Mount Maunganui Christian Surfers with the support of CSNZ held a camp at Papamoa over the first weekend for December.

Under the new leadership of Antony Wright and Hayley Ruddock, the group will bring a new focus to the established and respected Christian surfing mission and the Camp Mount weekend proved their skill at this.

Nearly forty surfers and grommets from Raglan, Hamilton, Taranaki, Auckland and the Tauranga/Mount areas gathered for the weekend in unexpected weather conditions - blue sky and hot weather!

Saturday started with a surf mission to Matakana Island. While the surf proved small, the idea of ‘skurfing’ behind boats proved a big hit alongside some wakeboarding sessions, touch rugby, soccer and baking ones bod on the beach. The evening finished with team challenges, a BBQ, and prize-giving sponsored by RPM and Mount Surf Shop, along with a hot swim back at the camp.

The weekend had local speaker Myles Reid establish a theme based on Mel Gibson’s Braveheart movie, encouraging people to be brave enough to serve others, to be brave in honouring God and at times to be an Indian in serving, not a chief. A semi-acoustic/bongo duet worship team from a local Church complemented the ‘Bravehearts and Brave Surfers’ theme of Myles Reid’s message.

This important message established grounding for Christian Surfers Mount Maunganui, with Christian Surfers New Zealand National Director, Matt Foster encouraging leaders to rise up and support the new leaders for the Mount. So many people would love to see (and be a part of) an ongoing regular local CS group for 2007 (as well as Camp Mount repeated), but first and foremost we need to see a strong leadership team established early on. This is also important for all other missions/groups around N.Z to follow suit – a mixture of Indians and Chiefs needed.