CampFIRE!!
HVMC’S 2025 Church Camp
Location: AP Premier Hotel, Batam, Indonesia
Date: 12th to 15th June
Theme: BUILDING UP FOR TRANSFORMATION
Guest Speaker: Pastor Lim Lip Yong
BREAKING NEWS!
137 campers – 90 adults, 22 youths, 25 young children, including 3 infants – from HVMC gathered at Harbourfront, waiting to board the ferry for Batam… there was discernible excitement in the air, and amidst the buzz, we overheard some interesting snippets…
8-year-old Elijah Choo arriving with his arm in a sling, fell off a see-saw the day before and suffered a fracture …his father Wee Kee said that didn’t stop him, or the family, from going ahead with their camp plans…
Elizabeth Lam’s flight from London was supposed to land the day before, but was unexpectedly cancelled. By God’s grace she managed to get on a flight which landed at 7.30am the morning of the departure…
Nesa Talagtag who joined the church in 2016 but left for good for the Philippines in 2024, enjoyed past camps so much, that she came back specially for it…
DAY 1
Plenary 1
Pastor Lip spoke on the Camp theme, by setting the stage for God’s faithfulness using the Books of Ezra and Nehimiah as a backdrop.
In considering God’s faithfulness to Israel, Pastor Lip stressed that while their exile in Babylon was God’s judgement of the idolatry and faithlessness of His People, at the end of 70 years, He kept His Promise through the prophet Jeremiah to bring them back to Jerusalem. The wonder of it all, was that He used a gentile, King Cyrus of Persia, as His instrument for this. We were reminded once again of God's abiding faithfulness, the importance of obedience, and the need for spiritual renewal in our lives and in the life of the church.
Julie Cheng enthused, “It was very inspiring and the timeline that Ps Lim presented put things into perspective. It was a good beginning!”
“This is my first time at church camp, as well as serving Him on the keyboard with the Worship and Music Ministry at camp - I encountered God’s presence here. Thank you Jesus, and thank you HVMC!” shared Shane Tan, an ACS(International) alumnus. Currently serving his National Service, Shane took leave to join us.
DAY 2
Plenary 2
On day two of the Camp, Pastor Lip called for a return to a Christ-Centric Core – to transform our way of thinking of what makes Christians distinctive by being more intentional about doing what is most important: How we spend our time building our relationship with God. It is one thing to successfully accomplish a deed, but another to change a person’s heart. The Pharisees who were known for their strict adherence to Jewish law and tradition forgot the intent of the Law. In fact, Jesus challenged the exclusivity of the Jews by eating with tax collectors, gentiles and those generally shunned by the priests of His time.
Plenary 3
We looked at lessons from the life of Joseph, how he reframed his unhappy “history” of rejection and abandonment by his brothers, who sold him into slavery to the Egyptians, when he revealed himself to them and forgave them. Joseph believed God had made him forget his past hardships, and that God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction.
Pastor Lip pointed out that Jacob who had been renamed Israel by God, forgot His calling and purpose, and focused instead on his afflictions and challenges. Unlike Jospeh, he could not reframe his past.
God wants to re-write the history of the pain in our lives. He chooses people who are imperfect but capable of repentance.
Bailey Tan, 16, declared, “My birthday was on the second day of camp, and I’m very glad to have celebrated it with my church family - there’s no other way I would have wanted to spend it. It was also truly a time for reflection for me, and the part of Ps Lip’s message that stood out, was about “rewriting our history” by changing our perspectives on our past experiences.”
Samuel Chong, 15, confessed, “The funniest moment was when Pastor Lip used my name for an example during his sharing. The dinner had put me in a food coma, so when Pastor shouted "Samuel!" I definitely woke up right away!”,
“The prayer stations really helped me see the beauty of God, that He is always listening and even when we don’t see it, He is still working and I was reminded of ‘waymaker’, commented Jonas Ong, 13.
