Big Camp… a hyped-up, glorified camp meeting that the people think is the best thing in the world. I had been hearing about Big Camp from the first week that I had arrived. It was the holy grail of SDA events! Everyone went, no one stayed home! My mind would be blown after only 20 minutes there! I would come back forever changed and from that point on I would never be satisfied with any other Adventist activity ever, forever, AMEN!
So what is Big Camp? Camp Meeting….. Australian style. Now usually this doesn’t mean that a whole lot is different. Maybe the people are a bit more relaxed and the atmosphere is more chill…. probably nothing more.
WRONG.
It beats the socks off of Soquel Camp Meeting and every other Camp Meeting I have ever been to! These people really take their week long spiritual enrichment serious! First thing, EVERYONE camps there. Usually around 4000-5000 people attend and most stay in these large tents with bunks and as many amenities as can be brought in via car, truck, or ever space ship.
Average Tent
Our Tent with 2 Couches and a BBQ
We decided that it was absolutely necessary for us to eat only delicious BBQ every night so we brought an entire gas grill. And for the sake of comfort we needed to couches to make sure that that people that would hang out at our tent would be comfy. We had the dream pad!
The tents are bigger then Soquel and more people stay around for the entire period. A tradition is for everyone to head to the beach for an afternoon of fun EVERYDAY. Here are some of the pictures we shot while engaging in some of this tradition.
Of course the main reason to go to something like Big Camp is of course the meetings. I was expecting something fun and light but I was massively mistaken. Boy do those Aussies know how to worship! The praise band was off the hook! I would have had no problem paying to see them in concert! The songs were fantastic (all the songs are different from the ones we sing in the US) and the atmosphere was completely amazing. The music would have been the highlight for the entire camp for me if it wasn’t for a guy named Matthew Gamble.
Matt is a completely crazy ADHD speaker that goes off his rocker constantly. He’s pretty much unable to keep on topic for more then 5 minutes and his talks are regularly interrupted by music references (rap no less) or lewd jokes. That and the guys seems to hate a lot of the old Seventh Day Adventist practices and beliefs. He’s all for breaking the Sabbath (he had constant references to swimming on the Sabbath), disrespecting churches (inappropriate dress and jewelry), and unchristian behavior (specifically dancing). He is the type of guy that could go into a church and have the building emptied before he gets halfway through his talk (if he can even stay on topic long enough). I can imagine many of my peers back at school writing him off as a left-wing nut. Someone that is completely ludicrous and without proper sense of religion. After hearing him speak all week I only had one thing to say.
THANK GOD FOR MATT GAMBLE!
All week he spoke simply about Jesus. He started in Genesis and ended in Revelation. It was during that 10 day journey that I died a being a born and bred Seventh Day Adventist and was resurrected a Christ follower. Now I’m not saying I’m not SDA anymore…. that’s not what I mean at all. What I am meaning is that I am now a follower of Jesus in action, teaching, and spirit rather then just a keeper of SDA doctrine. Matt slowly went through ALL of my old ingrained beliefs of religion and salvation and blew them to bits while simply teaching Jesus. What does my music taste, my Sabbath afternoon activities, and my dress have to do with any of my salvation or relationship with Jesus? Why do we require ties (a pagan phallic symbol) at Church when Jesus, who was homeless, went to synagogue dressed in his everyday clothes? Why is it taboo to wade in water above my knees on the Sabbath when God created the water for us to enjoy everyday? Why are drums not allowed in the church why Psalms 150 says to praise God loudly with the clashing cymbal? Why is it OK for us to tell people that they aren’t accepted by God while wearing necklaces and jewelry yet expect them to believe us when we say God loves them just as they are? WHAT IS GOING ON?
