Each of the six CMS branches in Australia are deeply involved in helping youth realise the vision of a world that knows Jesus. Here is a picture of some of the camps, conferences, training and other youth-focused activities happening in CMS branches across the country.

“CMS is great because it involves me in fun activities about mission, and inspires me to learn and spread God’s word globally.”

CMS TAS: youth at Summer Conference

At our CMS TAS Summer Conference, we keep the youth in for the main mission presentations (given by CMS missionaries), rather than running a separate
youth program.

During the main Bible talks, the youth go out with their mentors, to open God’s Word and reflect on what they are learning about God’s mission. These discussions encourage our teenagers to think about how they might get involved in global mission now through prayer, care and giving, and perhaps even serving cross-culturally one day. 

One teenager, Ana-Laura, reflects: “I like staying in for the mission presentations because I enjoy hearing stories about their lives as missionaries. It helps me to see possibilities for myself in different countries around the world.”

CMS WA: a children’s ministry convention 

CMS WA works with other Christian organisations in Western Australia to present the annual Perth Children’s Ministry Convention. This year we were delighted to invite CMS NSW & ACT’s children’s and youth worker, Bruce Linton, to speak. Bruce encouraged us to know God’s character personally, and equipped us in practically teaching the character of God to children. 

Bruce challenged us to plan, pray and program in a way that reflects and teaches who God is: holy, fair, loving, and truthful. He brought his wisdom to a practical session on running playgroups and holiday programs that reach children and families outside the church with the good news of Jesus.

Bruce spent the Friday evening prior helping a smaller group of children’s ministry coordinators to think deeply about how to connect with their communities, and how to bring their whole church along with them. In CMS WA, we are praying for these inspiring insights to help spread the gospel to and through children and youth. 

CMS SANT: Kids’ Conference 

At the beginning of each year, CMS SANT runs a kids’ conference. The core group of kids who attend each year are from families that already partner with CMS. This makes for an extraordinary time, where we get to build on the foundation already laid at church and home to really dig into God’s Word and world. 

Kids start to see that how God works in their life is not so different to how he is working across the world, even if it looks, sounds, tastes, smells and feels different. As they listen to missionaries, their worldview expands and so too does their understanding of who God is. We see kids drawing closer to God, caring beyond themselves, and praying for the gospel to be known, and local ministry to be grown around the world. 

Jacob (leader):
“It’s a great start to the year to lift our eyes to our big, diverse world and learn how to trust and pray to God about his kingdom purposes.”

James (9 years old):
“I love meeting kids who have been on mission with their parents. They help me see that lots of people love Jesus, and I can be part of Jesus’ love for the world by praying and caring.”   

CMS QNNSW: the MELT camp 

MELT, or Mission Exposure, Laughter, (Bible) Teaching is CMS QNNSW’s annual youth camp. Since it began in 2021, MELT has helped teens to grow their own heart and understanding for mission. They have also been encouraged by meeting other Christian teens from around Queensland and Northern NSW. We are so thankful for how God has grown MELT, and for the way he uses CMS missionaries to show what he is doing in the world. See a video recap of our most recent camp here – cms.org.au/meltrecap

Hayden (Grade 12):
“It is really great attending CMS youth camps, to talk with missionaries and meet many people my age. At MELT, I met other Christians in high school who live near me, but who I wouldn’t see at church. CMS NSW & ACT’s MMM camp was also special because I was able to hang out with hundreds of other guys in Grade 11 and 12. I appreciated digging deeply into Exodus during the Bible teaching time, and hearing from missionaries around the world. It was inspiring to hear how God is at work amid the challenges they face living cross-culturally.”

Anastasia (Grade 12):
“I’ve been going to MELT since Grade 9. I always like meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. I like seeing how they’re going spiritually and encouraging one another. You’ve got the whole weekend… talking to people from different grades. I enjoy hearing from different missionaries each year. I get to be exposed to different parts of mission—being challenged about going to mission myself, and being prepared”.

CMS NSW & ACT: 200 children at Milimani 

Each year in the NSW April school holidays, roughly 200 children in Years 4-6 gather for Camp Milimani in the Blue Mountains. Milimani is a Swahili word meaning ‘mountainous’, which aptly describes both the local terrain and the size of the task involved in planning this time together!

A team of volunteers, CMS staff, house parents and missionaries join campers for four days of fellowship, fun and growing hearts for God’s mission. The purpose is to ‘turn up the temperature’ of global mission for these children by spending time in the Bible, hearing from missionaries, praying together and working in discussion groups to consider God’s plan of salvation. 

This year, campers learned about “shining like stars” from Philippians, and loved dressing up with a space theme and enjoying some nighttime astronomy. 

Pray for campers as they keep thinking about their role in God’s mission.

CMS VIC: church visits

This year, CMS Victoria has begun ‘Mission Focused Children’s Church Visits’. 

During these visits to CMS partner churches, our Children’s and Families Coordinator Alyson Peatman is regularly invited to run a children’s spot and program, generally aimed at preschool to Year 6. In doing this, we hope to encourage even the youngest members of the congregation to be actively involved with global mission. We build these programs around the partner church’s link missionaries, and we talk to children about life on location and how these CMS missionaries share the gospel. 

We want to inspire the next generation of CMS supporters by raising up young people who are prepared and equipped to pray, care, give and maybe one day go to the nations, so that we may see a world that knows Jesus. 

Axel (11 years old):
“CMS is great because it involves me in fun activities about mission, and inspires me to learn and spread God’s word globally.”

CARE

Taking children and youth to CMS activities, introducing them to missionaries, and even helping lead and organise is a practical way of encouraging mission concern. Contact your CMS branch for how you can be involved.