NAT GATHO 2024 // Sunshine Coast

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!!!

THE NEW SURFERS BIBLE / SURFATHON

The boys are back together! After their vacay to the Ments, they dial back to Indo to speak to Jemma Scott who is currently serving the Lord through 'Sail4Purpose' and Jono Bailey, National Manager coming from the Sunny Coast. They touch on the journey of the Surfers Bible and how you can play a huge part in placing them in the hands of those who need to hear the Good News! The SURFATHON!!! October 28th. Put it in your diaries, journals, tell your mum even. She can help too! You can sign up and participate or donate to those participating.

T H E S U R F E R S B I B L E.

Uncovering a life of lasting meaning and full of purpose requires leaving the shallows and paddling bravely into the deep … Jesus famously said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

20 years since the first edition of the Surfers Bible… we are back with a newer & updated version. How exciting this project & journey has been- collaborating with crew across the world to bring this to print. Sharing the stories & testimonies of what God has done in the lives of well known surfers across the globe- from Bethany Hamilton to Britt Merrick, CJ Hobgood, Caio Ibelli, Tatiana Wester-Webb, Reef Hazelwood & many more.

With this new edition of the Surfers Bible, the full testimonies & video interviews are all able to be accessed via a QR code in the book. So you can watch Bianca Buitendag & Reef Heazlewood shred whilst soaking in how the Lord has given them life, purpose & meaning.

It’s crazy for me writing this right now (Jem Scott, that WA chick). When I first came to faith I found a Surfers Bible in the Margaret River op shop. Fifteen months later I have the absolute honour & privilege to be working on & contributing to this new one... getting to interview surfers like Britt Merrick & Bethany Hamilton on how Jesus has radically transformed their lives.

It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to do this, especially from a 65ft Catamaran in remote Indonesia, fulfilling Matthew 24:14 & the Great Commission. God is so incredibly good, and we could never make these things happen in our own strength. As Proverbs 16:9 says… “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” It is simply just surrendering everything over to Him, & learning to listen into His small quiet voice & how we can best obey Him.

“For the plans I have for you are plans to prosper you & not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope & a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I remember reading Bethanys biography Soul Surfer when I was 14. Nothing faith wise resonated at the time (just her crazy amazing courage, strength, perseverance & love for surfing) but now realising, wow, that would have been the very first seed planting to knowing Jesus… sharing that with her over the zoom call gave her goosebumps!

It’s pretty cool to think how giving someone a Surfers Bible post a good yarn in the surf or in the carpark could radically change someone else’s life also- even if they don’t know it at the time, or it takes years for them to come to know Jesus… they are going to thank you for it down the track. To have HOPE, JOY, FREEDOM, PEACE & ETERNAL LIFE through CHRIST, in a world that is in chaos is massively good news. Let’s continue to be bold & share that, to share our testimonies & the goodness of the Lord. Having this surfers bible breaks down the barriers for surfers who aren’t quite ready to read the word of God, but will happily plough through all the testimonies haha! This was my experience, & now this original version is in the hands of my parents, where I can see God working on their hearts everyday.

This Surfers Bible changed my life, I know it will change yours & those you have on your hearts to share the good news to too.

How are we raising money to print the Surfers Bibles…?

T H E S U R F A T H O N.

SURF 25+ WAVES ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 TO GIVE SURFERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY A NEW SURFERS BIBLE.

The SHARE THE STOKE global Surfathon aims for 1000 surfers to catch over 25 waves each and fundraise USD$8 per wave so that we can print and distribute 25,000 new English Surfers Bible’s and 6,000 new French Surfers Bibles.

This October 28, surfers from across the globe are teaming up to take part in the first ever Share the Stoke Surfathon.

Rookies and pros alike are encouraged to surf 25+ waves in one day to raise awareness and funds to bring a new English & French Surfers Bible to their surf communities.

Will you join us? Sign up as a solo surfer, or register your crew to make a team.


”Being able to grow up and live in a country like Australia, I’ve had so much exposure and opportunity to access and learn about God’s word, through things like church, youth group and christian surfers.

It has brought so much joy and given me fundamental truths that have allowed me to develop into the person I am today. It has given me a reason to love people, find joy in all things, and has really changed my perspective on life.

I really believe that Gods word is truth and breathes life, and because of this, I’d love to see many more have the opportunity to know and follow Jesus.

In my life, this is what I’m about. This is what is important to me. Have any questions? Send me a message, I’d love to chat about it!”

“I am excited to be surfing A LOT on the 28th of October to fundraise for bibles that can be given to those around. I am passionate to see my local surf community find and know their true worth and values that come from Jesus. Giving people who want it, access to the bible to learn more and know that Jesus loves them so deeply and that they don’t have to do anything to earn His love but it is freely given.”

Read more and get involved here:

https://surfathon.thesurfersbible.com/en/

Mitch and Sam have signed up themselves. Here is their profiles to donate and partner with them!

https://surfathon.thesurfersbible.com/en/t/swell-times

HOSANNA PARENTY // AKA H MONEY

Growing up in France with a missionary family & learning to mingle with strangers from a from a young age, Hosanna has become a natural people person & frother of life and THE LORD. If you haven’t met her yet, I’m kind of surprised. Go have a yarn. She will speak in a french & provide you with enough belly laughs and joy to last a week. Here is a small snippet of her story yewww….

 How has your upbringing impacted you, & who you are today?

