By Garry Sanossian
For many young people, camps can become places where they come to receive, listen, learn, worship and head home encouraged. At Uprising this year, young people were invited to step into something more, as they were encouraged to serve, lead and take part in the life of the gathering.
Held in April 2026 at The Tops Conference Centre in Stanwell Tops, Uprising brought together 75 campers and 38 leaders for a week centred on discipleship, calling and the theme, “Here I am.”
Young people gathered for worship during Uprising.
For Camp Director Peter Sargent, the heart of the week was helping young people grow in confidence in Christ and recognise how they could serve within the life of their local churches.
“More than anything, my heart is that our young people would take up that calling, take up their cross and follow Jesus day in and day out,” Peter said.
Across the week, young people were reminded that God calls ordinary people, sees them where they are and shapes what He has already placed in their lives. Each session helped them consider not only what they could do, but who they are in Christ.
“God doesn’t call the gifted, he gifts the called,” Peter said.
That focus carried into practical spaces throughout the camp. Workshops in preaching, worship, prayer, creative space and leadership gave young people room to explore where God might be shaping them to serve within their church communities.
“The heart was that they would be able to take what they’ve learnt and implement it into their local churches,” Peter said.
Young people gathered for worship during Uprising.
That became clear on the Thursday night, when the entire gathering was handed over to the students in a “student takeover.”
Young people led every part of the night – they preached, led worship, ran production, welcomed others and gathered to pray before the service began. Leaders remained close by, encouraging and supporting them, but the students carried the responsibility of the gathering.
Peter had been hoping to see this for years.
“If they can’t do it at this camp where everybody loves Jesus and everybody wants to cheer and support you on, what chance do they have of doing it in their local schools?” he said.
“One thing that really surprised me was how willing they were to step into serving,” said camp leader Jayden Linco from Restore Church Castle Hill.
Joy moments from Uprising.
For those leading the camp, that willingness pointed to something deeper than filling roles. It reflected a growing desire among young people to respond to God and take part in the life of the church.
Georgia Cross, Program Leader and Designer at The Tops, helped prepare young people to lead worship. She said she saw “their hunger to know Jesus and to get to know him more.”
During the student takeover, Peter also saw how God was shaping young people in unexpected ways. One camper he had expected to preach instead stepped back, helping others prepare, praying with the group and supporting the night behind the scenes.
For Peter, it was a reminder that formation does not always look the way leaders expect. Sometimes young people discover their place not by stepping onto a platform, but by serving faithfully where they are needed.
One young person told Peter afterwards that the experience had changed how they saw serving.
“Now I see why you do it,” they said.
“It felt really good to actually give and not just receive.”
That response reflects what Uprising is seeking to grow in young people, a faith that is not only received, but lived out through service in the life of their local churches and schools.
Jayden said he had already begun to see that take shape beyond the camp at their church.
“We’ve already seen some young people wanting to start a worship team for youth night, and we’re now connecting them with the worship pastors,” he said.
This focus this year at Uprising gave young people a chance to grow in confidence, discover who they are in Christ, and a gentle push to consider how they can begin to serve and minister with their gifts.
Page Feedback
