An example of serving others

After six years of volunteering on various CRU Holiday Camps, James Newton stepped up last summer and agreed to be a camp director on Triple S. He’s currently completing his final year of a Bachelor of Education and Arts at the University of Sydney and doing part-time teacher’s aide work at St Paul’s Grammar School.

Like many other CRU connections, James first heard about CRU Camps through his parents, Geoff and Kelly Newton. They directed various CRU Camps, and rather than attending CRU Camps as a registered Year 4 camper, he would join his parents as they led on camps. “My parents actually used to direct a sailing camp in the early 2000s, and they also directed some ski camps,” he recalls. “Those camps are probably my first memories of going on CRU Camps.”

Attending camps with his parents meant that James’ experience on CRU Camps was slightly different from the average camper. Although he still had the opportunity to enjoy the fun activities and make new friends, the impact on his faith was quite unique. James remembers the effect of seeing the example of his parents as they served.

“Being a kid who was on camps but not there as a camper, and seeing my parents serve, just showed me how we should be serving others.” He continues, “The way my parents were there to direct the camp gave me an example of what to do and how to serve as you get older.”

And that is exactly what he did. James decided to serve as a volunteer leader on a Study Camp as soon as he completed high school. He remembers his first time leading, “The opportunity to share the gospel with kids was great. It’s really good when you come to the

end of the week, and you see the growth in campers – whether it’s ‘I’m not really interested’ to ‘I’m a little bit interested,’ or even just a greater respect towards Christians in general, or you have people putting their faith in Jesus – all those responses are encouraging. And often, you just get to have a lot of fun on camp – I guess I wouldn’t go if it weren’t fun!”

Pictured: James directing on Triple S, CRU Holiday Camp

“Leading on CRU Camps is a really good opportunity to serve and help grow God’s kingdom,” he says. “I also like the friendships you make with other leaders and the camaraderie on camp, as well as the opportunities to be fun and silly and make some good friends.”

CRU Holiday Camps are held every school holiday and can’t happen without the help of over a thousand volunteer leaders and directors that sacrifice their time and energy to plan and run the camps. On every camp, leaders wake up campers, get to know and eat meals with the campers, run Christian Discovery sessions and discussion groups, and enjoy various activities with the campers like sailing, skiing, abseiling, canoeing, horse riding and tubing.

On Triple S, James had the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges that came with leading the team as the camp director. “It was a good opportunity to lead other leaders and try to share whatever advice or experience I’ve learnt on camp,” he explains. “A lot of the leaders were first-time leaders, so it was a joy to be able to help them serve the campers as best they can.”

About the challenges, he shares, “You have general challenges of ensuring kids are feeling safe and enjoying their time on camp – that gives a good foundation for being able to connect with them. Then you have challenges around how best to share your faith with the campers and ask meaningful questions that help them consider what the gospel means for them personally.”

In addition to serving and seeing campers grow in their faith, James shares that leading on CRU Camps has also helped him in his spiritual walk. “Serving on a CRU Camp always gives you a bit of increased motivation to be growing in your relationship with God. A whole week invested in the Bible grows you and helps you see what you do know and how the Holy Spirit can help you in answering questions,” he reflects.

“There have been times where I’ll be on a camp, and all the challenges in life would pale in comparison to how God is working on camp. It’s definitely a great way to build your faith.”

Keen to share the gospel with kids on a CRU Holiday Camp?

Email cruleaders@cru.edu.au to find out more about becoming a volunteer leader and serving on a camp.

Zoom in: CRU Holiday Camps

• CRU runs activity camps, day programs and Study Camps in the school holidays for more than 4,000 campers on over 80 camps each year.

• Campers enjoy a range of variety of exciting activities including sailing, rock climbing, dirt biking, horse riding, skiing, surfing, laser tag and more.

• All camps have Christian Discovery sessions that are appropriate for their age group. Campers hear the gospel and have opportunities to ask questions and explore faith.

• Study Camps for Year 12 students provide a supportive study environment. They are focused on encouraging maximum independent study complemented by assistance from experienced tutors, teachers and leaders.

• Camps can’t happen without the help of over 1,000 wonderful Christian volunteer leaders. Each year, CRU trains approximately 350 leaders in leadership, first aid, camping ministry, evangelism and child protection.