Our Purpose
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Throughout the history of the camps, the mission has always been to create an environment that allows the good news of the gospel to be shared with people of all ages, backgrounds, and stages of faith and life.
We have a particular focus on being able to support smaller churches by providing a camp experience for their members that they may otherwise not be able to provide due to lack of numbers and resources, while also providing leadership opportunities for leaders to grow in their giftings. |
Our Camps
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Life Camps Australia provides a unique opportunity for individuals of any age to connect with other believers from many different places.
With our range of camps catering for all ages including primary age (Childrens Camp grades 4-6), teens (Younger and Older Teens Camps: Years 7 - 12), and adult camps (Be Transformed Young Adults, Mens Muster, Ladies Nourish, Marriage Camp, Family Camp), there is an opportunity for people to attend at least one of our camps each year. For those that begin with Childrens Camps, previously known as 2Cs, or even one of our teen camps, it provides a great opportunity for friendships to be established and continually developed on an annual basis as they journey through each of the relevant age groups. Time and again we have seen these connections start at camp but journey well beyond - into deep friendships and support networks that last into adulthood. We have valued the opportunity for God's family to be able to come together in a friendly and welcoming environment, and allow ministry and fellowship to occur with other members from right across the state, and even from interstate. We have seen so many great friendships and connections created as a result of attendance at our annual camps or events, with an opportunity to continually re-connect each year. We are blessed by the large range of testimonies that have come from all the camps throughout the years, and are very thankful for the way that God has used these camps to impact so many people in wonderful ways. |
Our Founders
Rob & Judi Hunter
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Rob and Judi Hunter birthed The Camping Program from a desire to provide a safe, fun, Christ-centred space for children - including their own - to gather in a camp setting. They loved the idea of developing and fostering healthy Christian community, especially for those from rural and regional areas who may not have easy access to broader Christian community and the encouragement that can come with such.
The camps were influenced by the Wandilagong "Wandi" Camps that ran in the 90's. The Hunters, along with an amazing team, started The Camping Program, initially running a camp catering for primary aged children. From there, The Camping Program grew and grew to what it is today; a flourishing organisation providing camps for people of all ages and stages. Through Rob and Judi's boldness, passion, service and obedience, thousands and thousands of lives have been impacted with the love of God, the message of the Gospel and through the deep and powerful community that has formed over the years.
It would be remiss of us not to make special mention of Mark and Lauri Rumble & Liz and Harold Major, two key couples who supported the organisation right from the beginning! Both couples poured years and years of love, sweat and tears into the organisation, assisting Rob and Judi in leading The Camping Program.The support and oversight of the Community Church of Kyabram has been invaluable, and the long running relationship with Wangaratta Wesleyan Methodist Church continues to this day.
We are so grateful for the way Rob and Judi courageously led The Camping Program/Cs Camps, and for the deep and profound legacy they have left as we journey into this new season as Life Camps Australia.
The camps were influenced by the Wandilagong "Wandi" Camps that ran in the 90's. The Hunters, along with an amazing team, started The Camping Program, initially running a camp catering for primary aged children. From there, The Camping Program grew and grew to what it is today; a flourishing organisation providing camps for people of all ages and stages. Through Rob and Judi's boldness, passion, service and obedience, thousands and thousands of lives have been impacted with the love of God, the message of the Gospel and through the deep and powerful community that has formed over the years.
It would be remiss of us not to make special mention of Mark and Lauri Rumble & Liz and Harold Major, two key couples who supported the organisation right from the beginning! Both couples poured years and years of love, sweat and tears into the organisation, assisting Rob and Judi in leading The Camping Program.The support and oversight of the Community Church of Kyabram has been invaluable, and the long running relationship with Wangaratta Wesleyan Methodist Church continues to this day.
We are so grateful for the way Rob and Judi courageously led The Camping Program/Cs Camps, and for the deep and profound legacy they have left as we journey into this new season as Life Camps Australia.
Our History
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1998 -- The Christian Camping Program was established
We ran our first 2Cs (Childrens’ Christian camp) for grades 4, 5 + 6 2001 -- Second 2Cs began YTCs (Young Teens Camps) were launched after the cry went up from campers, ‘What do we do now that we’re too old for 2Cs?’ 2004 -- OTCs (Older Teens Camp) began 2005 -- LTCs (Leadership Training) began 2007 -- MTCs (Middle Teens) to cater for a very large number of teenagers and to split up the YTCs Third 2Cs camp, to keep up with growing numbers 2009 -- BTCs (Beyond Teens) Development of SACs (Schoolies Alternative Camps) age group, and the first trip to Samoa 2010 -- Our first Marriage + Marriage Preparation Weekends 2012 -- The first Mens Muster at Cheshunt is introduced 2013 -- 2Cs runs in Anglesea for the first time 2014 -- Our first ever ‘Coins for Campers’ trip heads to Moldova 2015 -- YTCs + Mens Muster head to Anglesea Our first Nourish Womens Weekend’ happens in Anglesea, too 2016 -- The first Mission Trip heads to America + Eastern Europe, to support some of our partners 2017 -- Family Camp launches 2018 -- We celebrate 20 YEARS OF CAMPS the best way we know how — with a Family Camp! 2020 -- We launch our new name and a new brand and become ‘Life Camps Australia’ |
Why the change?
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Since our first Children’s Camp in 1998, we’ve been known simply as ‘The Camping Program.’
It was a matter of necessity, really — we had to put something as the name on the bank account! But it also served as a straightforward way of communicating what we offer. More than 20 years later, after countless camps and events, and a rich network of churches and communities we now serve, we’ve heard one question repeated — “Yes, but which camping program is it, exactly?” So we took to calling ourselves ‘Cs Camps’. It was a handy way to identify ourselves, and refer to the nicknames our campers had come to know and love — 2Cs, YTCs, BTCS, and every other acronym under the sun! But as we grew from that very first camp, and as we’ve expanded to become much more than just ‘programs’ or ‘Cs’, we knew it was time to change our name to reflect who we are. |
After consulting our teams and our loyal campers, as well as wider audiences outside our circle, we decided the name ‘Cs Camps’ was a bit confusing, and didn’t communicate our full identity.
So we set out to redefine ourselves, while keeping our family-oriented, Christ-centred, home-grown values as the crucial centrepiece of our organisation. In this rebranding process, we concluded that the key elements of our camping program are: • We offer camps, events and programs • We welcome people at any age and stage of life • We connect them to Jesus at every point With these core pieces aligned, we settled on a name that would capture the promise of John 10:10 — that we would have life to the full. In 2020, we became Life Camps Australia. |
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New Year.
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A brand new lease on ‘life'
The colours of our previous identity have been re-invigorated with fresh energy and the logo has been set on an active, uplifting angle. Life Camps are alive — not set or stationary, but moving and growing and expanding.
To capture that feeling, our new tagline becomes the catch cry to ‘Seize Life’. It encourages campers to grab hold of God, of life-giving community and purpose, and to actively enrich their lives. It’s also a way of honouring our legacy as the ‘Cs Camps’. |
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Sharing Jesus’ love through camps full of joy, faith and life! 
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