 Well, for those of you who don't know, I come from a Christian missionary family. I was born in Newcastle…yeah the Blues! When I was three, my parents took five of us kids to live in the very beautiful Biarritz, which has a very niice longboard wave & it’s just a 40-minute drive from Hossegor, a well-known surf spot where they hold the Quiksilver Pro.

So we moved there when I was three, and I developed a French accent haha. I did all my primary schooling in France, which was awesome. Mum and Dad started a backpacking business that was kind of connected to our house, so we always had people coming in and out. Mum and Dad would share about Jesus with them, which was a great way to minister to people because you got to know them, and Mum and Dad would share their faith, leading people to get saved and give their lives to God, which was really awesome.

Us kids were little groms just running around, making beds for people, getting the place ready. I was the annoying little blond girl who would cling to everyone and ask, "What are you doing? Can I come?" People must have thought, "Who is this kid in this backpackers?" haha.

We had people from all over the world, which made us very easygoing. You just go with the flow. You meet so many people, and you become pretty socially adept at an early age because you're constantly interacting with new people.

During Christmas, we'd even have homeless people over, which was awesome. It taught us to be adaptable. Mum and Dad eventually started a church called Surf Church, beginning in Biarritz and later moving to Hossegor. We kids helped out a lot.

 

Tell us about Friday night Groms night yew…

Yeah so this is my first official year on the Sunny Coast because I have commitment issues and didn't want to pay the extra hundred dollars haha. I just started CS Groms a couple of weeks ago. The idea started probably around the end of last year, and I just had the thought, "Oh, we don't have anything for the groms."

And then I kind of let that thought go. I didn't want to do anything about it haha. Anyway, that idea kept floating around, and I was like, "Okay, well, I'm going to do something with this because I'm sure God has put this thought in my mind and in my heart for a reason." So then I prayed about it, caught up with Jordy Merry because he used to do stuff with Groms on the coast, and then still like six months after that, because it takes me a while, you know haha. Six months after, I got some crew together, and it was like, "Alright, we're just going to send it- Friday afternoons surf, pizza, someone shares a testimony and then skate or something, because in my mind, I really just want to get among the kids that maybe don’t come from great homes or like they're not that loved, or they struggle in school, or they're just the eshays at the skate park, too cool for school with they're little fanny packs and scooters, you know? So, yeah, I want to get around those kids.

It started small, which is great. And the first night was actually pretty funny. The night before the big CS Groms launch, a couple of the groms messaged saying they couldn't come. And then a couple of people who were going to help just couldn't come for various reasons.

And then I was just like, "Oh my gosh, everyone's waiting. Like, what am I going to do?" So picture this: It's CS Groms' launch. I get to Coolum park, which is where we’re going to do it. I'm sitting at the bench, and I'm by myself. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what am I doing?"

There were like six, maybe eight leaders that eventually came which was sick. When I was sitting alone I just had that moment with God that reminded me that it's like God works through me. When we give Him a yes and follow through with the plans He gives us, using our skills and just being obedient, I just had that humbling experience of realising that I need God for this. I think I really needed that. There are four kids now who are consistent, which is awesome. Some weeks are so random… a Spanish kid from the surf joined, and he couldn't speak a word of English. But he saw the Domino's Pizza and sat down. He was sitting there cold & shivering, while someone was sharing their testimony, and he felt too rude to leave. So he just stayed, eating pizza. And when they said, "You can leave if you like," he replied, "Oh, thank you," and just left. So I was like, sick! If this is it- just random kids joining in for pizza, not understanding English, getting touched by the Holy Spirit in some way, and then leaving—I'm all for it.

Even random adults would join in sometimes and listen to the testimonies, so it's small beginnings, but I'm excited to see what God does because we need to reach the next generation.

 

“GOD DOES NOT CALL THE QUALIFIED. HE QUALIFIES THOSE HE CALLS.” 1 Corinthians 1: 27-29

A big ‘God moment’ for you?

Growing up in a Christian family, it can become routine to go to church and do your devotions with your family. You might lose some of the heartfelt meaning behind it because that's all you know. You start to second-guess it and think, "Yeah, I'm a Christian because that's how I was raised." Mum and Dad did an awesome job at raising us in a missionary family, and we had the privilege of meeting so many people. The church was also linked with Christian Surfers too, so we got to meet many fantastic guest speakers who shared their stories and faith, which was really cool.

I would say I've always had faith from a young age, but it was always through my parents that I had to follow. It wasn't until I moved back to Australia and turned 17 that I thought, "Okay, either this is all real, or I'm not in it at all." I was like, "I want to figure this out for myself, fully."

I remember I used to do outdoor education, and I was on a school camp. I was in my room by myself, and I remember just going on my knees one night, saying, "Man, God, I just want to know." I was just on my knees, thinking, "God, show me your love." You can live your whole life reading so much scripture and singing so many worship songs, but when you actually believe the words; it hits you, which is so amazing. I don't even remember what I prayed, but I just remember being overwhelmed by God's love so much. I was just wrecked, weeping on the floor by myself, and I remember calling my brother. We do FaceTime a lot & we're besties. He's only two years older than me. I felt like, "Oh, man, this crazy thing just happened." We were both crying on the phone together, like, "Wow." It's just such a special moment when you have those moments in your faith when God touches you. That was one of them for me. So that was the moment when I thought, "Yes, I want to get baptised and go all in with my faith." That was exciting. I got baptised, which was really special, and then cried like a baby again aha. Fun fact, I'm not much of a crier at all- I’m not too emotional, but when it comes to God, man, God loves to move me. It's great.

