play and it changes everything.

I encourage you to claim ‘the YET’ for your personal list.

‘The thought of my suffering is beyond words. I will never forget the awful time…YET I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord

Written by Vivien Callander who, together with her husband Ian, are CVA Chaplains for Victoria.

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