By Jessi Muir (National Womens Coordinator)
Some would say it was winter in summer, but that’s just Victoria for you. In early December, the South-East state of Australia greeted 30 Christian Surfers from around Australia, for a week of teachings and experiences based on the Christian Surfers Australia values, led by various leaders from within CSA, who volunteer their time to come and invest into the future of Christian Surfers.
The week began with a session at the famous Bells Beach, lead by Christian Surfers Australia’s National Director, Steve Bailey, who shared on ‘The Wild Call of God’ and what it looks like to follow God in faith and obedience.
The week flowed on from there, with all the crew frothing to get amongst the quality time, the sessions, and of course, the WAVES. Early morning sessions at Winki-pop to onshore arvo grovels at Raafs, the crew made the most of all the conditions, to put to practice the challenge of being a servant surfer, and how that looks out in the line up.
Amongst the daily sessions, the week consisted of a working bee, focused on the value of being a servant leader, to clean up and re-do the unused Christian Surfers Headquarters in Torquay, with faith that the revamp will bring new life to the space.
Servant leadership is a huge part of New Swell, and creating opportunities for the students to serve one another through preparing meals, praying together, surfing like a servant in crowded line ups, and getting involved in the inevitable cleaning up, is what makes the week and the relationships so solid.
The week wrapped up in true Christian Surfers style, with an op shop themed dance party, and a time of reflection. The shared experiences throughout the week really brought everyone together, and for lots of the crew, helped them to tap into the reality of God’s family and what it means to be apart of it. Everyone who came walked away with a strong desire to pursue God more, and to get back to their local Christian Surfers missions to put into practice everything they had learnt.
Raymond Beacroft of Port Macquarie, NSW, and a former CSalt student shared some reflections from his time at New Swell.
“New Swell for me was a time where I experienced a deep sense of camaraderie, a deep sense of fellowship. The biggest things that spoke to me was that in Christ we are family, and that leadership only works if you’ve got a community involved. I learnt that leadership doesn’t just look like someone upfront at a church service sharing the Good News…but it’s an everyday choice to be authentic in who Christ made you.”