Gathering together is a core part of the Body of Christ; we sharpen each other, encourage each other, and learn together. Across Aotearoa, groups gather with one thing in common: Christ. Two significant gatherings Elevate has loved having connections to are Northern Eastern Camp and Festival One. Festival One is an intergenerational Christian festival […]
Hamish Muir
“A security guard” is a role that would never aptly capture the incredible character of Hamish Muir; an entire magazine and fifty volunteer role titles may do his contributions to Elevate some justice. Hamish would strike you as a hilarious, well-respected, and beloved man. The beginnings of his involvement with Elevate were hesitant – to […]
The Leadership of Ross Bay
Ross Bay was “born very young,”; and laughter will cause your sides to hurt when you spend time with him. Immersed in family and Christian camping from a young age, you would have found Ross as a young boy in Nelson on his family’s home farm; otherwise known now as Teapot Valley Christian Camp. During […]
Book Review: A Place Where I Belong
By Manuele Teofilo If you’re looking for an informative and insightful book on neurodiversity, then A Place Where I Belong by Staci McLean is for you. She is an author, a speaker and the mother of a neurodivergent child. McLean is also the founder and director of The Neurocollective NZ, creating places where we ALL […]
A Note From The Director: a reflection on National Camp & looking towards the future
Recently, I have been thinking about the significance of this season we are in as an organisation. We have an amazing opportunity to honour the rich history of Elevate and prepare for the next forty plus years. Celebrating forty years of Elevate National Camp at Totara Springs Christian Centre highlighted this again to me. Our […]
Elevate Literally Saved Me
I attended the 40th Elevate Christian Disability Trust National Camp. Since 40 years is such a significant milestone, I thought now would be a great time to share with everyone the impact this organisation has had on my life. I was first introduced to Christianity at 7 years old. My neighbours at the time took me […]
From A Mountain Climbing Accident to The Power of Vulnerability
I was born into the tribal culture of the indigenous Native American people. My parents taught me the indigenous plants, how to catch a wild horse, and the value of Creation Care. My grandparents immigrated 100 years ago from the Netherlands to the Navajo Reservation. They were beloved cross-cultural bridges to the Navajo and Zuni […]
Four Decades of National Camps!
There have been so many incredible stories and highlights from National Camps over the years. We only could fit a very few highlights and wonderful stories in this timeline. 1980’s Baptism is always a highlight of National Camp One reflected on the first camp at Matamata “I have many moving memories, but the one which […]
Auckland CFFD Camp – Building Friendships and Community
It’s been three years since the last National Camp was in Matamata and last year, we had to cancel Auckland CFFD Camp. So, with much anticipation as the committee began planning for the 2023 camp at Carey Park, there was also much prayer for it to go ahead. With all the work involved in preparing […]
CBM Kids Connect Camp
Being an Archaeologist for a Day Kids Connect camp looked a little different this year with a change of location and a change of format. After 13 years of using the local scout camp for a weekend, we found ourselves in the position of having to choose between no camp at all or a day […]