Though it might not have been his goal during his nightly talks, Matt took me through the Bible and through Jesus’s ministry on a mission to separate religious doctrine with true Godly spirituality. About salvation through faith, not through becoming a better “Christian”. About Jesus’s love that accepts people as the way they are, not how much religious potential they have. About how I can proudly put my hand up and declare that I am saved now matter what I do or how I act. wow……….WOOOW!! Talk about a total revelation! That are huge things…. HUGE THINGS!!!! Through discussion and prayer I have come to realize that it is only my mission in life to love as Jesus did, learn about Him and His methods, and help people through their struggles whether spiritual, physical, or ideological. I am not here on this earth to convert people, that is the Holy Spirits job. I am here to be God’s hands or feet; His earthly instrument that will point back up to Him. I am not allowed to judge other human beings. I am not allowed to say I have all the answers. I am not allowed to tell people how they should or shouldn’t be. These are not things that I was created to do. I was created to have a relationship with God and with my fellow humans. I was created to love, enjoy life, and rest. Why do I fill my life with such overly complicating things?
Halfway through the meetings Matt made a call for churched people, but not baptized people, to come forward and be baptized. Two Charlie kids went up while the rest of us yelled and cheered! Then 2 more kids were baptized during the week anyway.
Big things were happening during the meetings. Some nights we would be jumping during the music and others we were dancing the background. The Spirit could be felt heavily. God was there….. and He was AWESOME! Is Awesome… forever awesome.
All of the days were relaxed…. usually afternoons were spent at the beach or on the lounges back at the tent. A ton of the kids got into Rubik Cubing and it was named the official sport of Big Camp 2009
The last day (Sabbath) we woke up and watched the Sun rise over the ocean! It was so incredibly beautiful and wonderful to just bask in God’s creation. When we first arrived at the water there were whales not more then 500 meters away coming up to breathe. An entire pod was there surfacing and diving again. There wasn’t enough light for me to take pictures so I am peeved about that. Days earlier we had seen them full on jumping out of the water, but I didn’t have the camera!! Agh! When the sun finally came up it found a good amount of groggy teens chilling and worshiping God on a grassy hill. Absolutely wow!
So yes….. I would have to say that Big Camp pulled a Dark Knight and lived up to it’s crazy amount of hype. Definitely one of the most life changing weeks I have ever had. The best part was that I got to share it with so many of the kids here. These guys are so awesome. They put up with my crazy games (we had an impromptu game of Pictionary using only stuff we could draw in the sand, so much fun!), my elegant foot-in-mouth syndrome, and my American ways. That and in all that they can still somehow see a man of God deep in there.
Man, I LOVE YOU CHARLESTOWN CHURCH!
So there it is… the story of my Big Camp experience. If you want to see ALL the pictures from the trip check out my Picasa WebAlbum of the trip.
Pictures of Big Camp Australia
I love you all reading this! I will be posting some video blogs here pretty soon. I took a couple quick videos while I was away and I just now have to get them converted and ready to edit up / post up. I miss you all….. and I can’t wait to share with you more on what is happening at this Church. God is working strongly here…. there is a revival coming.
Posted by Ashlee on 21/10/2009 at 9:10 am
Wow, Ryan. Sounds like this camp meeting was a great thing to have gone to.
I’ve heard Matt Gamble speak, at my academy, and he’s been at Southern, too. A person should love Jesus and do what He wants them to do, and if that includes some of those things that the “rules” include, so be it. At least, in my opinion. Anyway, the important thing is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It’s the relationship, not the rules.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the camp meeting. Oh, and the next mailing was sent out today (Tuesday). Just FYI.
Posted by smacherman on 22/10/2009 at 9:57 am
The thing that I have lately begun to wrestle with is which of our traditional SDA beliefs really have anything to do with salvation? Better yet, which ones would Jesus follow if he were here today? They’re questions that I don’t yet have answers too. Thanks for the input though!!
Posted by Ashlee on 22/10/2009 at 11:03 am
Both very good questions that are worth wrestling with. I’m glad you’re growing in your walk with Christ, which is the most important part.