CHURCH CAMP THANKSGIVING

Praise the Lord for the church camp we had in Bangkok, 12–16 June 2017. It was a blessed time for the family, for husbands and wives, fathers and mothers to spend time together with their children, for church members to fellowship with fellow brethren over meals and at free time, and most importantly for all to spend time with the Lord to worship Him and meditate on His Word.

The Lord Himself knew the importance of taking such a break from the daily grind of life. In Mark 6:31 we find Jesus telling His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” Our good Lord set the precedent for church retreats and camps.

I thank the Lord for the privilege of being the camp speaker, to speak on the theme “Our Indispensable Comforter”. It concerns the Holy Spirit whom our Lord called “another Comforter”, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16–17).

Who is the Holy Spirit, what does He do, why is He so necessary in our lives today? These questions were dealt with in the following seven messages: (1) The Third Person of the Holy Trinity, (2) The Holy Spirit in Evangelism and Salvation, (3) The Holy Spirit in Biblical Inspiration and Preservation, (4) The Holy Spirit in Biblical Interpretation and Discernment, (5) The Holy Spirit in Prayer and Decision-Making, (6) The Holy Spirit in Sanctification and Service, (7) The Holy Spirit in Counselling and Restraining. The Rev Lee Kim Shong spoke on the same theme to the Chinese congregation. The camp concluded with a Q&A on the final day.

On the missions night of the camp, the Rev Lee, who is the pastor of Calvary Jaya Bible-Presbyterian Fellowship, gave a report of Calvary Jaya’s missions in China and the work of FEBC graduates there. Besides China, Calvary Jaya has missions in North Thailand and East Malaysia (Miri and Kuching). The Church is also in charge of the campsite in Mersing (Resort Lautan Biru). True Life Session decided that the offerings collected on the final night of thanksgiving be given to the support of Calvary Jaya’s missions and Mersing. The total amount collected: (1) SGD6,399.75, (2) RM500, (3) Baht70,460, (4) AUD200, (5) NZD20, (6) USD10.

The Rev Lee wrote in an email (25 June 2017), “We would like to express our thankfulness to God for your generosity in giving to the cause of missions of Calvary Jaya B-P Fellowship. Words cannot fully describe our gratefulness. It is totally beyond our expectation. Ephesians 3:20–21: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ Thank you for your fellowship in the gospel. The Lord be with you all.”

We thank the Lord for Campmaster Dn Beng Lee and his committee for their labour of love. Thank God for journey mercies to and fro, and for all the physical and spiritual blessings we have received during the camp. Please pray for the next camp that God willing you should come and not miss out on a good thing. Pray also for the Lord to guide me on what the next camp theme should be, and the campsite for 2018. JK

Children of the Camp: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14).