Set a Fire
How good are campfires?? A campout is made so much better with a campfire. There is something special about sitting around a campfire, sharing stories and
laughing together with family or friends that creates beautiful and memorable moments. To set a good campfire, you need:
1. Favourable conditions,
2. The right fuel for the fire, and
3. A flame to get it going.
These key ingredients make all the difference.
In week 4, Pastor Syd, Miss Bam, and I took 42 students to the three-day Mueller Worship Conference held annually at Mueller College on the Redcliffe Peninsula. These students went expectant. Some had already made the bold choice to follow Jesus, others were still in exploration mode, which is still an important part of their journey!
1. Conditions were favourable. Hearts ready to receive, souls hungry to know more, and an innate desire to make the most of every opportunity. We gathered with our students beforehand and encouraged them to both be expectant and to be a blessing to the other schools. The excitement was growing!
2. Add the right fuel. 3 days of gathering with 500 other secondary students who had come from 13 other schools from all over the state, (one school came from Sydney), all arriving with a similar heart posture. The team at Mueller had carefully considered each element of the Conference, from hyped up student led praise parties to incredible times of intimate prayer and worship. Many students shared their personal testimonies, and on the Friday, Mueller Principle, Mr Valese led the attendees through a passage of scripture and taught them how to exegete and explore the Bible well. Saturday saw students split into workshops covering vocals, leadership, hosting Chapels,
preaching, band and songwriting. Building community was also a highlight as we raced on Dodgem cars and ate ice cream and fairy floss on the lawn.
3. The flame of faith was fanned as God did a work in the expectant hearts of everyone present! As students were challenged as to whether they were a ‘Spectator,’ ‘Performer,’ or ‘Believer,’ many chose to step out and step up to what God had called them to as followers of Him. In the final worship rally, students prayed for each other, sang songs in adoration to their King, and publicly shared moments of breakthrough in their lives.
What a week! Those key ingredients make all the difference: favourable conditions, the right type of fuel, and a flame to ignite the most beautiful of fires! For those of you
who share this faith, be encouraged. Our students are searching for truth and are hungry to take it in. I am excited to witness all their different journeys and cheer them
on, together with our wonderful GCC staff. Our great big God is always at work, but with such a beautiful fire already burning in the hearts of our students, I have no
doubt that He is moving through our college to spread these flames into so much more than a good campfire, be expectant for a WILDFIRE!!
Helen Meinel, College Pastor – Secondary
