On Friday 21st August, crew from across the CS Central and South Regions poured into Burrill Pines on the NSW South Coast for our 2026 Regional Camp. From beginning to end, it was an incredible weekend of waves, community, laughter, worship and seeing God at work.
We kicked off Friday night hearing stories from missions across both regions. It was wildly encouraging to hear the many ways local missions are reaching surfers for Jesus and building communities centred around him.
Dave shared from 2 Corinthians 4 about the treasure we carry in jars of clay. We were reminded that our fragility and brokenness don't disqualify us from life with God or from being used by him. In fact, God works through cracked and fragile vessels so that the true treasure - Jesus and his surpassing power - can be seen through our lives.
On Saturday morning, we woke to a surprise pulse of swell that wasn't exactly predicted, but had definitely been prayed for!
With the camp buzzing, everyone tucked into bacon and egg rolls cooked by the Narrabeen and Thirroul crew, with the team on the tongs running like a well-oiled machine.
Then it was down to the beach for the annual Regional Tag Team Challenge.
The bank was serving up fun 1–3 foot waves, a gentle offshore was grooming the faces, the sun was out, and the vibes were high.
Across seven heats, each with a different power move, we saw everything from full-rotation air reverses to head dips and handstands. We even threw in a last-minute Region vs Region heat, with some of the best surfers from Central and South going head-to-head.
Tag teams isn't just about surfing ability - strategy makes all the difference when the points are added up. And after an epic morning of competition, the 2026 Regional Tag Team champions were…
MANLY!
And, just quietly, Central Region took the honours over our Southern counterparts.
As the onshore arrived and the tide filled in, we headed back to camp for some downtime, hangs, and a buy, swap, and sell.
Saturday night began with Newcastle and Cronulla putting on a Mexican fiesta that had everything except a Mariachi marching band.
The night kicked on with Pete McCredie and Joey Skewes bringing the good vibes and plenty of laughs - including somehow getting birthday boy Lucas Wood on a table, on all fours, barking like a dog. Story for another time.
From there, the night moved into a really significant time of prayer, blessing and commissioning.
We had the privilege of recognising Steve Bailey as he recently stepped aside from his National Director role, with Richard Hadfield leading us in a powerful prayer of blessing over Steve and the national team for the season ahead.
We also got to celebrate some exciting new beginnings:
Fergo is stepping into the Regional Coordinator role for South Coast NSW! Ado Lawrence led us in prayer as we commissioned and blessed Fergo for this new season of leadership.
We also prayed for Will Somerville as he steps into his new role as National Communications Manager and heard about some of the exciting things coming up across CS nationally – CS Rivals is back baby!!!
Then, under a clear night sky, crew from Cronulla and Thirroul led us into an incredible time of worship. There was something special about standing together under the stars, singing praises to our great God and giving him glory simply for who he is.
Dave then shared from Exodus 14 about what we do when we feel stuck - those moments in life when we simply can't see a way forward. It was both encouraging and challenging, with an opportunity afterwards to respond. Many received prayer, while others spent time reflecting on what God was saying and doing in their hearts.
Just like the Israelites in Exodus 14, we encountered the power and presence of God by the sea.
From there, everyone headed back to their campsites, gathered around fires and shared conversations well into the night.
Sunday morning greeted us with another beautiful day at Burrill.
We gathered and heard testimonies from people about the different ways God had met them and impacted their lives throughout the weekend. Paul Campbell then led us in a powerful time of reflection, remembrance and celebration as we gathered around the Lord's Table and shared communion together.
And then came what felt like the perfect crescendo to the weekend. We headed down to the beach together to witness two young guys from Cronulla publicly declare their faith in Jesus through baptism. Surrounded by their friends and the wider CS community, they entered the water and were baptised in the ocean. What an incredible picture of what this is ultimately all about! People meeting Jesus. Lives being transformed. And surfers following Jesus together.
We are incredibly grateful for an epic weekend of fellowship, waves, competition, food, campfires, laughter, prayer, worship, and deeply impacting encounters with the Holy Spirit.
Thank you to everyone who cooked, cleaned, organised, led, surfed, prayed, worshipped, encouraged, served and went about the countless things that made the weekend possible!
Peace and waves,
Dave Standen
Central NSW Regional Coordinator