One Family Discovery Camp (Part 2)

by Rev. James Wong

Last week I shared with you on the One Family Discovery Camp which we organized for the church on the 20-22 September 2009 during the Hari Raya holidays. How was it? There were 50 of us there. God had given us fine weather and we had a good time of worship, fellowship, learning, sweating and great fun together. I would summarize the camp as a fantastic experience of discovery for most of us. Here are the highlights of the camp. Participants were divided into 4 groups from the beginning and there were various competitions going on.

Discover 1: The theme for this session was Love One Another. We watch a very moving movie FIREPROOF. Most of us laughed and cried through the movie. What do you do with a marriage that is breaking down? The easy way out is to get out of a relationship where there is no hope for mutual love, respect and reconciliation. The 40 days ’Love Dare’ book is a book that talks about how to treat your partner in a loving way. But how do you love someone who rejects you repeatedly? You cannot give what you do not have. Unless you have the love and forgiveness of Christ in you life it is impossible to keep on loving. The movie teaches us what real love is in a marriage.

Discovery 2: The theme for this sessions was Accepting One Another. Genesis 1:27-28 tells us that God created man and female according to his image. However God used dust to create Adam and a rib from Adam to create Eve. The difference of substances here has a deeper meaning. Both man and woman were created different although they were created equal. We explored some of the major differences between the thinking of a man and a woman. Not being aware of these differences can be a source of constant conflicts. The key in a marriage relationship is to accept each other’s uniqueness with love and respect (Eph 5:33).

Discovery 3: The theme for this session was Encourage One Another. Everyone was given an A3 size paper to draw a picture that represents his/her life. This was where everyone got a chance to see the creativity of others. After the sharing, everyone wrote a positive comment on the work of others. Then everyone moved around and see the works of other group members and also put down a positive comment. It was a moment of great encouragement for everyone and it was a practical way to put into action the words of Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) “Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

Discovery 4: The theme for this session was Involve one another. Each group acted out a biblical story to the great surprise and laughter of everyone. The creativity of each group was beyond expectation. It was through teamwork that each group was able to present the message in a clear, creative and hilarious manner. The best actor award went to bro. Yap Fook Lim who played the role of Samson’s girl friend who betrayed him.

I thank God for this wonderful One Family Discovery Camp and for those of you who had a good holiday during the Hari Raya holidays.