Church camps play a crucial role in the development and growth of the local churches. This week, we would like to highlight three different church camps that took part around the same time last year, from the isles of Borneo, Malaysia.
A focused objective
From 18th to 20th October, Hope Sabah Fest 2025 took place over 3 days and 2 nights at Borneo Beach & Mangrove Resort, Tuaran, gathering 206 delegates (154 adults and 52 children) all seeking God and His renewing fire that began in last year’s church camp. However, the work behind the scenes began much earlier. In fact, six months earlier, the torch was passed to a new chairman and a dedicated team uniquely gifted to be vessels of God’s work. This team did not intend to just run another camp, but instead desired to have kingdom focused objectives for Hope Sabah Fest 2025.
Henry the chairman and his team began shaping a strategy to bring every demographic of our church family closer together; from families to working adults, young adults, tertiary students, and youth. Their heart was to bridge the gap between generations through intentional initiatives such as intergenerational gatherings, intergenerational lifegroup pairings and a session called “Tabtalk”, where leaders, Christian business men and women shared God’s Word and imparted life testimonies, guidance, and wisdom.
Before the camp even began, Hope Sabah received an unexpected blessing: a generous sponsorship from a brother who enabled every camper to receive subsidies toward their stay. Truly, God provides! They were also blessed with Pastor Simon and Pastor Lai Eng as their speakers. Through the teaching sessions, God poured out fresh wisdom and stirred many hearts. Testimony after testimony came in; stories of renewed perspective, transformed hearts, deep healing during worship, and even a whole family stepping forward for water baptism. Some found surrendering to God easier than ever. Others experienced a fresh renewal of faith. God once again poured His new oil upon all who hungered for His presence.
Being one…
A couple of weeks prior to that, 500 members of Hope Church Kuching gathered for a powerful and unforgettable experience in Kuching, Sarawak.The theme for the English Church Camp 2025 (ECC25) was “ONE”, and it echoed throughout the weekend. The idea is simple, that we worship and serve ONE God, pursue ONE priority: His kingdom., search for the ONE lost sheep and walk together as ONE family, united in ONE mission, to transform lives everywhere. It was this idea that helped guide the planning and preparation for ECC25.
A Pastor Sam Phun from River Community Church (RCC), Singapore, joined as the camp speaker. Pastor Sam, alongside Pastor Eve and the RCC team, led the church through deep, Spirit-led teaching rooted in Scripture. From the powerful call to Qavah (intertwining our lives with God) based on Isaiah 40:31 and the challenge to align godly intentions with godly practices, Pastor Sam brought clarity, conviction, and a renewed hunger for God. During Kairos Night, the church gathered with expectant hearts. Tears flowed freely as people were touched by the Holy Spirit. Some encountered gentle assurance, others experienced breakthrough, and many were drawn into deeper intimacy with the Lord.
One of ECC25’s most unique highlights was Canvas, a festival-style celebration featuring over 25 immersive booths that showcased the diversity, creativity, and stories of the Hope Kuching family. The booths were grouped into three categories, namely arts & culture, knowledge & lifestyle, and faith & stories, Canvas wasn’t just an exhibition. It was a living expression of our shared identity in Christ, and a vibrant reminder that in our diversity, we are still ONE.
While the adults were soaking in teaching and fellowship, the children had their own incredible journey through Ballympics, led by the passionate RCC team. With creative activities, Bible teaching and games designed just for them, the children didn’t just have fun, they experienced God in a way that was real and personal.
Growing deeper roots
Moving the clock back a little further, a student camp was held for the youths of Hope Kuching Spero from 29 to 31 August 2025. The theme of the camp was “Rooted”, with an objective to raise up a young generation to remain rooted and continue to grow in the Lord. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together for fellowship, praise, and worship of God.
The camp was conducted over three days and two nights, with 82 youths, during which various fun and meaningful activities were carried out. The Friday afternoon session began with ice-breaking activities before leading into the first teaching titled “Rooted in Christ” by Sister Mina. Just as a tree needs deep roots to live, the teaching focused on us needing to make Christ the root and foundation of our lives. There are three important roots in God, namely faith, love, and hope. At the end of the teaching session, there was a discussion between the participants and the committee members, addressing how to share life challenges and how to share faith, love, and hope so that they can help others to remain rooted in Christ.
The second day focused on being “Rooted in Worship”, shared by Brother Eldellan. Being rooted in worship is a conscious decision of making worship as a lifestyle. It is not just the actions we have in church, but as children of God, worship becomes a part of everything we do. Just like the first day, the session ended with another group discussion, this time focusing on sharing to each other a worship song that had personally touched them, as well as choosing a creative way to worship God together.
Aside from the teaching sessions, there were also workshop sessions. There were four workshops, namely “Deep Roots, Rooted in the Word”, “Standing Firm in the Storm”, “Discovering Hidden Roots: Identity and Purpose in Christ”, and “Rooted Relationships: Growing in the Love of Community”. Each of these workshop sessions were designed based on the attendees, trying to initiate a deeper discussion amongst the participants.
The last teaching session for the camp was shared by Pastor Daniel. Titled “Fruit from Being Rooted (Pruning)”, this teaching explained that fruit is evidence of a life rooted in Christ, marked by gratitude and obedience. In order to further drive this message home, each of the participants were asked an important question. Which fruit of the Spirit do you desire to see transformed in your life so that you may continue to grow? This discussion led into the altar call of the night, where many experienced the presence of God and surrendered their lives to Him.
The final day of this student camp was integrated into the Hope Spero Family Day on Sunday. This connected the youth group with the families and working adults. Highlights of the event included a wonderful praise and worship session, sharing by Pastor Daniel and so much more. One of the most memorable moments amongst it all is the celebration of the two individuals from camp who were baptized!
What’s your camp going to be like?
These are the stories of how these churches are building themselves up during these camps. The work that the Hope Sabah Fest team did led to visible fruits in the church. Relationships grew, hearts reconnected, and the gap that once existed began to close. Slowly but surely, the flame of passion for God was reignited. What began as a spark grew into a WILDFIRE, preparing the church for greater things. One of the greatest joys of Hope Sabah Fest 2025 was seeing the youth and tertiary students serve willingly and wholeheartedly throughout the entire camp; over 200 delegates, for 3 days and 2 nights. Their energy, dedication, and unity were a powerful testimony of God’s work among the next generation.
More than just an event, ECC25 lived out its theme. According to their post-camp feedback, 86% of campers connected meaningfully with someone new, a beautiful testimony of unity in action. From powerful plenary sessions to shared meals, from quiet prayers to uproarious games, ECC25 wasn’t just a weekend away, it was a divine appointment. Just like their Canvas, the camp became a vibrant reminder that they are ONE despite their diversity, and so are all of us.
Despite being young, the youths of Hope Kuching Spero learnt to be ROOTED in Christ, roots going deep into the Word of God, roots that redefine their lifestyle into a worship filled one. As we plan for the camps and events coming up in our local churches this year, why don’t we take some examples from these brothers and sisters of ours? Let us ask ourselves what are our objectives, and how can we be intentional with it? How can we help our church grow deeper in God through this camp? And taking a page from the youths of Hope Kuching Spero, let us ask ourselves as we plan, how we can help see the fruit of the Spirit working in our church?
We hope that these stories help you plan out events for your local churches this year. Let their testimonies inspire you, as you set on the journey to do more for the kingdom of God!