Across the state, PYNSW camps have become a vital way for young people to connect, grow, and stay grounded in their faith, even when their local church feels small or isolated.
While the iconic PY Summer Camp at Stanwell Tops reaches hundreds each year, many young people in regional areas face barriers such as distance, cost, and time away from home. That’s where initiatives like the Southern Rivers PY Flow Camp come in, offering a local, accessible space for faith and fellowship.
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“We started with a one-day event back in 2023,” Mitchell explains. “A few youth leaders from our presbytery got together and said, ‘Let’s organise a day where the kids can meet each other, listen to good Bible teaching, and enjoy some fun and fellowship together.’” What eventuated was the Southern Rivers Big Day Out! You can read all about it here.
Mitchell shares, “After a couple of years, the kids themselves wanted to extend it into a full camp. So we thought, alright, let’s give it a crack.”
With the continued help and partnership of PYNSW (read more here), September 2025 marked the first Flow Camp, held at PIM campsite, New Dunesk, which is located in Ardlethan in the middle of the Southern Rivers Presbytery. A convenient central location for churches from Griffith, Temora, Albury, Young and beyond. “It just worked,” Mitchell says. “It’s tied in with the local church, with PIM, and it’s not too far for anyone.”
Around 35 people attended the inaugural camp this year, including 10 leaders. “On paper it might sound small, but for regional NSW, that’s an incredible start,” Mitchell says. “We’re already planning to grow it next year.”
Connection and confidence for country kids
“Southern Rivers PY Flow Camp provides an alternative space for kids to connect with other young Christians closer to home,” Mitchell explains. “It’s a shorter camp, but still a chance to open the Bible together, to pray with and for each other, and to see that God’s family is bigger than their own youth group.”
One moment from the camp particularly stood out to him.
“On the Saturday morning, a bunch of kids from different churches just wandered down into an open area and started their own soccer game,” he recalls. “Some of them had only met 24 hours earlier, but there they were laughing, playing, hanging out. Just seeing God’s family come together as his family, that was really encouraging.”
PYNSW partnership behind the scenes
While the heart and energy for Flow came from local leaders, Mitchell says the camp wouldn’t have been possible without the support and systems of PYNSW.
“It would’ve been so much harder without PYNSW,” he says. “We adopted their permission forms, their feedback systems, their registration processes and data storage. PYNSW’s been doing this for years, longer than I’ve been alive, so being able to draw on that experience was massive.”
He’s particularly thankful for PYNSW’s General Manager, Dave Phillips.
“Dave’s been amazing,” Mitchell says. “He’s productive, practical, and just keeps things moving. Even small things, like PYNSW running the Zoom account for meetings, made a big difference. It might sound minor, but for churches out here where things move slowly, that kind of support takes a big organisational load off.”
A growing movement in the regions
Looking ahead, Mitchell is hopeful about what God is doing in country NSW.
“There just seems to be this return to faith in the country,” he reflects. “I hesitate to use the word revival, but people, especially young people, are realising that what the world offers isn’t enough. There’s this growing awareness of our need for community and for a relationship with our Creator.”
For kids in rural towns scattered hours apart, Flow is more than just a fun camp, it’s a lifeline.
“It’s easy for country kids to feel like they’re the only Christian around,” Mitchell says. “Flow helps them see they’re part of something bigger, that there are brothers and sisters in Christ nearby. It gives them confidence that they’re not alone.”
Why your support matters
Through your generosity, PYNSW can keep supporting regional leaders like Mitchell, equipping them with training, systems, and encouragement to reach young people where they are.
As Mitchell puts it, “This is just the start. The feedback from the kids was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone wants to come back. We want to make it bigger and better next year. It’s exciting to see where God might take it.”
Your giving helps make that possible.
Help us keep our camping ministry thriving across all of NSW, so that every young person, from the city to the country, generation to generation, can hear the gospel and know they’re not alone.
