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A WORLDVIEW-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
extreme experience of being outdoors for 11 days. Our teenagers and instructors can’t help but encounter God in the richness of the surrounding landscape. Just as faith formation in the outdoors is front and centre, so too is environmental sustainability as we look firstly to uptake the mandate given to humanity in Genesis, and secondly the directives given to us by the SUNZ Board. There’s also a third element at play here: the young people we engage with are just as passionate about creation care as we are, and this has become an issue of faith for teenagers. We can often try to separate these concerns from the heart of Scripture, but I’m convinced they are all intertwined, and it’s interesting to see the youth of today uphold that mandate as well. As you can imagine, all our camps engage with creation care in different and yet significant ways. For example, on a 2021 snow camp at our iconic SU Adventure Lodge at Ruapehu, we celebrated how much waste we offset as we practiced recycling and composting. We only had one bag of rubbish for 30 people over six days! It was a fitting end to our week of exploring different expressions of God’s love and practical ways we can respond to it. As an organisation we are seeking to apply our Board mandate across the full breadth of what we do. In many ways this is a formalising of the already present conversation—and a prompt to be even more ambitious in this area—as much as it is a celebration of what we already do. This acts as a “stretching goal” that allows for constant growth and sits naturally alongside the other intentions we have in place for our ministries. This is an exciting time for us and we’re looking forward to sharing with you all the ways this continues to play out.
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Marguerite (Margo) Johansson is a committed SUNZ camper. Have a read and find out what she thought about Summer Supreme this year. WORLDVIEW-SHAPING EXPERIENCE
Summer Supreme 2022 camp was an unforgettable experience! We were a team of 12 campers aged 13 -19, staying at SU Lodge on Mt Ruapehu. During the five-day camp we were fortunate to take part in adventure sports like mountain biking, kayaking and tramping. We were also intentional about developing our faith, focusing on the topic of ‘Worldview’. Each day a leader told us how their worldview had been shaped and, in small group time, we discussed how our upbringing, culture and experiences have shaped our different perspectives. Our first full day was spent mountain biking on the Old Coach Road on Mt Ruapehu. This was my first mountain biking experience and I was slightly nervous I would crash. Thankfully, before we set out on the cobbled track, two leaders gave us helpful tips on mountain biking, such as braking ‘little and often,’ which helped us enjoy the experience and stay safe on the mountain. The next day was spent kayaking on Lake Taupo. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a leisurely paddle to a little bay where Salmon, a leader, shared his inspiring testimony and challenged me to think about how I am acting on my faith. On Day 4 – our final full day – we tramped 13 km from The Chateau base to the Mangawhero campsite through stunning alpine terrain stirred to life by summer; a patchwork of shrubbery and forest. We power-walked as we had to meet a deadline. Team members were getting tired and morale was beginning to deflate when our leader, Natalie, reminded us to support one another with words of encouragement. I was amazed at how we connected as a team by lifting each other up with encouraging words. A key learning for me was the power of words. At the Mangawhero campsite we swam, had a BBQ dinner and enjoyed wairua (spirit) time, essentially free time to marvel at our surroundings, talk to God, or play games together. Going to Summer Supreme camp was an immense privilege. I made friends, broadened my perspective on worldview, learnt the value of teamwork and kotahitanga, and improved my adventure sport skills. After going to camp I am much more eager to step outside my comfort zone, meet new people and explore God’s creation. As William Shakespeare wrote, ‘The Earth has music for those who listen.’
