Despite the popularity of HSC study camps, over 140 campers have been turned away this winter.
As the last of the winter study camps is being held this week, 147 students on the waiting list have had to stay home due to a drop in leader numbers.
The gap has especially become a problem for spring camps, says Crusaders marketing and development director, Anna Wood.
"Our pool of leaders is reducing because of university and school holidays not matching up," she says as she points out that many of the leaders are university students.
And this is not a new problem. Last year, a total 336 teens were not able to attend Crusaders' winter and spring study camps.
"We have a ratio of one leader for every five campers," adds Ms Wood as she refers to the leader-to-student promise Crusaders makes in its advertising.
Yet Ms Wood indicates there is no small disappointment at students missing out on a brilliant outreach opportunity.
“It breaks my heart that every year there are hundreds of non-Christian kids willing to come on a camp where they hear about Jesus, but we just don’t have the leaders to enable us to take them.”
Mark Boyd, Youthworks’ holiday ministry coordinator, agrees that with more volunteer teachers, Moore College students and graduates, full-time workers and university students to speak, direct and lead, the extra study camps created would be filled in no time.
“We could easily put on another conference in winter, and another in spring,” he says.
"Year 12 study conferences are the best form of evangelism to year 12 students I know of.”
Each year, both Crusaders and Anglican Youthworks run a selection of HSC study camps which aim to give students a fridge, television, and sibling-free environment where daily study sessions are compulsory.
All of the camps have one underlying purpose: to introduce students to Jesus.
The lives they are a changin’
Marzo James was familiar with the Christian message when he signed up for a Youthworks study camp at Waterslea (Nowra) last year, but he didn't yet believe it.
He attended the camp expecting to get some study done before his looming trial exams at St Paul's Grammar School.
But he says a "non-confrontational, non-judgemental" evangelistic talk given by the Rev Ray Robinson led him to pray a prayer of commitment.
The talk featured the Lunatic, Liar, Lord framework which Marzo says made becoming a Christian a logical decision.
"That was when I decided that this was real" it was something that was actually happening, and I realised that I'd like to start a relationship with Jesus," Marzo said.
Marzo has been attending Glenmore Park Anglican Church since that time and he decided to return to the camp this year as a room group leader.
He says leading has been a great chance to get alongside the campers.
"I was able to pass on, firstly my own experiences of the camp, and also to help tackle some of the common misconceptions people do struggle with when they think they might want to become a Christian," he said.
Kirby Bryson wasn’t a Christian when her Christian basketball teammates invited her to go on the same camp two years ago.
Yet the then Penrith High School student agreed to sign up.
“It made me think, well, maybe there is actually a God out there" that was a huge thing for me,” Kirby said.
When the camp ended she started attending Factory Night Church at Springwood.
Kirby soon became a Christian and the next year also returned to the camp as a leader.
Photos courtesy of Crusaders
