In a time of safe distancing and restricted travel, holding a church camp seems like an odd decision. But over three days in November, around 50 Gracians and friends gathered for a hybrid church camp (comprising in-person and online elements). Most tuned in from the comfort of their homes while some met in homes, keeping to social gathering restrictions of five visitors.
Our camp speaker was Rev Oh Boon Leong, Senior Pastor of Mount Carmel Bible-Presbyterian Church. Over the three days, he shared five messages from the Gospel of Mark on the discipleship-focused camp theme, "Our Journey Together in Christ".
"Mark does not give us a set of lectures [on what discipleship is all about]. He shows us what a disciple looks like... and so through character study, we're going to tease out the key themes of discipleship." - Rev Oh Boon Leong
Rev Boon Leong highlighted five marks of a disciple through the five messages:
Learner and obedient
Willing to follow Jesus wholeheartedly
Followership, faith and joy
Generosity and trust
Extravagant love
Besides the messages, the camp programme included a prayer time for Grace church outreach ministries, games, and breakout rooms for discussion. At the end of the camp, participants were encouraged to serve in seven aspects of ministries, namely, Church Organisation, Worship, Evangelism, Fellowship Groups, Connecting Gracians, Bible Class, and Children.
"...one of the key things that I takeaway is that discipleship is a journey that we all must take together. It is not a journey that we help other people walk but it is a journey that we all walk together, both leaders and members." - Lim Chien Chong
We thank the camp committee for organising a church camp that kept the fellowship and focus on Christ, even in a time of safe distancing and restricted travel.
The camp committee is made up of Deacon David, Deacon Chien Chong, Sue San, Ai Ling, Joanna, and Deacon Oei Kiang.
If you missed the messages or would like to watch them again, you can view them below: