Rise Up Camp Sees Faith and Fun at Forest Lakes

The Anglican youth whānau had a fantastic time away at Forest Lakes for Rise Up 2025.

The focus of this year’s sessions were about identity, and the power of stepping into our identity as children of God first and foremost.

It was beautiful to weave the story of Jesus’s affirmation at his baptism with the identity we step into in the whakapapa of faith in this land.

Alongside times of content and prayer we had a blast as we connected over the activities throughout the weekend. The afternoon sports tournament that turned into a mud bath created a lot of laughter. What started as a messy game of football with many reluctant to engage in the mud, ended up in a 50 on 50 all in multisport event where everyone was covered. It was carnage and a source of deep belly laughter for many.

We want to thank all the leaders that put in hours to organise logistics, workshops and wide games, to make coming together possible. When we row together towards events like Rise Up, the experience that we create together is truly special.

A final highlight was seeing young people take on leadership during the workshop spaces, particularly those who had been to Rise Up camp before. Senior students got involved in sharing their skills and expertise in worship, supporting the next generation to lead us in the evening session.