Hosanna, growing up in a Christian home, did you ever find that it was hard to share your testimony or that you possibly didn't have one? How did you find that journey and being able to share Jesus in that space…

 Yeah, I remember throughout the years hearing people's testimonies, and you would hear the wild ones where people went off the rails, hit rock bottom with drugs and alcohol, and then experienced a 180-degree change as if by the snap of their fingers, which is so awesome.

That's really cool, and we need testimonies like that. I think with a couple of my siblings, it was like that as well. I remember that when people asked about my faith or my testimony, I'd always cringe on the inside because I thought I needed to make it sound really cool somehow or maybe be a bit dramatic in a story to show that I went off the rails.

But man, God really challenged me, and he said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Look at your life. Everyone has a testimony, whether it's different from others or not. We all need the different stories that God has written in our lives." For me, growing up in a Christian family, I personally didn't go off the rails, but it doesn't mean I didn't go through challenges as a Christian. It doesn't mean I didn't go through emotional struggles or feelings of shame, guilt, or even questioning my faith. I definitely did, but it looked different from other people's testimonies. God has moved in my life, and I have the privilege of sharing stories about what God has done in my life and how he's used my family and me.

You don't have to hit rock bottom to get to know God on a deep level. There will be challenges, for sure, but He will help you navigate through them and build your faith even stronger than before. I think people need to hear that more because some may shut off and think, "I don't have a testimony; nothing has happened." I want to challenge you. If you're someone who thinks you don't have a testimony, I challenge you to think back on your life and reflect on what God has done…

ROY HARLEY // God is Gravity, We Are the Satellites.

Introducing….(drumroll please) our International Director Roy Harley! Get amongst it kiddies, we are diving deep into the life of Roy- covering aqua dacks, bb guns, serving in places a loooong way away from the surf and dancing with the line. This man’s story will blow your mind. A keen spirit for adventure and taking risks has brought Roy into the relationship that He has with the Lord today. We get to discuss with him what it means to live as a 'satellite' orbiting the Lord’s ‘gravity’, living in the love of His grace and mercy.

“I grew up in a Christian home, so I had faith. I would say that I think God is too big to be a satellite in our world, and sometimes we try and make God the satellite, but he will never be able to be a satellite. And so for me, my faith was this thing that I did, it wasn't everything. At about 16, there was this girl in my youth group that invited me to go to a camp. It was a pretty crazy camp. Honestly- it was nowhere near the ocean… so when I found that out, I was like, there's no way. I got into trouble on the first day haha.

I didn't  mean to get in trouble, it wasn't like I was trying. I just think that's surfers, right? So we got there & there was this huge, big quarry, beautiful.  And they're like to to like a couple thousand kids- don't swim in the quarry because there's aqueducts that go into that. But they positioned it is a choice- like you shouldn't do this because it's not going to be good for you.

And then it was raining and it was like a big slip and slide. So me and a couple of other guys were launching backflips into it saying, well, we'll take a chance. Mate, they hold us out, pull us in front of the whole committee, saying, what are you doing? Why are you doing that?

We told you not to- we said, no, you didn't, you just said it's probably not a good idea. So we missed the messaging and the crazy thing was we really didn't know we had done wrong, which seemed to be most of my life.

I think there's a lot of it in that that has to do with my faith story because when you look back, I felt like I was this surfy dirtbag kid that didn't fit in anyway, and somehow I always found myself in trouble unintentionally ha.It was this desire to have fun, which really, I think connected me again with surf culture. I think there's so much about surf culture that just loves to have fun and it kind of put me, I guess, cross-cultural with all these institutions. I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

So, you know, at this camp, this guy preaches the story and literally is basically saying God is too big to be a satellite in your world. That you need to come to a place where you surrender everything and make HIM the centre around which you orbit. And in that space that night there was just such a strong call, & I was white knuckling the chair because I didn't want to go up to the front, but I just knew I needed to go up. I got quite nervous & thought I'll be the kid at the front holding the chair.

There was a whole lot of us up at the front and the drummer came over and I ended up with him and he asked me to pray, a very strange prayer that I'd never prayed before. And it was to the Holy Spirit. And I basically just said, Holy Spirit, I've got nothing to offer you that is of value. And at that point I really meant it. Like I have nothing that I can give you that is of value. I'm not doing great at this, I’m not doing great at anything. And, you know, I'm just trying to figure this all out. I really struggled with self-image at the time and I was just an anonymous teenage kid that was stuck in the crowd.

I prayed that to the Holy Spirit and everything changed. For some people, it's a slow burn. For me, it was BANG. I just felt this joy, this release, and this excitement and just abundant energy -like crazy energy. I didn't do any of the speaking in tongues or prophecy thing at the time. Just this joy and energy, and this new life flooded me.

So I think it's so nice to say, oh, I'm going to change and become a satellite around His gravity, but actually that takes time.

For me, it was about a three year process through all sorts of different things in South Africa that was happening at the time. But essentially what happened was God kept tapping my shoulder and saying, hey, you've surrendered everything, but you haven't surrendered surfing. And I remember this very key moment; I was in the kitchen having this teenage argument with my mom, and she pointed at me & said surfing’s your God.

And I said, no, it's not. But in my heart I was like, she's right. This is the thing that I worship. This is the thing that I will sacrifice everything for family, friends, relationships. I'll sacrifice everything to go surfing and to get better at surfing. And this wasn't an instant realisation, God worked with me over three years and I’d try and serve & he'd keep bringing me back to that point… “

JUMP ONTO THE PODCAST FOR THE FULL STORY…

CS SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL GATHO.

