Elim Church’s camp – “Be Faithful to the End.”

From December 5 to 8, we came together for our church camp to worship, fellowship and be empowered.

In this journey of life, there are various seasons.  How then do we as Christians keep faithful to the end? 329 Elimites found the answer to this question as they spent four days, three nights at DoubleTree by Hilton, Shah Alam I-City, immersing themselves in a time of refreshing and renewal. Our English Camp Speaker, Ps Nick Resce expounded on this topic by speaking on important foundations in the believer’s inner life while also challenging the campers to continue to grow in their faith.

Moving Forward

In the first sermon on Sunday, Ps Nick Resce challenged the congregation to forget the former things and move forward by having new eyes, a new heart and a new spirit. This opening primed the congregation’s hearts to look forward with hope and promise instead of regret. It was an important reminder that one cannot go into the new without relinquishing the old.

Ps Nick Resce went on to use the story of David to expound on how we as believers are not to give up our godly confidence by being mindful of what we see, what we hear and what we think. While David had a powerful destiny in God, it did not come unchallenged. Similarly, as believers we would also face challenges to our faith, but we would have to hold on to see God fulfilling His purposes in and through us.

Over the sessions, Ps Nick continued to speak on things believers had to do on a consistent basis. This included practical steps on working through our pain – something many of us may neglect or dismiss as we are often busy or do not know how to. It is, however, very much God’s desire that we process pain and allow God to heal us so that it does not take root and rob us of what God has for us. Elimites were also taught the importance of allowing God to build our life holistically and key things we should never give up on to remain unshaken in our faith. Our walk with God is not a sprint but a marathon and, in this marathon, we are building foundations for the long-term. There is no shortcut to this process.

Ps Nick’s relatable style and real-life stories provided real-life applications that challenged the campers. With some candidness and humour, he shared testimonies of how God could use painful circumstances for our growth and how simple acts of kindness and generosity could touch the lives of others around us and draw others to Christ. Besides the English congregants, our Chinese Camp Speaker, Pastor Sophia Tan, also took on a similar style in her sharing. Through her real-life testimonies and practical applications on the powerful work of God, she inspired and challenged listeners to step forward in boldness and take their faith to the next level.

Emphasis on Family Spirit

Over the various sessions, Ps Nick highlighted the church’s strong sense of family spirit. He reiterated that we should guard this and not take it for granted. During one of the sessions, Ps Nick prayed specifically for the couples in the church, for God’s blessings on their relationships as they led their families. It was heartwarming to see the couples stand up with their arms around each other. This sense of family was pervasive beyond just the family units. It was evident throughout the sessions and mealtimes how each Elimite saw each other as a part of a bigger family as they exhibited care and concern towards one another. During extended times at the altar, Elimites remained patient in waiting at the venue for everyone to be prayed for even when their turn was over. As one who grew up in the church, I have personally experienced the love and concern showered by various brothers and sisters or ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ as we would affectionately call them. This culture is something we believe will draw others to Christ as it is said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And so, part of being faithful to the end is to continue investing in others’ lives to pass on the spiritual baton, not being weary in doing good as we have been told in Galatians 6:9.

Our children were ministered to by Rev Elizabeth Yow, the National Director of OneHope Malaysia and her two assistants. The children learned about God’s Goodness and Faithfulness through games, craft and experienced spiritual encounters through prayers and sharing in small groups. We believe that the seeds sown in their life will take root and bear fruit in good time.

Prophetic Ministry

During the sessions, Ps Nick Resce delivered specific prophetic words to various campers. One of them was Sis Arela, one of the young adults. As Ps Nick prophesied that she would be in a year of preparation just like Esther was prepared before experiencing open doors, Arela felt seen and heard by God. “I was touched to know that in the midst of so many people, God still saw me. I had always equated my worth to how useful I was to people and to God but this word made me realise that regardless of what or what I have not done or what I thought of myself, God still saw me as His child and all I had to do was to surrender my life to Him.”

Our missionaries joined us for the camp and were also ministered to. Out on the mission field for many years, camp was a necessary time for these faithful servants to be refreshed spiritually and relationally in fellowship with God and one another. God through Ps Nick Resce, affirmed their efforts and encourage them that the seeds sown in the field would bear visible fruit.

As Ps Nick gave prophetic words to different ones, each camper was encouraged and granted a new sense of hope. These prophetic words also signalled to the church that many were being called forth into greater things. For the church to be faithful to the end, it is also necessary that new leaders rise to the occasion.

Challenge for 2024

Many were also challenged by the teaching and preaching. Sis Nancy Koh, one of our veteran worship team members and a zone supervisor of the adult cell groups was humbled and touched by the presence of God in both the English and Mandarin services. She now feels compelled to reach out to others in the coming year. “2024, for me, will be a year of ‘peopling’-getting out of my comfort zone and including  people in my life.  I don’t understand how that works but God says if I will do as He tells me, He will walk with me and open many doors and so I will prepare myself!”

Indeed, the closing word for the church was to prepare ourselves for what God was going to do in and through Elim in 2024. Many prophecies have been spoken over our church over the years and we have been praying and waiting for their fulfilment. As we surrender our lives to God, hold onto His promises and and prepare for the harvest, we believe that God will use our church to accomplish His purposes.