Like most Year 12 students, Campbell Steven wasn’t too sure what to do after he finished high school. But one thing was certain - he wanted to keep learning. God used that desire and brought Campbell to Sydney, where he recently completed his first year of CRU’s Summit Program, a full-time leadership and ministry training program.
Campbell’s first CRU® Holiday Camp experience was in Year 11. At the suggestion of his parents, he attended CRU West’s Spring Leadership Camp in Perth. Admittedly, he was hesitant to attend the camp and says, “I didn’t want to go on camp, I wasn’t keen at all because I didn’t have any friends going. My parents just told me it would be such a good learning experience for me.”
Even though he was initially reluctant to go, his feelings towards camp quickly changed as he started learning about Christian leadership and met other Christian students on camp. He shares, “As camp progressed, I got to meet some really good people my age and some really nice leaders. I learned a lot about God, how to run Bible studies, and other different things like that.”
“After camp, I was just so inspired and enthusiastic about wanting to learn more… I was just so much bolder in my faith,” he continues. This newfound boldness even led Campbell to talk about God and his faith at his school assembly. He says, “I was pretty nervous, but because of the things I’d learned on camp, I was just so much more confident about it.”
“After camp, I was just so inspired and enthusiastic about wanting to learn more… I was just so much bolder in my faith.”
It was also at this camp where Campbell first heard about the Summit Program from a leader. “Nate told me that if I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after school, there were great opportunities over in Sydney to learn and grow and teach kids about God. It sounded pretty interesting,” he recalls.
Towards the end of Year 12, Campbell had another camp experience when he attended a CRU West Study Camp. He shares, “All the leaders on my camp were relatable, were easy to talk to and had heaps of answers to all my questions. They helped me want to be a leader on camps as well.”
“I didn’t have many Christian mates at school, but camp helped me connect with people...I found out that there are actually Christians in Perth who are my age, who share the same struggles as me, and have the same questions as me,” he continues.
Campbell was still uncertain what to do as his final year of high school came to an end. But God made His plan clear when Campbell was accepted into the Summit Program! Although this meant moving away from his family and home in Perth, he was excited for what this new season would bring. He recalls, “I just wanted to come over here to learn. I really love learning and I just wanted to grow in my faith.”
“One thing I’d love to see in the future is for me to take everything I’ve learned here at Summit, back to Perth, and see how God can use that to grow CRU West.”
Campbell fondly shares how the Summit Program has grown him more than he could have ever imagined. He says, “I’ve just grown in my faith so much. Coming from high school, where I had no Christian mates, to being with Christians all the time, is just amazing!”
“I’ve become so much more comfortable when sharing the gospel. At school, I was just shy and scared and didn’t know how to share it with my friends. But now, hanging around Christians and seeing how they do it, has taught me how to share the gospel with kids in the most effective way and show them how good God is.”
Campbell is also amazed by the number of campers who are keen to grow in their faith after attending a camp. “After each camp we hand out so many Bibles. It’s just so inspiring to see young kids wanting to have Bibles of their own so they can read and get to know God better,” he exclaims.
Earlier this year, Campbell had the privilege of applying his new skills and knowledge at a CRU® West Holiday Camp. He shares, “One of my favourite things about working at Summit is being trained up and taking it back home to WA. It’s rewarding to see heaps of young kids, most of them I know from local churches, and being able to equip them and encourage them to know Jesus better.”
This is Campbell’s hope for the future: “One thing I’d love to see in the future is for me to take everything I’ve learned here at Summit, back to Perth, and see how God can use that to grow CRU West.”
We’re excited to see how God will be using Campbell to grow CRU West in the future as well!