"I was at an international Christian Surfers conference where we had been challenged to seek God about where he wanted us to go, and which tribe he wanted us to reach. In front of me were over 100 surfers from numerous nations lost in worship. Just then BD the founder of our movement came alongside me putting his arm around my shoulder and looking at the crowd he said, 'This is the pearl of Great Price Roy this is the true treasure in a field.' Rarely have I felt God's Spirit speak so clearly to me as he did at that moment. I knew the surf tribe was the one he wanted me to share his love with, and I have been trying to do that ever since.”

Roy was the pioneering National Director of CS South Africa and has been in full-time ministry for most of his adult life. A visionary social entrepreneur at heart, Roy is married to Sharon with daughter Cailyn and son Nathan. When asked what his job is he will tell you it's the International Froth Cultivator for Christian Surfers. If he's not answering his phone, it's likely he is in a 'Board Meeting' in the ocean, riding his favourite wave, Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay.

 Three words that will help us journey towards achieving the goal of 1000 local missions in 100 countries with a media reach of 2% of the world's surfing population by 2030:

  1. FAITH

The first word is Faith, for Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1) and we know that without Faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).

Faith is where we end and God begins.

Faith is when He gets the glory for stuff that we couldn’t do by ourselves. And Faith has to be our starting point for everything, not Faith in ourselves, not even Faith in our team, but simple, authentic childlike Faith in Jesus, our king.

This is where we begin. But to have Faith we need the second word:

  1. HOPE

The second word is Hope. Hope has a catalytic power to change things.

Faith is being sure of what you HOPE for, and we know what we hope for; we hope to grow into a movement that connects 1000 local missions in over 100 countries with a media reach of 2% of the world’s surfing population.

We hope to do this by 2030. So in 2023, we hope to take great Faith strides in this direction.

‘I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a HOPE and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11) His Hope is inspirational and contagious.

So I want to encourage you to exude this wonderful Hope wherever you go! Take Hope to your beach, Hope to your community, Hope to your friends and family… and Hope to the poorest of the poor surfing communities through groundswell aid.

  1. LOVE

The third and most important word of all is Love, for without it, all that we do means nothing. Even 1000 local chapters working without Love is meaningless. Working in 100 nations without Love is a colossal waste of time and resources. And having a media impact of 2% of the world’s surfing community without Love is just pride.

Without His Love, all this achievement will be nothing more than our own hubris.

This work of living in His love may be harder to do than we think, but we know that LOVE – Godly, agape Love, the real deal Love – is patient, and kind, and we know that it doesn’t envy or boast. We know that love isn’t proud or rude or self-seeking or easily angered (even when you’re dropped in on lol). We know that it always protects, it always trusts, it always hopes, and it always perseveres. Most of all, we know that LOVE NEVER FAILS to achieve His Kingdom’s purposes (1 Cor 13:4-7).

Because with these three things – and with God in control – we can bring more surfers than ever to know and love Him.

STEVE BAILEY // Live at Nat Gatho

19 years of National Directing looks a little like... "STEEEEVE STEVE BAILEY HOO HAA!!!" Swell Times podcast has gone live at CS National Gathering in Tassie and we've got the Angry Bird himself stepping up to the mic! He unpacks it all... the grit of the old days where he stepped into leadership, to National Director as we now know it. We are so grateful for the leader you are Steve! Where you're in action showing that Jesus is the answer and your leadership under Him. Praying for you and the fam always!


Mitch: Has the bowling ball ever had a good aqua dump story?

Stevo: No, I don't. But a little insider, I hear Elliot Gray has a really good one. Luca's father told me that when he was about 13, but I'm not going to dive into it because it's only a secondhand story. I think you should ask either Elliot or Lucas and hope he doesn't cry.

Sam: Well, have you got at least a scary wave experience for us- some a time when you were like yep, this is it, or just a really interesting experience out in the surf?

Stevo: Yeah, probably the scariest one where I actually thought I was going to die was at a place called Bears. It was a real hardy Southwest ocean swell. It was mean. This guy had his girlfriend out there and she couldn’t surf, she was absolutely petrified and there was just heaps of water moving, they were drifting towards these rocks and then another buddy was saying oh, I can't let her die. So, if we could paddle over and she'd grab the legrope and you paddled her in and you know that would be all good. But then paddling back, I'm in this spot and it was a late takeoff and the thing just caught in the lip and I landed smack on the water on my ribs-  popped a couple of ribs out of the cartilage and my legrope wrapped around my face and I'm just like oh, this is it. I can’t move, I can't swim, yeah, I can’t breath. Anyway, I popped up and I grabbed my board hunched over, gasping for breath, and the next five waves hit me on the back. So, I just got pounded even more. I just sort of washed up on the beach like a walrus.

Mitch / Sam: A wal… what? Excuse me?  What did you say? Steve.  Just say that animal one more time while we are here…

Sam: Washed up on the beach like a dead seal. Oh, it’s good. He’s good, he’s good.

Stevo: Yeah. Anyway, it was then 45 to 50 minutes run up towards the track with broken ribs. It was probably the most pain that I’ve ever had. I actually thought I was going to drown and yeah, I have a constant reminder from it.

Mitch: Steve, I feel like you might have had a few of these, but what's the weirdest conversation you've had in the water?

