By Garry Sanossian
A record 70 young people gathered at The Tops Conference Centre in April for Uprising 2025, a three-day youth discipleship camp.
This year’s theme, Flourish, encouraged young people to build stronger foundations of faith and discover their identity in Christ. Run by the State Youth Team and a team of emerging and seasoned leaders, Uprising created space for spiritual growth and reflection for young people in year 7-12.
“If we want to have a relationship with God that flourishes, we need to be spending time with God preparing the soil and watering it,” said State Youth Team member Tina Phillips (from Northside, North Turramurra campus) who, along with Brianna & Peter Sargent, (from Connect Church, Engadine) provided key oversight for the event.
“[Exploring the theme] ‘Flourish’ is looking at the fact that we can have a relationship with God that not only grows, but flourishes” she said.
The camp program included input sessions, small group discussions, adventure activities and workshops: all designed to guide young people as they took their own spiritual journey through the week.
Brianna Sargent explained, “we journeyed through the idea of having soil, being able to water that soil, having a good firm foundation, weeding out all the things that are putting up barriers, and then guarding our garden”
Throughout the event, young people experienced meaningful worship and teaching designed to offer spiritual and practical pathways to deepen the spiritual lives of the young people gathered.
Workshops, run by youth leaders from the CCNSWACT network, covered a range of topics. Sessions titled “Rooted in Christ” and “Kingdom Impact” focused on spiritual foundation and mission-minded service. “Seasons of Growth” and “Flourishing in Prayer” explored different life stages and prayer. The topic “Generational Flourishing” focused on mentorship and creating nurturing environments, and “Thriving in Leadership” addressed sustainable ministry rhythms and avoiding burnout.
Reflecting on the atmosphere, participant Lily shared how the experience was shaping her faith journey.
“I love worshipping and learning about Jesus. It’s amazing to be surrounded by so many Christians who are all just great.”
For Harry, another participant, a standout moment came during a workshop session.
“I enjoyed what Georgia said the other night. I really liked how she used flowers as a metaphor, saying how if they’re not in the ground they’re going to die and wither away, which is kind of like your relationship with God,” he recalled.
The camp featured a visual representation of spiritual transformation through a ‘testimony tree’ where campers documented their experiences. “The testimony tree started the week bare… bone dry… just a bunch of branches. But throughout the week, we saw leaves appear: each one a young person’s testimony,” Leader, Peter Sargent explained.
These testimonies reflected significant spiritual moments.
“Amazing testimonies have already come out,” Brianna Sargent said. “Kids have felt safe here and have asked Jesus into their lives. The soil’s been prepared and seeds are starting to grow.”
With the highest attendance at an Uprising Camp so far, the event represented a significant milestone for the network.
“Seeing our churches come together for Uprising has, for us, been what the network is all about. We have people that have come from Perth and Victoria to come to this camp,” Peter said. “I’m just so excited to see that as a movement we’re growing, especially in our youth stream.”
Leaders believe the spiritual momentum built during Uprising will continue to bear fruit as participants return to their local congregations. “We’re excited for what God will do – not only here at camp – but what He will continue to do across the local churches,” Brianna said.
“As part of our initiative to support and uplift our young people, we engaged in a meaningful activity where campers created a pot plant together to be sent back to their local churches. These living gifts serve as both a reminder and a symbol—encouraging ongoing prayer and support for our youth, while also representing the act of releasing them back into their church communities to grow, thrive, and continue their faith journeys.”
“We know and have confirmation that the seeds have been planted in good soil, which is exciting.”
With these gifts in mind, Tina echoed this sentiment, “Our prayer is that Uprising Camp has helped equip and inspire the young people to return home and continue to stay connected to God, to keep putting into practice the things they have learned and that they will continue to grow and flourish in their local churches.”
Read more stories from churches of Christ in NSW & ACT HERE
