Fifty Years a Follower and It All Started at Lake Mac

CRUVIEW

Lake Mac will always hold a special place in the heart of Adrian Lamrock – because it’s where he first put his faith in Jesus.

“When I came on my first Crusader camp 52 years ago, I heard the gospel explained. As the week progressed it became very clear to me that I needed to do something about it!”

Adrian is quick to note that his journey to following Jesus had begun before camp:

“I grew up with Christian parents and siblings. We were always taken to Sunday School and then church. This is an inestimable blessing, for children to have their parents and grandparents pass on Biblical knowledge and example. I’d never really doubted that God existed, nor that Jesus was God’s Son.”

However, it wasn’t until his first CRU® Camp that Adrian really considered what impact this truth would have on his life. He remembers:

“I attended my first sailing camp (Junior Boys Sailing No. 2) in December 1966. It was during this camp, both in the talks and in the quiet times, led by Dr David Campbell, that I realised, although I knew much about the gospel and had been brought up with a reasonable knowledge of the Bible, I had never actually done anything about it. There was no relationship between God and me. David Campbell’s careful and considered discussions with me led me to make a commitment to Jesus, sitting under a tree looking out over the lake, just near Honeymoon Cottage. I’m not sure I really understood much about that commitment at the time, but I knew I wanted to be a Christian. God has held me to Himself ever since, often despite myself!”

For young people who have heard about Jesus through their families, or through school, CRU Camps provide an opportunity for them to get out of their normal environment and think for themselves about what the truth of the gospel means.

As Adrian notes, “You’re putting them in a community where the gospel is the central bit. Yes, you’re here for the sailing. Yes, you’re here for the games. Yes, you’re here for the friends you make. But to me, the gospel and the teaching of Scripture is the central part. You’re taking people away from their normal situation and they’re able to focus on

AUTUMN 2019

something that maybe they’ve never thought about before.”

Adrian’s faith in Jesus has shaped his whole life. As he looks back, he reflects, “Being a Christian through my teen years was not easy and I think there were some difficult times but, as I have said, God has never let go of me and has continued to reveal Himself through the Bible and through His leading in my life. This has impacted my choice of career – teaching, so that I could have lots of time to serve on Crusader camps! It has been foundational in my marriage and family life [Adrian and his wife, Kerrie, have just celebrated their 40 th wedding anniversary] and my involvement in the various churches of which I have been a part. It’s amazing for me to reflect on the guidance God has shown me in so many aspects of life, including my time as Crusaders' Executive Director, from 1987 to 1992.”

Adrian reflects back to that first camp at Lake Mac where he started following Jesus.

“Lake Mac will always be special to me because becoming a Christian there has governed what my life has become and the person I am. Being a Christian does change the whole way you live your life. If it doesn’t there’s something wrong.”

Now that Lake Mac is undergoing redevelopment, Adrian is excited about bigger and better holiday camps reaching kids who were like him, who need a push to make a commitment to Jesus – as well as those who wouldn’t otherwise have ever heard the gospel. He shares:

“Children aren’t going to church like they might have done back in my time, but they will come on a camp, because it’s fun. A lot of my school friends came to Crusader camps because they were fun. They weren’t interested in the gospel but they heard it, and some responded. I think we need to be looking at every

Pictured: Adrian at Lake Mac's Honeymoon Cottage.

Lake Mac will always be special to me “ because becoming a Christian there has governed what my life has become and the person I am. “

opportunity we can to get children along on camp because they may not hear the gospel otherwise.”

Adrian is so enthusiastic about the future of the Lake Mac site. He shares with heartfelt emotion, “It’s 52 years since I became a Christian at Lake Mac. Kerrie and I now have six grandchildren and I hope they will all have the blessing, challenge and encouragement that comes from attending CRU and Summit camps at Lake Mac. I’m delighted that my eldest grandson recently attended his first Summit Camp at Lake Mac in March!"