Stevo: I've had a few very weird ones. Probably the most confronting one was with a guy who became a Jesus follower and and then moved to become a Jehovah's Witness. We’re at Margs main break and he yells from probably you know 20 meters away, so Steve Bailey, you still believe in that lie called Hell and I was like what, and he's like ripping me from like 20 meters away. What's going on? and his girlfriend was constantly like, it's your turn today. But I'm happy to chat on the beach, come here and surf. Well you know this guy just kept going and following me around and catching waves and ignoring him and he just kept following me around. I went in and that was it.

Mitch:  What does it look like- the daily routine of the Australian National Director?

Stevo: Well, when I look at that, that's probably the hardest question to answer because it's so different every day. Some days it's sitting in meetings and looking at a screen all day. Sometimes it's sitting on an airplane heading to the different parts of the country to meet up with crew. Sometimes it’s meeting other pastors from churches who are preparing talks or learning and growing their faith and different things. So, it's really hard. And every day is different. I'm the sort of person that doesn't like routine too much.  So, it actually suits me to mix it up and do heaps of different things- that just keeps it fresh for us.

Sam: Did you grow up thinking yeah, one day, I'm going to be the national director of Christian Surfers Australia?

Stevo: No, actually not at all. I grew up in WA in Watermans Bay. I left school at 15 and became a plumber and I started an apprenticeship and started my own business when I was 19. My grand plan was to retire and cruise at Rottnest by the time I was 45. But yeah, God had very different plans for me- no cruises at Rottnest.

Mitch: Did you did you go through CS as a grom?

Stevo: Some neighbours across the road were involved or loosely involved in it. It wasn’t until I was probably about 18 that I actually got involved. My mum paid for me to go on a CS camp. She framed it like oh, I paid for a trip down South for you. Oh, thanks Mom, that's very nice you. Found out it was a Christian Surfers’ Camp and I was like what a stich up. I actually remember telling her I'll go mum but I'm not going to listen to anything- that's that because I grew up in the church and I just saw a lot of things that made me really question what this was really about and some of the things I saw really turned me away from faith. And so, I really wanted nothing to do with it but going to that camp changed all that. Saw a few leaders that actually lived out the way that Jesus was taught to me in Sunday school and stuff. I saw that lived out with people and actually signed into this. So, yeah, that was the beginning for me.

Sam: Can you remember a specific moment where you felt like God had revealed to you this is actually your tribe or you felt yeah, I feel like I belong here or was it like a slow gradual thing for you?

Stevo: I think from that camp I I started the Journey of faith and probably became a Jesus scholar about four or five months later and the the guys that were running it they then rang us up and said hey, do you want to come to this next one which was an Easter camp. I was like yeah, sure. All right, that'd be great. I'd get there and they're like oh, by the way, you're a leader and this is a group of grommey’s you’ve got to look after. I was like whaaat. They had talks and stuff at the camp that we were meant to do, like discussion topics. Our sessions were just wrestles because I had no idea what being a leader was and I had only been a Christian like a month or two. And so, I had no idea. And so, we just goofed around, had fun.

Mitch: So good. And over those 19 years, what have you seen grow really strong in CS or go a different way?

Stevo: I think some of the great things about CS that attracted me to it when I was younger was the adventure and the rawness. There's heaps of adventure, heaps of fun and that's one thing that I think is still an essential part of CS, looks a little different, we care for people a whole lot better than what we used to which is a great thing and I think probably the diversity. When I when I was younger surfing was  white male short boarders. You know when a long boarder has turned up to a to a break. They were literally told to leave, you know. There were hardly any girls, there wasn't a lot of girls involved in CS & not a lot of girls surfing. I think that's one of the great things that CS has actually pioneered in and changed within the surfing culture. Back when the Jesus Pro was being run, those were actually the first sort of nationally rated type events that gave equal prize money to guys and girls.

I suppose diversity there's a whole bunch of different sorts of surfboards and different styles of the way people love to enjoy the ocean, which is a part of CS, and that's a beautiful thing too.

Sam: That's cool. If if you were to impart some wisdom on us and and encourage us as a tribe, I guess as the national director having some vision on where you'd love to see the tribe going and and a bit more of some outcomes, and some things that you'd love to see God do in the communities that we get to serve into… What are some encouragements that you'd love to give to us listening here, but also I guess on the podcast to just keep in mind or prayer points?

Stevo: That's a really big wide question but the thing that I think God's really been speaking to me a lot about recently is how much He is the answer. We can run all sorts of events and all sorts of different things that happen that are great fun and provide great community and all that sort of thing but if we're not bringing people to Jesus, showing His love for people, His love to restore people to heal people to bring them to fullness and peace in life then I think we are not doing our job properly. I think He's been speaking me a lot about that, how personally when life gets busy, and when you guys grow up, you'll see that life gets busy.

Time becomes really valuable and it's easy to pass some of those relationships off. It's like wow, I'll connect you with this person and I'll be able to help you. I'll connect you with that person and I'll be able to help you. I will send them to a pastor or you know to whatever it might be, but I think what God wants is actually ‘no, I've brought those people into your path because he knows that I can actually help them. I think that's probably a true thing for all of us. I would think about the people I've come across in our path and how God wants to use us to listen. So, that's probably a big thing.

Mitch: And is there over these last 19 years a piece of scripture, or a passage that has continued to resound?

Stevo: Yeah, well, there's probably two.

