Mission Possible – Summer Camp 2025

This year’s summer camp took place from Monday 28th July to the 1st of August at the Boundless Outdoor Centre in Bell Heath Stourbridge. The theme for the week was Mission Possible as we tried to show the young people of our church that through God and with the support and love of each other all things were possible.

There was a total of 12 campers this year and whilst that is a low number compared to last year it was a wonderful experience of togetherness and sharing in fellowship and faith. Because of the smaller size of camp, we were able to offer extra activities which meant that the Tuesday was an action-packed day. It began with climbing and a zip wire through the forest in the morning and then in the afternoon we took on the challenge of a high ropes course. Seeing the campers overcome their fears and listen to them support each other whenever one of them had a wobble (literally and figuratively speaking) was an absolute privilege. I’ve been a leader of summer camp for a number of years, and it is always something that I admire about our young people who, every year, seem to grow in confidence and love of each other. In the evening, we had a more relaxed time around a campfire where we ate marshmallows and baked dough and sang some classic campfire songs about a boa constrictor, a baby shark and a man called Joe who worked at the butter factory.

Wednesday was back to a more recognisable format as we began with bible studies that were done in their house groups. The campers explored the story of Joseph and looked at 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-28. We decided to name the house groups Dober and Nitschmann to fit with the theme of ‘Mission’. I believe it is important to teach the young people of our church about their history so they can use the past to be inspired for the future. We set each group the task to research their namesake and then present information about them on the Thursday which they did expertly and with passion and enthusiasm. In the afternoon we had some more activities as we did bushcraft and rifle shooting where some of us showed a high level of skill and some of us (myself definitely included) couldn’t hit a barn door. In the evening, we enjoyed a film night where we watched ‘Johnny English’ and ate popcorn. The film was a great way to unwind and share in laughter although it’s fair to say that nobody laughed quite as often or as loud as Sr Sue Groves. It was great to share in that joy though.

On our final full day together, we had a sporty afternoon of races and games that was interrupted by a huge and much needed water fight where we all got soaked. It had been a long hot day, so this was the perfect way to cool down. After we’d all got dry, we spent some time thinking about the week we’d had and what the campers had liked and not liked so that we can learn for next time. In the evening, I did some magic, and we played an epic outdoor version of their favourite game ‘Werewolf’ (think ‘The Traitors’ meets ‘Wink Murder’ and you’ll get the idea).

Our final act together saw us dish out awards to each of the campers for things like, ‘the greatest showman’, ‘best hair’ (which went to a camper who dyed his hair red one day) and the ‘funniest camper’. We then had a special cup of covenant service reflecting on its origins as a way to send out missionaries like Dober and Nitschmann.

Overall, Summer Camp 2025 was a real blessing to be a part of and we made lasting memories and friendships throughout the week. In next month’s ‘Moravian Messenger’ there will be more personal reflections from leaders and campers but for now I think, with all things considered, we can all look back at this camp and say … ‘Mission Achieved’!

Br James Woolford

Summer Camp Leader; Youth and Childrens Committee