In Part 2 of our Emerge Camp 2023 report, campers from different camps share how their lives were transformed as they and their fellow campers met God in a special way.
CampF火re (CL, KEL, WR, WYZ, ZY Zones)
By Shannon Chiang
Held from 10 to 13 June at Kampung Siglap, CampF火RE changed the lives of many. The theme of the camp was “Let My Life be Worship”.
At one of the morning sessions, zone supervisor Catherine Lee preached a sermon titled, “Let My Life be Worship”. “Love is expressed through worship,” she explained. “We are here by the grace of God, everything we do is worship to Him. It is never about others, it’s just between you and God.”
Mark 12:30 (NIV) reads, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Because we love God, we worship Him.
To me, worshipping means surrendering yourself completely to God. It is to give Him praise and love, and that was all I did during camp. This year’s camp carried a spirit of love and hunger for God which was so evident in the campers who prayed, praised and worshipped with a blazing passion.
Team leader Xavier Chen, 17, shared, “It was hard for me to surrender and worship during ministry because of events in the past, but I heard this still small voice singing to me, ‘For you said, peace be still, know I am God, I go before you I hold your heart, be strong my child for I am yours, I am yours’.” Upon hearing those words, Xavier broke down.
“God spoke to me saying, ‘Surrender all your pain and grief to me and let your life be worship. Let me remove your negativity so that I can replace it with the love and joy you deserve.’ After that, I just felt utter peace and comfort in knowing that God is mine. I’ll lead my life worshipping him because it is what I want, despite the situations or challenges I’m facing. I will worship him forever,” he said.
Indeed CAMPF火RE was very transformative and revitalising. May we let our experiences in camp translate into our daily lives and serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to us when we find ourselves facing obstacles in life. As one of our camp cheers goes: “Hallelujah, Amen ah!”
LOUD! Camp (AN Zone)
By Chester Lim
2 Corinthians 5:17 reads, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.”
This year’s LOUD! Camp was themed “ANEW life”, encouraging campers to transition to a new Christian life by wrestling more with God.
The camp was held from 11 to 13 June at CHC’s Jurong West premise. On the final night, CHC pastor, Audrey Ng, raised the example of Jacob, who stole his older brother Esau’s birthright. He later sought to redeem himself, and on the same night when he was alone, wrestled with a man (Gen 32:24). God had appeared in front of Jacob, yet he desired more—he wanted to receive God’s blessings.
“The Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him,” wrote theologian AW Tozer. God had intentionally approached Jacob when he was alone to weaken and conquer him, and to change his name from that of a cheater to that of a prince. Jacob’s life was fully transformed from the moment he encountered God, prompting Pastor Audrey to note, “When you have a touch from God, you will never walk the same.”
A new creation can be established through certain ways—a change in thinking, speaking and company. This was the main message preached by Pastor Wu Yuzhuang during the first-ever combined LOUD! Campfire on Day One. He spoke about Gideon, who hailed from the weakest clan in Israel, Manasseh. Gideon was initially fearful of saving Israel. However, with God’s anointing, he eventually conquered the Midianites. He experienced a change in mindset and believed in himself as the Lord was with him (Judges 6:16). After acquiring a new revelation, he received a new confession (Judges 7:15).
“Being an exception—a child of God—you are who you say you are!” Pastor Zhuang declared, encouraging the campers to persevere and allow God to continue directing their lives, for He is the author and finisher of their faith (Heb 12:2).
Throughout the camp, God’s presence was tangible as the Holy Spirit permeated the atmosphere, consuming hearts with His love and peace. It was a life-changing experience as many responded to the numerous altar calls, pouring their hearts to Jesus with fervent passion and desire for Him, even lingering in His presence with a refreshed perspective on Christ’s identity.
Camp Unite: The Assembly (AZ Division)
By Esther Lim
Camp Unite: The Assembly took place from 14 to 16 June this year at CHC’s Jurong West premise. The theme for this year’s camp centred around the upper room encounter in Acts 2.