Romans 8:31 ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’. That's that's one that stuck with me from when I first became a Jesus follower, and I had to fight a few battles around faith, like personally, dealing with stuff that that I didn't want to let go of and surrender to God, particularly trust in Him, and that scripture held me through a lot of that stuff- just that one verse. Probably the other one that's more particular to the role. When I started the role I asked the Lord to give me a scripture that would just sort of confirm and give me some leading about it. Ezekiel 3 has been a really strong scripture to hold me to that until God asked me to step into this role.





TEARFUND // How CS can make waves

Christian Surfers have partnered with Tearfund to raise awareness and make waves in communities that need our help. We are joined by Sam Fagan who shares with us the many opportunities to jump onboard. From signing petitions to supporting causes or even being more aware of where your rubbish goes. Listen and learn where YOU can help! God has commanded us to love one another and be stewards of the earth. Please welcome Sam yewwww….

Could you give us a rundown of what Tearfund is as an organisation, and your role within that?

Tearfund Australia is a Christian development, relief and advocacy organisation responding to global poverty and injustice. Following Jesus, we go where the need is greatest! For over 50 years, we have been working towards a vision of a just and compassionate world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. Around the globe, we work in partnership with local Christian agencies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Agencies who understand the needs of their communities, and are in the best position to develop responses that are relevant and sustainable. My role is focused on Church and community engagement, which means I connect, support and develop relationships with Churches and other christian groups, and endeavour to go on a discipleship journey in relation to biblical justice and what that means for each of us.


Do you have a personal story from someone overseas that has really been impacted by the organisation, how it's changed their life…

The story of Josias and Coqueiral Baptist Church in Brazil is an inspiring example of what can happen when the Holy Spirit convicts a person of what is important to God. An individual response leads to the formation of a group which leads to greater levels of impact that leads to community transformation. This story is relevant for all who are interested in the Rubbish Campaign. Imagine, if like Josias, we all listened to the Holy Spirit and responded accordingly in our context!

Check this out.

Could you tell us a bit more about the MICAH coalition & the progress since starting the rubbish campaign back in 2019…

Tearfund is a part of the Micah Coalition of Churches and Christian organisations that work together to gather, inspire and empower Australian Christians as advocates - people who use their voices to shine a light on issues of injustice. We’ve found this to be a much more effective and efficient way of working for change, by unifying our plans and strategy to cut through the noise and influence the decision makers in our country. An example of this was the Rubbish Campaign in 2019 that targeted the four biggest plastic polluters in the world (Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle) and called for them to: Report their plastic production; Reduce this amount by half; Recycle; Restore dignity to waste pickers by working in partnership with them. The campaign resulted in over 50,000 actions taken globally by supporters (eg: signing petitions and lifestyle changes), and ALL four companies made significant changes in response to the campaign.

Fast forward to modern day and the global conversation about plastic pollution has accelerated. The impact of plastic pollution has more than doubled. Today, half of all plastic is designed to only be used once before being discarded. The results are wide-ranging and extremely harmful. Plastic pollution is directly impacting the achievement of over half of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It is also contributing directly to the climate emergency through plastics production and emissions from the burning of plastic waste.


This is noted as the most important multi-lateral climate deal since Paris...?!

In March, at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi, world leaders, environment ministers and other representatives from 173 nations agreed to develop a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The decision to develop a treaty has been described as the most important multilateral environment deal since the Paris Climate Accord in 2015. The resolution established an intergovernmental negotiating committee that will be tasked with drafting and ratifying the Treaty, with the aim of completing the process by 2024. Already, it is clear that negotiations will be incredibly complex with a number of nations and lobby groups pushing for watered-down voluntary commitments as opposed to legally binding targets. Encouragingly, Australia has joined the High Ambition Coalition of 20 nations including the UK, Canada, France, and Germany that aims to deliver a global agreement banning plastic pollution that is legally binding.


It's a necessity to solve the issue of rubbish & waste, how can we accommodate those in third world countries that make their living from it?

Pivotally, the resolution also introduces provisions to recognise waste pickers, an inclusion that would impact millions of people around the world. It is the first time waste pickers have been recognised in an environmental resolution. Moving forward, it will be important that the voices and experiences of indigenous groups, waste pickers and majority-world communities are amplified and help shape the formation of a legally binding agreement that has clear targets and global accountability.

What opportunities are there for other people looking to get involved with Tearfund?

Tearfund has a range of opportunities for young people to get involved including a website full of stories and resources to inform and equip around a variety of justice issues. We have a growing community of supporters who run local action groups, participate in online workshops, attend events including our annual Justice Conference, and our Restorers giving program. Also, if there is a young surfer that wants to know more about Tearfund I’d love to connect with them.

My email is [email protected]


How did you come to faith Sam?

I was born into a larger pentecostal church in the suburbs of Sydney. It became an important community for me particularly in my teenage years when life at home was challenging and I was questioning many things about life as I knew it and my future. I remember seeing something different in my friends that attended the Youth group. They had a different spirit and energy for life. I was drawn to their expression of Jesus, and in response I began my own journey with Jesus and found much needed love and support from the Youth leaders and my peers. I found Jesus and I found my tribe (as CS likes to say) and it changed my life.

You used to bus, train & ferry to get to the surf...?!

