Video by Jordy Refl @captured.byjordy + drone footage caloundra-surf-photography
Words by: Jemma Scott
National gathering 2024. Out there, baby!
What a week. We had 350 surfers, creatives, looneys & mad lovers of the Lord coming together to celebrate Easter; the resurrection of Jesus & the life & hope that we now have in him from his sacrifice on the cross.
“And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross. So God raised him to the highest place.” Phillippians 2: 8-10
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
As crew starting rolling into the Sunshine Coast Rec centre on the Thursday arvo, worries were instantly melted, grins ran ear to ear, and the buzz of excited chatter, stories, testimonies & banter echoed throughout the courtyard. I think everyone can vouch that the love & joy that exuberates from this beautiful family of Christ is something that we all hold dear and close to our hearts.
We were stoked to have guest speaker Kirk Beyer & his family come and share, all the way from Gisbon, NZ. Kirk is the Asia Pacific director for Christian Surfers, and the story of his & Mel’s faith & obedience to stepping out & following the Lord is incredible. From selling Mountain Dew to selling the words of life, these guys are a family on mission & the epitome of living by faith & not by sight. From putting the house up for AirBnB and within the hour getting a 63-day booking for the exact amount of money needed for flights to Tahiti, for then the door & gate to open (thank you little Elisha) to serving alongside the chief executive, managers, officials & professional surfers at the Tahiti Pro… it’s honestly just the beginning. The Beyer family lived and travelled in a caravan with their 4 kids on the road, their house continuing to be booked out long term, enabling them to grow & unify together as a family, & to visit & plant different missions across the country. Can we get a hallelujah & THANK YOU Jesus for the work you’re doing in their lives!
With the theme this year being ‘Out There’, we dived into what it would look like for each one of us to get out there and share the gospel. For once we were blind but now, we see. Now we know the truth, and as Colossians 1:27 says: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” For it was by someone else that boldly shared & was unashamed of Christ that we have come to know the love, hope & salvation that we have in Jesus, so let us be that same light & hope to others.
The goal & prayer for this next year is to see at-least 10 new missions pop up over different surfing hotspots across Australia, including Noosa Heads & the Mornington Peninsular in Vic. Whilst also making sure our hearts & relationship with the Lord are in the right place.
Across the boardwalk over the creek, through the paperbark trees & dense tropical jungle, surfers made their way each morning to the sea. The surf outfront before and after sessions was such a highlight. The sou-west winds & multiple lil take-off peaks were perfect for our crew of many surfers.
The customised screen-printing & merch room was a massive winner. Whose idea was it to bring back the old school 80’s logo? Maaate, that good! A few crew were getting creative, rearranging logos, customising their own personal gear & dropping some serious coin on merch. Let’s go. The number of testimonies & conversation starters that come from wearing a CS shirt or jumper is honestly incredible. If you missed out jump onto the CS website to order in some more. Thank you Dan for all that you do in that space!
With Mitchy Loveday & Sammy Tollman on the mic, we’re always in for a controversial treat, where whipped cream, punishments & bad 70’s outfits are a must for the people. But to hear these veterans of the stage are retiring?! No way… lucky we’ve got NSW’s Sam Penny, aka ‘Fruit Salad’ takin the stand. Yummy yummy.
The boys rallied us together in audience sectors; uniting to throw a CSALTER higher than Kath Bailey from the previous gatho. Sophia Potts took the win for Sector 3! With a very elegant & flawless posture, the crowd roared with awe and applause. Well done team.
On the Saturday, we brought back the GRIT with he who thinks he’s got what it takes Noah Sykes from WA, taking on the infamous Willy T from Phillip Island, Vicco. Rollerblades, jousting sticks, hilarious sporting wear, and an inconsolable crowd. The confidence & built-up grit from a lifetime of living in the rugged & wild terrain of west oz was there deep within… but the underdog & ‘SKAFF ON’ master took the win. They shalt joust! And joust they did.
Saturday night we were blessed to listen to a poem with slides narrated by Lucas Bartlett, ‘My Personal Bogan’. Happy 20th year anniversary of National Director Steve Bailey! Ooo. AHH! What a poem, and what an intro BOYS! Steve, I’m sure you never expected a strip show from the strong young men of CS that you have helped raise up to be holy & righteous, but we know you loved every milli-second of it.
The paddle out… wow, where do I even begin. What a testimony that was for the wider Caloundra surfing community. The formation of the cross off Moffats beach, & the coming together of community to remember & celebrate Christ & what he did for us on the cross, has made big waves across this surfing town. From the judges in the surf comp stand above being able to hear the gospel, to people in the café days later raving about this event, to local papers featuring testimonies of CS crew & what this paddle out is all about… the Lord sure is moving. It is our vision, mission, goal & prayer that ‘every surfer in every surfing community, will have the opportunity to know and follow Jesus.’ All the praise & glory to Him.
For the last night, the Sunday, the Northern NSW crew seriously blessed us with a heartwarming Passover spread & beautifully decorated long table, for all 375 to share in communion & the washing of each others feet. How radical that for dinner, on the menu we were told pork would be served, but dinner came out with lamb… the essential piece to the Passover meal. Lord you continue to amaze us with the finer details. The sacrifice of the Passover lamb foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ himself…
Hebrews 10:8-10 “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Thank you to all that travelled, volunteered and could be a part of this week.
God bless ya’ll.
All Images: Logan Kepu @lsckphotography
Special thanks to our National Gathering 2024 partners for helping to make Nat Gatho 2024 such an incredible event!!!
