BAWLEY SUFM
LIFE@SUFM
"Living in Christian community at mission is like a little slice of heaven only with dirty feet." - Marcelle
OUR TEAM
Our team is a mix of people from different places and stages of life, united by redemption in Christ. We come from different churches, different cities and different occupations to share the gospel - that Christ died & rose to redeem us from slavery to sin. Mums & missionaries, surfers & students, pilots & children & coffee enthusiasts - all one in Christ, and all working to bring others to God.
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Our full team of 50+ volunteers is organised into "sections" which take responsibility for different parts of our ministry. That allows people to focus especially on areas where they have skill, passion, experience or other assets.
KIDS
The Kids section loves giving kids a chance to meet Jesus!
Every day they run a kids club with games, music & stories that teach something about God. Children in the park also love spending time reading bible stories with our Kids leaders in the afternoons.
The kids section is high-energy, lots of fun, and provides a great way for us to interact with families.
TEENS
Teens are forming their own ideas about the world, and they often have questions. They've outgrown kids club, but they value relationship and input from SUFM. That's what our Teens section is for. They run programs for y6-8's in the morning, and a chilled teens space for y9-12 in the evening. It's a mix of exploding watermelons, board games, stories of faith and gospel chats.
CAFE
The Cafe section seeks to build relationships with all ages in the park. Serving up free barista coffee is a great way to get talking. They work in parallel to the teens and kids morning programs, particularly trying to reach adults. The cafe section is a flexible way to invite someone in with coffee, and they stay for the conversation.
WALKOUT
Every morning and every night people in the park come to us and join us for our events. There are many people in the park who don't see at events. Our walkout section goes out into the park to meet people wherever they are with the aim of sharing the gospel with whoever they may meet.
LOGISTICS
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Every day, the team gets together in the afternoon or evening with campers for a big event - perhaps a giant slip'n'slide on the beach, a teens cafe, a church service or a fun fair. These events often give us a chance to present a clear gospel message to lots of campers at once! The logistics team consists of Events and Equipment sub sections who plan and organise these whole team events.
"Beach mission was an amazing experience which grew me in confidence and my walk with God." - Kim
THE PROGRAM
Here's what our program at Bawley looks like. Every day is a big day!
After arriving on the 27th, we launch into a big day of setup on the 28th, converting some empty campsites into our temporary home! Then it's four days of mission, a day off (January 2nd) and 3 more days of program. Then it's time to pack it down, getting out of there in the afternoon of the 6th.
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After breakfast each day we spend some time in prayer, praising God, and studying the bible. Those times are a huge encouragement, and set us up well for a day of mission. Then it's time to reach out to the park with kids club, 68's and free coffee. After packing up and spending some time planning in our sections, it's time for lunch and some well-earned rest.
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After lunch, we turn our attention to the daily events - these alternate each day between afternoon (like a giant slide, or scavenger hunt) and evening (like a disco, or fun fair). The late afternoon is for Bible time, where we can read alone or with curious campers, and for visiting people in the park; handing out "Bawley Bugles" with SUFM information, and building relationships.
From here, it's time to refuel before heading to an event or enjoying a rest in free time, while the teens tent gets pumping. Everyone back for a debrief at supper, then bed. Repeat!
OUR SETUP
When we arrive, there's nothing but a grassy field. Then it's pegs and poles, canvas walls, plumbing and floodlights as we unpack our shed and set up our site ready for mission.
Up go the sleeping tents and the big marquees that serve as kitchen, dining room, and spaces for our programs. It's true-blue tent camping, but camping at its best; fridges & ovens in the kitchen, lights and power in our marquees. It's a great setup, but it takes a lot of effort to get it going!
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Some of our activities take place at the "shelter shed" or on the beach, so there's plenty of setup and packdown each day; PA systems, gazebos, decorations.
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The photos below depict some of our setup. For more info about camp facilities and what to bring, see the Information page!
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