Growing up in the suburbs meant I had to really love the waves to make the effort to get there. I started as a bodyboarder, influenced by the notorious “Tension” video series. Most weekends my friends and I would get dropped off at the local train station around 7am. We would train for an hour to Circular Quay where we would jump on the ferry to Manly, another 40 mins. Before running from one side of manly to Winki pop, about a 20 min run at full froth pace. Winki was a fun slab wave that intimidated and rewarded. We’d stay in the water for 4-6 hours, get Mcdonalds for lunch, and come back for an afternoon session before taking the same public transport route all the way home. At 17-18 I made the transition to stand up! Thank God! No shade on the booger community. But I saw the older surfer crowd cruising and drawing lines on the waves with endless style and knew that’s what I wanted when I was say 40. I’ve never looked back. Surfing is a gift and my time in the ocean is always good for my soul.

We're pretty stoked to be partnering up with you guys. How do you want to see this relationship / partnership grow?

I feel the stoke is very mutual. Tearfund is also excited about the opportunity to partner with CSA. The shared Christian values and care for the climate/ocean is something we hope we can inspire each other towards more and more. The old adage of “iron sharping iron” comes to mind. We hope to be able to support the CS community in their understanding of justice issues and the Jesus like response that was evidently a passion of all at the Annual Gathering in Hobart. And we also hope that in time we will be able to report and celebrate together a great outcome because of our advocacy efforts in the Rubbish Campaign.


Christian Surfers National Gathering was a pretty wild experience hey...

It was my first Gathering and I was really impacted by my experience! Usually, you encounter surfers in twos and threes. But to walk into a room of over 200 surfers was a very wild, raw and unique moment I will never forget. I’ve quite literally never experienced anything like the aroma, the bare feet, the vocabulary or the quiver of surfboards scattered around the site. I loved it all, including the 5:30am wake-up call, paddle out and borderline hypothermia on the Sunday. Thanks for that Jono Bailey :)

What has lingered with me since the gathering has been the strong sense of community and the expression of Jesus that was clearly resonating with youth and young adult surfers from all over Australia, and beyond!

A verse of scripture that's hitting home right now...

Psalm 42:7 “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

I didn’t force this, I promise! I’ve only noticed the significance of the mention of waves now. I love this verse and its description of the deep. It reminds me that the deepest (most often challenging) parts of me find their place and meaning in connection with the deepest parts of God.

Favourite worship album?

Delirious, “live and in the can” (“can” because it was packaged in a tin can - you can’t make this stuff up. Genius!)

REEF HEAZLEWOOD // Pro with a Purpose

Oh boy are we excited about this special guest! Trying to not get too star-struck this the poddy with the humble Reef Heazlewood. We get to unpack with him the world of professional surfing (aqua bogs incl.) and what it means to put God first and give Him the glory. Reef’s dream with professional surfing has always been to use it as a platform to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to help others… such as being an ambassador for International Needs Australia with his campaign ReefMakesWaves. Get amongst it!

You grew up in a family that loves surfing, travelling & Jesus. What are some of your greatest childhood memories & blessings?

I’d say when we did yearly trips to Lennox for competitions, the setup was epic. We’d be staying in apartments with other families and hang out on the green grass area, playing footy right next to the beach, watching the surf and go for heats, it was epic. Another one was travelling to Bali and Samoa with the family and surfing incredible waves and just having the best time with each other, it’s really made us a tight family unit! 

God has pretty clearly stated he wants you surfing for a living… were their times when you doubted this & had to rely more on Him? What were the rollercoaster of emotions running through you?

Yeah absolutely. There was the time I lost my major sponsor and I had to just trust God that He would provide the funds for me to get to every event, and I was just living event by event. And more recently during covid, I had shoulder surgery because of a dislocated shoulder. It was a time where I really stepped back and slowed down to evaluate my plans. It was really awesome because I did just want to be doing what God wanted, so I was praying that He would open doors if He wanted me to continue in surfing or close them if He wanted me to stop and move into something else. 

You have some solid mentors in your life, what has been the 3 best pieces of wisdom…

-I’m really blessed with some Godly mentors. The first bit of wisdom has just been telling me to get into Gods word more and more and really search the scriptures to find out what I believe and to know Jesus more deeply and love Him more deeply. 

-Secondly to actually seek a disciplined life, we obviously don’t want to go back under the law. But there’s power and freedom in a disciplined life that is ultimately serving Jesus and making us more like Jesus, which is incredible when we think about it. I’m constantly praying to be more like Jesus, I’m just so excited that He will be working in my heart making me more like Himself. 

-And this one has been a bit more recent but memorising scripture. Gods Word is SO powerful and will not return void in our lives and also in the lives around us when we have it written on our hearts. 


Yourself & your mentor Jacob would like to start up a network of surfers on tour / travelling & bring them together in fellowship?

Yeah it happened at the start of this year, I was in Hawaii with Jacob who is the pastor of Sunset Beach Christian Church (SBCC) and we both had it on our hearts for this need of fellowship while travelling for myself and other surfers. And so at the moment it’s just Jacob and I but the prayer is to have more young Christian surfers travelling who are being discipled and not missing out on fellowship while travelling so that we can continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus and not stay stagnant. 

Bible prophecy & end times is a big passion of yours… why is it so important to delve into, & how have you seen it grow your own faith?

Yeah man I love Bible prophecy and end times. It’s really the topics that got me excited to be reading my Bible more and showing me that it doesn’t just meet our emotional needs but also intellectual needs. But now I love it so much because it says in 2 Thes 3:5 - May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

And so I want to be looking and waiting for Christ, but I want to be educated on what His return looks like, how it involves us and what to be looking for. We don’t know a time but Jesus says there’s signs to be looking for so that we know it’s getting closer. It’s just so exciting because the closer we get to the end times the closer we are to being with Christ, that’s why I love Bible prophecy! Just can’t wait to be with Him! 

