Grounded in Truth and Love

Through an innovative new camping ministry you are helping boys in the pivotal high school years of 9–12 return to the roots of truth and to be re-grounded in God’s unchanging wisdom and love.

The vision of Grounded camp is simple but profound: “to help guys think through what it is to be a good man and to challenge them to want to become one,” says Camp Director Randall.

This is done intentionally in community, with older Christian men modelling healthy Christian manhood in an atmosphere of fun and adventure.

This year kicked off the first full Grounded camp with a bang after a day camp version ran last year. Seventeen campers, 8 leaders and 2 cooks met at Burrill Pines campsite over 5 days of fun, challenge and growth.

Split into ‘tribes’, the boys got alongside one another through challenges like bus-pulling (yes, you heard that right, and yes, it is exactly what it sounds like); building stretchers in the bush to transport (hypothetically) injured teammates; and even a mystery cooking challenge, where the hero ingredient was… rabbit carcass! According to Randall, it was “delicious.”

As much as the boys were challenged physically, the spiritual input was also substantial.

“The camp is unusual in that we didn’t have a camp speaker.

“Each day was a theme. We had a talk on that theme by a leader. Each night at the campfire we came back to it. We had leader stories, discussion and a Q & A,” explains Randall.

Themes included Biblical manhood, following Jesus, mental health, valuing women and male friendship.

“The overall message of the camp is that a good man lives for the benefit of others, and uses their masculinity to serve others,” says Randall.
A core component of the camp was mentoring, with older men modelling Christ-like love and living to younger men.

“The average age of the leadership team is quite old compared to most camps. To the point where we had to help each other out of bed in the morning after all these physical activities,” reflects Randall.

But with age comes wisdom.

Feedback coming in is overwhelmingly positive. “Hanging out with the leaders was one of the highlights of camp,” Randall says.
Though much planning went into Grounded, especially as it has taken a few years to get it off the ground, there was also room for God to work in spontaneous and creative ways.

“We didn’t have worship planned because that’s not my wheelhouse,” says Randall.

“But one of our older guys came along and he wasn’t sure what his role was going to be, and hadn’t been a leader before. He brought his guitar… He ended up leading us in songs often.

“The boys loved it. And one of the songs the leader had actually written. It became the camp theme. The boys couldn’t stop singing it,” says Randall.

Men young and old alike may have left with more dirt between their fingernails but also more wisdom planted in their hearts to carry into the seasons ahead.

Grounded is clearly already planting deep roots. We look forward to seeing what happens in the years to come.