Group photo at the opening ceremony
To promote exchange among HKSKH secondary schools and their respective parishes, the HKSKH Dioceses and Macau Missionary Area Joint Youth Ministry organised the HKSKH Secondary School Inter-School Faith Camp from 30 June to 2 July at Breakthrough Youth Village. The camp was attended by over seventy students of Form 2-5 across fourteen secondary schools from three dioceses, who came together to reflect on and experience faith.
The first day of the camp kicked off with an urban orienteering challenge. Divided into groups, participants used map markers to navigate their way through various landmarks in the Yau Tsim Mong District to complete designated tasks. As students searched for landmarks in different areas, including Anglican parishes and primary and secondary schools, their understanding of the various Anglican units within the community was deepened.
After a busy day, dinner was followed by a competitive evening game called—the ‘We Connect’. In each group, one team leader and one member acted as hostages. To rescue them, another leader and the remaining members of the same team had to complete various games. The hostages assisted their teammates by making telephone calls and preparing handmade gifts. Through this game, students gradually built up their team spirit.
After a day of intense activities, the first evening of the camp concluded with Taizé Evening Prayer. Amidst the soft candlelight and tranquil setting, students sang beautiful Taizé chants together. The prayer also included a reading from the Bible and a period of silence. Under the cross and surrounded by candlelight, the students repeatedly sang the short phrase ‘Lord, have mercy on us’ (Kyrie Eleison), gradually learning to entrust their burdens and worries to God. In the quietude, they felt God’s presence and regained their strength.
Connecting Churches, Schools and Social Services: Encouraging Joyful Fellowship
Team leaders and members completing tasks according to
instructions during the urban orienteering challenge
On the second morning of the camp, students were divided into four teams and took part in a game called ‘College Cup’. Each team represented one of the four colleges and had to earn points for their college by completing various mini-games while striving for victory. However, ‘imposters’ appeared during the games, stealing students’ points. To counter this, students exchanged their points for stickers representing love, which they placed on the ‘imposters’ in order to convert them. Soon, the students discovered that one of the ‘imposters’ was the ‘mastermind’, who could not be swayed by stickers alone. By the teams cooperation and efforts, they uncover hidden clues and ultimately defeated the ‘mastermind’.
After the ‘College Cup’, students spent the afternoon devising, rehearsing, and performing a biblical play. Each group drew on their creativity to reinterpret classic biblical passages in an entertaining way under specific requirements. Following the drama, a team of social workers from the HKSKH Welfare Council led an adventure activity. Through games, students learnt to communicate and cooperate, working together to achieve goals, strengthen mutual exchange, and deepen their friendships.
That evening, students took part in a night walk. Blindfolded and moving in darkness, they relied on their group leaders’ voices and walking sticks to find their way to the destination. At the final stage, they were asked to put down their walking sticks and continue solely by touch. When they removed their blindfolds at the finish line, they discovered that priests and fellow students had been beside them all along, protecting them. Through the experience, students came to understand that God remains with them amid life’s uncertainties and sends many ‘angels’ to walk alongside and protect them. An evening prayer of anointing oil and healing was held before rest, during which the priests anointed the students with oil and prayed for their concerns in mind.
Young priests anointing participants with oil and pray for them
In the morning of the third day, students enjoyed breakfast together before check out their room. Then they began their day with morning prayers of thanksgiving. When the closing ceremony commenced, a short video reviewing the highlights of the past three days was shown, allowing everyone to relive the eventful camp activities. This was followed by a sharing session of feelings and recounted what they had learnt during the camp by the students. Group leaders guided students to reflect on their personal growth and spiritual insights. They also encouraged them to integrate God’s word and their gratitude into sincere blessings and words of encouragement for their group members. Hand-written ‘verse cards’ were given to their fellow participants and the organising committee. Students also quietly wrote letters to themselves, expressing their expectations and worries to their future selves six months later, offering words of encouragement for the days ahead. The completed letters were entrusted to the group leaders for safekeeping and would be returned to the students at the reunion camp in due course. Although the camp has concluded, the love and grace of the Lord will continue to accompany each participant on their journey of life.
The Revd Ryan Cheung Tsz Yin, Chairperson of the Organising Committee for this camp, stated that this was the first time in many years that the HKSKH had organised such a large-scale camp for secondary school students from its affiliated schools. As this was a pilot programme, it included only fourteen secondary schools. He thanked the youth leaders from ten parishes and missionary districts for their support, especially those in organising committee, the camp activities team, the group leaders, and all the young people volunteer. He also expressed gratitude to the principals and teachers of Religious Education from all the participating secondary schools for their support, as they had helped strengthen the connection between the students and the Church, while fostering mutual support and service among the youth of different churches.
Furthermore, he expressed gratitude to the staff of the HKSKH Welfare Council for their strong support, they assisted not only in the adventure activities during the camp but also gave great help to the pre-camp training for group leaders. He especially thanked Mr Chan Wing Chung, Supervisor of the HKSKH Kowloon City Youth Integrated Service Centre, and his team for their continued support, which enabled this camp to truly embody the spirit of ‘We Connect’, bringing together the churches, schools, and social services.
Staff from the HKSKH Welfare Council led the adventure activities