DAY 3
Plenary 4
The last plenary session was titled “Family & Pace” where Pastor Lip touched on two key areas, Marriage and Rest:-
On Marriage, there is a need for a couple to grow together spiritually, emotionally and physically through monthly date nights, exercising together and praying together. The missional nature of marriage is about how marriages enable couples to offer love and a space to provide “refreshment” for others, through various means, from opening your family and home in the fostering of children, or even spiritually mentoring others.
On understanding Rest through the Sabbath, the key lesson is that God intends for us to rest from our work, and that keeping the Sabbath is an act of faith. The Sabbath was created to serve man and not for us to serve it. It enhances the important relationships we have and is essential to our wellbeing – so we should not cram it with leisure activities which stressfully tire us.
On the subject of rest, Pastor Lip encouraged campers to go out and enjoy the “Free & Easy” afternoon, which meant shopping and massages for the adults and go-carting for the youths. This was followed by dinner and Gala Night.
“Go-karting was really fun and memorable as we were able to bond with each other, building friendships by crashing into each other…hahaha!” joked Asher Ng, 14
DAY 4
On the last day of Camp, we closed with a Communion service and a highly enjoyable performance by the children. Then it was…Goodbye Batam…Hello Singapore!
Stella Koh (Pastor Noel’s wife), expressed, “Rich lessons from Pastor Lip. And we’ve been much encouraged and blessed by the vibrant, young ones in our midst. Indeed, we’ve got the timing and season spot on; they are our buds, and it is appropriate and timely to build for transformation. Kudos to the camp committee in administering with attention right down to the minutest detail – highly impressive!”
Pastor Noel, had this to say, “Very much blessed by Pastor Lip setting the stage right at the outset on the theme of God’s faithfulness contextualised against God’s purpose for Israel; what is revealed, connected to Israel and to the Promise articulated not in an overly heated or skewed way but one that is balanced and scripture-based. Pastor’s take in setting the background is what the church needs to see, hear and say at this time without being taken in, and overly influenced by what is expressed about what is currently happening.”
“This year's theme really reflected the growth and transformation I witnessed among church members. As the groupings were intergenerational, we all managed to get to know other members we might not have had the opportunity to interact with,” summed up Xavier Mah, 14
Eliot Pan said, “I really enjoyed the fellowship with fellow campers - the 5 am morning runs, the spontaneous mealtime conversations, and go-karting with the youths. Through this camp, I had the opportunity to forge new friendships and strengthen existing ones. It was a fantastic experience and I am looking forward to the next one!”
Candra Xie, 16, declared, “This year's church camp was the best camp I've been to! I enjoyed my intergenerational camp group as we were able to have meaningful yet fun discussions. I hope others will hear about our experiences and join us in the next camp!
Message from Pastor Jeremy
This year’s camp really brought to life what an intergenerational community of disciples can look like. Having groups made up of youths and adults was such a meaningful way to strengthen bonds across the church. It also helped us to engage one another more deeply and hear perspectives often different from our own.
Our young people, in particular, showed us what it means to hunger for God, worshipping with passion, intentionally sitting in the front rows and diligently taking notes.
I am deeply grateful for the hard work of the Camp Committee, led by John Xie. Every activity was so thoroughly planned and well-executed. I was especially blessed by the Prayer Stations prepared by Sarah Gan and the Spirit-filled times of worship led by the various teams.
May God Build Up HVMC for greater Transformation!
Message from John Xie, Chairperson of the Camp Committee
"It was certainly a privilege to work so closely with the Camp Committee (Yanda, Rebecca, Ben, Thomas, Chou Hong, Elizabeth, Denise, TK, Esther, Theophilus, Janine) to put together a church camp from a year ago. My heart is so full from experiencing first hand, the hearts and hands of all who were involved– they undertook their tasks without any complaint nor grumbling.
What encouraged me the most, was the communion we had with brothers and sisters during the wonderful four days at Batam; to sit beside each other in the plenary sessions, praying, praising and worshipping God, dining, playing games and so much more – giving me perhaps a glimpse of communion in heaven. To God be the glory!"
Here are some random snapshots:
Sharing a good laugh:
Credits:
Plenary summary - Kim Faulkner
Our Roving ‘Reporters’ - Caroline Ho, May Oon, Ezrela Chao, Liz Khor
