Dave's blog

Dave is this years (and previous years) Highway Summer Camp Manager! Here on the website he writes a blog about preparation and thoughts of this years Summer camp! Yay!

Post Camp 2011

Hi all,

I know the summer camp seems a long distant memory as the temperature drops and the rain sets in! But I just wanted to write a few words of reflection on what, we all agreed at the post camp meeting, was the best summer celebration yet.

This was a camp of firsts!!
The first time we had a separate youth event which was attended by groups from Sweden, Serbia, the Brits and the USA. The youth had a cool and fun time but more importantly a spirit filled time!! They were really immersed and this clearly flowed over into the weekend celebration and touched us all.
It was the first time we had two speakers stay with us for the whole time. Nancy and Christine, and the boys, made this a very special event for us all and I hope they'll be back next year even if its just to enjoy the company.
It was also the first time we had had a camp fire every night and it was really great to see how welcome this was in the faces around the fire. There is something both peaceful and spritual about fire outdoors.
There was another first connected to the camp fire. It was the first time Andy didn't play his guitar!! Praise the Lord. LOL

As the rest of the church joined the youth for the weekend celebration I really felt the youth group had warmed the ground spiritually for us and it was the Holy Spirit that welcomed us so well on the Friday night. This set the scene for the rest of the weekend and I can honestly say I hadn't seen the spirit flowing so freely. The Sunday night was something very special for many there.
I wonder if the fact we put less emphasis on teaching/speaking and more on making connections with God, the Holy Spirit and, of course, each other that it helped free us to immerse in the spirit.
There is definately something about sharing food, prayer and fellowship that also helps us connect in many ways.

Well all the team will be connecting again soon, probably end November, to plan next years camp and I hope the memories of this year event will inspire us to build on such a great camp for next year.

Happy Winter!
Blessings D

David Gordon, 27/10/2011

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Summer camp 2011

Although I have been connected to Highway for a relatively short time I have come to love the people, the fellowship and more importantly God. Now, the order of these words is correct. I wasn’t a Christian when I first walked into Highway so the Love shown by all was significant. That Love from Highway, and ultimately God’s unconditional Love, changed my life for the better.

And do you know what? I want others to feel it, touch it and be changed by it too!!!

Over many years Highway has stood on words prophesied over the church. The words are from Isaiah 40:3-5. I’ve no need to repeat the words exactly here but the main points are important to our vision for the future. “Prepare the Highway in the wilderness so that the Glory of the Lord will be revealed and all Mankind together will see it."

Our camps have prepared us for the act of helping others see the Lord’s Glory revealed.

In the literal sense we have learned practical skills, like serving, sharing and how to engage in our community.

In the spiritual sense we have learned to pray, worship, prophesy and use the many giftings the Lord has given Highway.

But the crucial point is we have done this together, as one, as a community. As a loving, praying, serving, worshipping community!!! Praise the Lord.

I therefore believe that our camps are essential to realise the words prophesied over this church and are therefore essential to the growth of Highway.

Now we have continued the monthly Camp meetings after the end of last year’s camp and have been primarily looking at the vision rather than the practicalities. With the blank canvas we have at the farm (thanks to Supercamps blessing us by finding another location), the camp can, and will, look different to previous years.

There are several ideas we have quite literally thrown at each other during those meetings and we can now say the following:-

It will serve as a youth event, both our own and from other areas;
It will serve as a teaching, preaching, worship and prayer event;
And it will serve as a Highway celebration.

But as we are not limited to just 1 weekend it could do “all of the above” but not necessarily on the same days.

What is clear is that the weekend of the 29th, 30th and 31st of July WILL BE:-

Fun activities for the family to involve themselves in together;
Great food, BBQ and camp fire;
Fantastic fellowship, worship and prayer;
Inspirational teaching and testimonies…

And a celebration of church and community.

That’s all for now but keep checking back for more blogs as we progress towards the summer.

Love and Blessings Dave

Dave Gordon, 21/06/2011

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