Our Secondary Camp Shine really was a celebration of all that is special about our RPCS community. It was a time for our Secondary students to make lasting memories with friends, enjoy outdoor activities, powerful worship evenings and sacred time in both personal prayer spaces and group Bible study. It was particularly memorable for our Year 12 students as they enter their final year of school. In a wonderful launching of a new camp tradition, our Year 12s had a lovely star lit evening together around a bonfire which erupted into a spontaneous time of praise and worship. The goal also for Year 12 was to involve them as much as possible in the camp organisation and to give them opportunities to shine as student leaders of the school. We were incredibly proud of them as they all assumed leadership roles within their Family Groups by shining lights of leadership, kindness, respect and good humour.
Our prefects ran the Thursday morning Bible Study sessions across Years 7-12 on our key verse Phil 2: 15 and were also involved in the Thursday morning Prayer Spaces activities in the main hall. Prayer Spaces enabled all students to take 45 minutes to find creative and personal ways to connect with God through prayer using the twelve different activities provided such as journaling, worshipping through art, Lectio Divina and other outdoor craft and interactive activities. The goal was to encourage our students to find stillness in a device free space surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.
Both Night Rally sessions with the dress up theme of Shine saw students wearing high vis, fairy lights, tinsel and glow sticks. It added to a wonderful atmosphere of joy and fun but also became profound moments for our students to really hold onto the word of life- Jesus! There was a genuine desire for the students to encounter God and to grow deeper in their understanding of his great love for them and of their call to be shining lights in a dark world in need of hope.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to the committed and servant hearted staff at RPCS who gave up family time, sleep and their own free time to be on call 24 hours a day while on camp. Camp would be impossible to do without them, and we appreciate all the effort it takes to provide such a unique experience for our Secondary students.
Celebrating 50 Years of God’s Faithfulness
