AUSTRALIA—More than 50 members of the Brisbane congregation of the Philadelphia Church of God attended the second Brisbane family camp on Dec. 18, 2015, at the Bornhoffen facility in Numinbah.
The cancellation of Philadelphia Youth Camp afforded the opportunity to add a “youth summer camp” to the traditional winter camp.
Members set up camp on Friday afternoon and enjoyed a Sabbath meal afterward. Member Stuart Winship catered and supervised meals, and members helped serve.
On the Sabbath, 112 members heard a sermonette by Local Elder Brian Sherwood about representing the I AM and a sermon from Regional Director Alex Harrison encouraging godly family standards and greater family unity. Many members stayed after services for afternoon tea, dinner and conversation.
After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison judged the dessert competition, selecting Kayley Morris’ and Bethanie Sherwood’s entries for best taste. Three entries tied in the creativity category: members Denise Smith and Sarah Koubaroulis for their depiction of Armstrong Auditorium, Kaitlin Lamont for her campground cake, and Teresa Lamont for her timely bullae cake.
On Sunday, member Mark Constantine organized soccer matches, while members Kelvin Lamont and Callum Wood supervised archery.
After lunch, member Colin Morris showed the children how to make sky balls, uninflated balloons with a parachute made from a plastic tablecloth. The balls were launched from slingshots on top of a hill, reaching impressive distances.
A bush walk through a rocky creek bed and rainforest concluded the day, including a swim in a rock pool under a waterfall.
“It was wonderful to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the beautiful, relaxing environment of Bornhoffen,” member Veronica Eames said. “A highlight was seeing a python asleep in a tree as we hiked to a nearby waterfall.”
On Sunday night, an enthusiastic bunch of children participated in the last activity of the weekend: Minute to Win It.
“I just loved the positive atmosphere, and it was great to have some time to just get to know other members better,” member Christina McKee said.