18 September 2019
You’re empowering children to grow deeper in faith
Faith was never meant to be passive. It’s something to be lived and experienced.
Through your support for SU QLD’s camping ministry, young Queenslanders are being challenged and inspired to live out their faith and make a difference in their community.
Quest Camp is centered on challenging activities and experiences to help children grow deeper in their faith. For children who have grown up in church, it is their opportunity to explore how they can put their faith into action to help those less fortunate.
Pastor at Vision Community Church, Debbie Dodds, launched Toowoomba Quest Camp in 2017.
“It’s a discipleship camp, focused on challenging and inspiring kids who already have a faith to dig deep,” Debbie says.
“We want to give them life experiences that stretch them, so that at the end of the 5-day program these campers have done some quite courageous things.”
Central to the camp’s mission are community outreach activities, aimed at extending campers beyond their comfort zones so they can experience how Jesus equips them to engage in community.
“Over the last two years we have taken the campers to feed the homeless in Toowoomba, run a simulation of what it would be like to live as a refugee, and visited an independent living facility for adults with mental disabilities,” Debbie recalls.
“This year we challenged our campers to engage in a cross cultural setting with Yazidi refugees, who recently settled in Toowoomba.
“The day was full of sport, games and dancing together. At night we ate a Syrian feast cooked by the Yazidi mothers, before gathering around a campfire to sing songs and toast marshmallows.
“It was a delight, and I think we built bridges better than any of us expected.”
For camper Melody, Quest Camp was a week that helped her learn to depend more on God.
“I heard about the camp when my older sister went to the first Toowoomba Quest camp in 2017,” Melody says.
“My favourite parts of camp were when we were pushed out of our comfort zones to do things we’d never imagine we could.
“When the Yazidi people came over it was very silent at first, but once we broke the silence and started up conversations with them that changed.
“Then we played sport together and sang songs around the camp fire – that was the most enjoyable part for me.
“It’s taught me that life will definitely be very challenging and hard sometimes, but God will always be there for me.”
Your support is crucial for camps like Quest to continue. You can help continue to powerfully impact children and young people. Visit suqld.org.au/donate.
