A century of camping in NZ
Sharing the history of 100 years of Open Brethren heritage churches in camping ministries across New Zealand.
How do you plant a better future after the world has burned?
This is a story of how one generation sowed a seed for the generations that followed.
The first half of the 20th century saw two great world wars that decimated humanity. Afterwards many New Zealanders feared for their futures and were in desperate need of hope. More and more young people searched for the meaning of life.
Christian Camps were a direct and powerful response to that need. Gospel seeds were planted to restore hope and replace fear.
The history of these camps reminds us that people will always have needs and that the seeds of the Gospel always need to be sown.
COMING SOON IN 2025
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100 years of Christian camping
This Christian camping story is a unique story about places, facilities, activities and amazing God moments that made things happen. Behind these stories are remarkable people who had an unquenchable desire for others to see, understand, and experience the life-changing love of God for themselves. Christian camping has always had, and should always have, a vision to see lives changed forever.
It takes a look over the last 100 years of how the Open Brethren heritage churches came to the forefront of Christian camping in New Zealand .
Stories of the past,
a foundation for the future
As the Open Brethren heritage Christian camps look to a new future, we desire to gather together in a single volume the amazing story of these camps. Each one of them was started by people of vision and with the purpose of impacting this nation with the gospel.
Remembering that vision and the unchanging purpose, together with the sheer grit and determination of the many people who brought these camps to life, will help provide the foundation from which to build a new future for Christian camping within our movement of churches and assemblies.
Be part of the commemoration
Join us in sharing the history of your camp - from founders, staff, trustees, campers with stories that intertwine in the collective history of Open Brethren heritage Christian Camping.
Read past stories
We've started the project and have a few stories to share and inspire your submission.
The book is coming!
Once we've compiled stories from the 23 camps, a book will be available to purchase.
Your history, one book
We have spent a year collating the history of each camp to compile into chapters. We've closed submissions as the book is being compiled, edited and published.
Contact
Need to get in touch with us? Please contact Graham Ashby: graham@gaministry.co.nz
