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This week:

	Camp Training Day
	Camp Bookings
	Camp Teams
	Camps Committee Telephone Conference

Despite the best of intentions to send out a monthly prayer update it is two months since you last heard official news from the camps. Then, we had just got the brochures out and we were preparing for the Camps Training Day.

Camp Training Day

John Perry, new to the EMW Camps, wrote in his official report for the Evangelical Magazine that:

God is sovereign in the work of salvation – he loves to work in the darkest and most unexpected of places, pouring out His grace and giving the gift of eternal life. This was the truth we began with at the EMW camps training day on March the 14th, the message of 1 Kings 17: 7-24.
After starting the day all together, we broke into groups. New and experienced officers, leaders and chaplains attended various sessions and seminars throughout the day. Topics ranged from practical ideas for fun activities, preparing and leading Bible studies, child protection and pastoral care for the camp team.
At breakfast and lunch we enjoyed the hospitality of Malpas Road Evangelical Church, and took the opportunity to build relationships with our fellow team members and think ahead to the summer. If the love shown for the gospel and each other that day is anything to go by, I’d say this year’s camps are not to be missed!

It was encouraging to have nearly 100 folks together on the day and the efforts of all who preached, taught, facilitated, cooked and cleaned were really appreciated. It certainly helped get us thinking ready for the Summer

Camp Bookings

321 children and young people have so far booked onto the English Camps with two of the camps completely full. In a year that is financially tight that is an encouragng start and there is still plenty of time to book on. So if you know of anyone who has not yet filled in their form, or who has never been and would benefit from coming, please encourage them that it is not too late to book.

It is never an exact science to predict who will book for which camps and it is pleasing to see most of the camps carrying a viable number of bookings, though we would love to have more. However, the outdoor camps which were bursting at the seams (literally) last year are very slow on the uptake this year. Please pray for more bookings for these camps in particular.

Camp Teams

Leaders are beginning to see gaps on their teams fill up and preparations are being made for the inidividual camp team days when the detailed plans are laid, chaplains share the Bible Study notes and the team get down to praying together for the Lord's blessing. Please pray for leaders and their teams that there will be a real sense of spiritual unity on these days, that good ideas will flow and that great camps are planned. Several leaders and chaplains are having to plan at new venues or with different age groups so please pray for additional wisdom in these cases.

One area where we are currently struggling is with catering. We have seen the double whammy of needing extra catering teams and some of our regular teams not being available this year come together. If you yourself, or anyone you know, might be able to help out in this please get in contact with Rhian in the office. Kitchen teams are made up of head cooks, who need food hygiene certificates, and supporting catering staff who are willing and able to assist. If you fit into either of those categories we would love to hear from you.

Camps Committee Telephone Conference

As the camps draw near some big decisions still need to be made and plans for 2010 need to be cemented into place. So, the Camps Committee need your prayers as we confer on Thursday 21st May. Please pray for wisdom and direction in all our decision making. If you have any ideas, feedback or comments you would like us to consider, please let the office know asap.

Paul Gamston

English Camps Committee Chairman