Even before the camp began, the committee earnestly prayed for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us as we gathered together as a division. Throughout the three-day camp, we were blessed to have our very own AZ Division pastor and pastoral supervisors ushering us into the presence of God and sharing His Word.
From the very first session to the last, I could feel God’s presence and His work in my heart. One particular encounter that remains vivid in my memory occurred during the third-day session with pastoral supervisor Vincent Tan.
After receiving prayer, I went to a corner to worship God, and at that very moment, I experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s love, causing me to cry uncontrollably.
As we sang the worship song “What Love Is This” by Kari Jobe, the lyrics resonated deeply within me: “What love is this, that You gave Your life for me. And made a way for me to know You. And I confess, You’re always enough for me. You’re all I need.” I was reminded what a privilege it is to love God. Many times, we routinely go through our Christian lives forgetting that we can love God today because of the price He paid for us, having chose us.
At the end of the camp, many of the campers, regardless of age, expressed how deeply touched they were by God. As Pastor Aries Zulkarnain reminded us, what truly matters is how we live our lives after the camp. It is crucial that we make seeking God and loving Him our way of life.
Camp RE: (BKPL, VER Zones)
By Effie Tan
From 16 to 18 June, the youths of PL and VER zone gathered together at CHC’s Jurong West premise for Camp RE:.
The name “Camp RE:” was inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (ESV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
The preface “RE:” was chosen to signify the committees’ hope for the youths. As Pastor Veronica Tang said, “Let’s join our hearts in prayer, believing for a REset in our walk with God, a greater REvelation of His deep and unceasing love, and the REstoration and REnewal of our RElationship with one another.”
The logo for Camp RE: is a heart, formed by piecing broken parts together. It is reminiscent of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, a concept where beauty is found in accepting and embracing our flaws and imperfections. The creative team’s goal was to embody the powerful concept that God can use our broken pieces to create something beautiful, despite the diverse paths we take in life, as represented by the constellation lines. As the camp committee described, “The core of this philosophy is the belief in God’s unwavering love and guidance, which enables us to navigate through challenges and find our way back to Him.”
REconciliation, REset, REvelation, REstoration, REnewal, Relationship—the list goes on. But one thing we know for sure—although Camp RE: has long ended, God doesn’t stop there. He continues to move in the lives of our youths, and we believe that He will continue to give us the ministry of reconciliation. All glory to God! Amen!
Camp Encounter (ET Zone)
By Ernest Cheng
The sound of wooden boards snapping pierced the air. What followed immediately were screams, wails, and tears. These were some of the raw emotions brought out during a prophetic session at Camp Encounter: Deeper, held from 16 to 18 June at Kampung Siglap.
As the theme suggests, this year’s camp was all about diving deeper into the Lord’s kingdom, while getting to know Him on a much more intimate level. Although the attractiveness and temptation of the desires of the world will always be there, the message of the camp is that one must remain consecrated and set his focus on the things above.
During the prophetic session, the campers had their cell group leaders as facilitators. They gathered into small groups and each group was given a stack of plywood boards and markers. Every camper prayed about one realistic spiritual goal they wanted to achieve and wrote it down on one side of the board. On the other side of the board, they had to write the obstacles blocking them from reaching that goal. This was tough for some as they had to be real with themselves and face their fears head-on.
After writing down these two elements, each member stood face-to-face with the cell group leader, who held their board up for them. The camper read out what he had written as a faith declaration, then struck the board with the palm of his hand, breaking the board. This symbolised breaking free of the chains of fear that have been holding them back from attaining their goals. Such “chains” can come in the form of distractions such as studies or worldly desires, or mental blocks such as self-doubt and inadequacy. Breaking free from these barriers brought the campers a fresh lease of life and for many, a heavy stone was lifted from their hearts.
Many campers were impacted by the activity. Different campers and cell groups huddled up around the room, embracing each other in warm hugs. Amid all the puffy eyes and tear-streaked faces, one thing was certain—every camper walked out of the room with his life changed.
