Australian and New Zealand Diocese (ROCOR)

A total of 25 Russian Orthodox families joined in the 2nd annual family camp at Galston Gorge for two days of educational and recreational activities. A group of more than 60 children, together with their parents and also some grandparents, enjoyed a variety of spiritual talks and discussions as well outdoor activities – and the weather held good until it was time to go home, despite forecasts of rain that weekend!

A special guest on Friday evening was Bishop George who mingled informally with families around the large campfire which lit up the night and soon had families singing favourite songs.

Once again, much hard work and fund raising went into the organization of the camp during the year by the Parish of St Peter and St Paul at Strathfield, with an organizing committee of parishioners, headed by Archpriest, Father George Larpardin.

“This committee has again done a wonderful job,” Father George said. “They built on their experience last year to create another fine camp which was enjoyed by all age groups. It has been a joy to see how organized they have been and how well everyone has worked together – even with new babies to look after in some cases this year!”

The popular decision of the committee last year to allow the children to bring their scooters, once again proved a great success as the youngsters provided a lively parade of traffic throughout the days. Even the toddlers were seen peddling for dear life on their tiny tricycles, taking the ups and downs of the wide pathways with the best of them.

Parents once again enjoyed a welcome break from busy lives and most especially the opportunity to have talks and discussions on many topics related to family life, the raising of children and the values of Orthodox Christian families. After opening prayers on Friday evening, everyone enjoyed supper and the first of the informal get-togethers of groups of mothers and fathers recalling the enjoyment of the previous year and their pleasure in coming again this year. Several families attending for the first time this year expressed appreciation for the warm welcome they received. A special feature of the evening was the campfire with toasted marshmallows and music provided by a young accordionist and enthusiastic singers.

Talks for young and old

Saturday began with the cheerful rattle of scooters along the pathways as early as 6am, the youngsters being up with the birds and making the most of the very scooter-friendly venue! After morning prayers and breakfast, Father George gathered the older children for a pastoral talk, the younger children attended a playgroup while parents settled down for a talk from Archpriest Father Nikita Chemodakov.

 Father Nikita spoke movingly on how fortunate couples were to be married and have a partner with whom they can speak “heart to heart”, share thoughts and who understands and loves them.
“I know many people who would love to be married, but have not been able to find the right person, and would love to have children but have not been granted this,” he said.

“Children are a great gift, a great joy, they love so purely when they come into the world, they don’t remember wrongs or harbour ill feelings and we should, as parents, try to preserve this feeling.”

Parenting needs humility and willingness to learn

Father Nikita also spoke about the need for humility as parents, to realise, as did some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers, that we really know very little and we need constant love and support from God to be good parents and to help our children grow into the love of God. He said pride makes this difficult but we should remember that Jesus picked out a little child and said we all needed to become like the child to enter the kingdom of heaven. And he said that all who believed on him and kept his word were his brethren, his brothers and sisters, mothers and relatives, so he has drawn us into one family, his beloved family.

We were most fortunate, Father Nikita said, that despite the difficulties of being in the world and trying to live a spiritual life, we had the great grace of Communion and the knowledge that we need to repent or constantly “turn around” from our distractions and be with God all the time, at home, at work and in all our living. Though repentance may be difficult, we can be helped by comparing ourselves with the teachings in the Gospel which describe love and paying attention to what goes on inside us as well as what we do on the outside.

“In Orthodox theology, “ he said, “it is not enough to be forgiven, we have to change and the love of God is such that we can always come back, He will always receive us when we repent and come back.”

Father Nikita concluded his talk with advice on prayer and with the reminder that children learn from parents’ example. He also recounted some lovely stories from the Saints and Desert Fathers about which reflected spiritual life and themes.

Another talk was given in the morning by Dr Nadia Crittenden, an Orthodox psychologist, on the nature and understanding of discipline.  Dr Crittenden said it was informative that the original meaning of the word “discipline” was “to teach” and that parents were essentially the most important teachers in their children’s lives. A copy of Dr Crittenden’s talk was made available to attendees. Following the talks and morning tea, Fr George and Fr Nikita headed a question and answer session where parents raised questions about the religious education of their children and a number of general life issues.

Pilgrimage a family camp highlight

A major activity of the camp began with the first phase of a special “pilgrimage” arranged as a family activity. Conceived by Father George Larpardin, the pilgrimage was a journey around the camp by each family group following clues to designated places (stations) that reflected the life of Christ.  At each station, there was a theme (eg the birth of Christ, the Baptism of Christ, the Sermon on the Mount etc) and each family received a sheet with references to relevant readings and questions to answer – one question for the younger children, one for the older children and one for parents, though everyone in the family was able help with all the questions. Phase One consisted of six stations.

This activity proved to be a highlight of the camp. Families commented that as the children warmed to the task, they began to enjoy reading out the references from the Gospels and helping to construct the answers to the questions. Many parents commented that this would be a good activity to build on at home, encouraging children to read the Gospels by formulating questions and then everyone joining in finding the answers.

“It was a great idea! “one parent said. “The kids really liked looking for the clues and they especially liked the station where they could choose a parable from a list – it was great that they recognized so many of the parables, especially the younger children!”

A welcome swim in the pool was enjoyed at the end of the pilgrimage and gave everyone time to relax.

Saturday evening was time for Vespers and Confession in preparation for Sunday morning liturgy. After dinner, parents gathered again for informal talks and sharing of parenting issues with “men’s business” drawing fathers into a group on the verandah and mothers settling into the comfortable lounge to talk and enjoy supper.

A special occasion for mothers

Sunday morning began with a very special occasion for all the mothers. They were invited by Father George to attend at 7am to witness preparations for Liturgy which normally occurred only in the altar of the Church. This was a solemn and moving experienced and mothers expressed deep appreciation for this opportunity.  Following this, Liturgy began and was structured especially to provide the young children with information about the meaning of many aspects of the service. Father George invited all the children to sit at the front and from time to time paused briefly in the service to explain what was happening and what it meant. The children’s quiet and attentive behaviour was very evident and parents commented on the value of this solemn experience.

After Liturgy and morning tea, families prepared for the second phase of the pilgrimage which consisted of the remaining four stations. Once again, children enthusiastically sought clues and helped construct the answers to the questions. Their journey was interrupted by lunch but continued afterwards. Free time in the afternoon gave everyone a chance to reflect, relax and gradually pack up ready to go home.

The weekend camp concluded with a thanksgiving Molebin and a leisurely preparation for the drive home. Once again, families expressed their enjoyment of the camp and the opportunity it gave everyone to get to know one another better and connect more meaningfully.

And once again, the venue host at Galston Gorge commented that the Orthodox group had again “done very well” at this site and were welcome to return.  The staff was especially appreciative of the Orthodox group’s ability to organize themselves and show so much independence.   Attendees were in turn, appreciative of a venue that was such a relaxing bushland setting and provided such excellent catering!

Nadia Crittenden