As Christians, our whole way of being is so countercultural to mainstream society & the classic sex, drugs & rock n roll mentality of the surf culture. How has that journey been for you on the circuit?

It definitely blows me away when I look at surfing and even just the world and how dark it is compared to Jesus and His way. It can be so hard to be in the middle of it and stay pure but I’ve been trying to memorise verses that share how Gods Word cleanses, washes and purifies us. And just holding onto those verses as promises from Jesus, that He will perform. I’m also very blessed to have been raised with having Jesus and His word as my foundation that was instilled in me by my Dad and Mum! But it’s also more and more pressing onto my heart a burden for all the lost people in the surfing industry. They are so lost in darkness and are just grabbing at anything to try and find fulfilment but always being left empty. 

Your super passionate about studying the bible & just being around kids…

Yeah my Dad had a really bad string of injuries and so he was laid up in bed for months and he used that time to just study Gods word and that really inspired me. Proverbs 25:2 says, ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.’ And so my Dad was showing me all these hidden messages in the Bible that are talking about Jesus in the Old Testament and it just shows the inerrancy of Gods Word. And that just excites me and I also love kids and want to share that excitement with them. So far I’ve only really done surf coaching with kids but I want to try and share this with as many kids as I can because it just blows my mind how incredible Gods word is haha. 

You’ve just hopped onboard as an ambassador for International Needs. Could you tell us about about what they do &  your opportunity to go to the Phillipines…

Yeah I’ve been really blessed to be an ambassador for International Needs Australia since November now. They’re a NFP that is trying to break the cycle of poverty, their motto is poverty shouldn’t be a life sentence. So it’s been epic to see them helping kids get an education, which leads into jobs that help the whole family and ultimately the whole community. They make it possible for communities to have access to necessary health needs. They help educate parents to get loans for businesses and they’ve had parents pay off house loans, so they can start to pay for other important things. And it was such a blessing, I was able to go to the Philippines with them and see all this for myself. And it just blew me away how so little can make so big of an impact and that really made me wonder how wild it would it be if our contribution was bigger- it would move mountains with poverty. 

What have been some of the coolest conversations on God whilst travelling?

Yeah it’s truly a blessing when I get to have conversations when I’m travelling. It’s been epic to have a friend of mine come stay with me at the church in Hawaii and to see how he’s so curious. We’ve just talked about Jesus and what He did for us and what that means for our lives, it’s been really cool. 

Gnarliest wipeout? & can you describe for us the feeling of getting tuuuuubed!?

Haha every time I think of my gnarliest wipeout, a different one comes to mind. I’ve had quite a few out Sunset though, it’s just deep water and such big walls of water. I’ve had waves I’ve fallen off and just got rolled massively and pushed so deep and just thinking about those ones suck haha. 

Oh man, the best feeling in surfing. It’s the weirdest thing, time slows down but everything happens so quickly and everything’s really quiet and loud at the same time. But it’s just incredible to see this wall of water coming over on both sides and it’s always different because of the way the sun shines through and makes the water glisten. It’s just so epic. 

A line of scripture that’s been on your heart?

Yeah the first scripture that I’ve memorised this year is one that I keep going back to and also I just try to meditate on it a lot.

Philippians 4:8 - ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’

Favourite worship album?

Recently I’ve been listening to Christian rap haha. And I’ve been loving this album, The Attributes of God by Shai Linne. 

JORDY MERRY // Life of a Creative

Based on the Sunshine Coast, we welcome filmmaker, photographer, director, musician, producer, father & hubby- Jordy Merry. Growing up within CS since a young grommie, Jords has had a super adventurous & creatively inspired life. From living in Darwin on mission, travelling Aus & Indo shooting music videos and passion projects with a purpose, to falling in love in the forest & writing & producing music- Jords has kind of done it all. Here's a small snippet of his story. Yew!

As a pastor's kid, what was that like growing up?

Unlike a lot of pastor's kids, the derailing from the church rebellious streak wasn't my story haha... my upbringing was quite pleasant and fun haha. I loved having my dad as the pastor of our church in Ocean Grove. He was a boss! The church was called 'The Wave' and I have so many amazing memories there and in the Grove community. I think the biggest blessing though was not just having epic parents to guide and nurture me into being a man of God, but it was the uncle figures that I looked up to as the kind of man that I wanted to become. They all had long blonde hair, came to church half an hour late with wet and sandy feet, but they had 3 things going for them that I really admired: 

1. They weren't boring Christians (they pushed the boundaries and knew how to have fun!)

2. They really loved God. He was evidently number one in their lives. 

3. They accepted everyone as friends. They knew what loving people looked like. 

They were of course Christian Surfer crew who took up the whole far left hand side of the church pews. These guys are now some of my best mates and they are still going strong for the Lord. Through hectic trials and in the toughest of seasons, they maintain their strong belief that God is who He says He is and they choose joy amongst the chaos. They're still a huge inspiration for me. So yeah growing up as a pastor's kid was really the biggest blessing!

You first picked up the dad-cam to bless the CS groms with footage... did you ever think the journey would turn into what it has today?

No way haha. In between University lectures (which I didn't go to very often haha) I just started filming some of the CS groms down at the local beach with my dads handicam so they could have clips to try and get sponsored. There was no forward planning to become any kind of filmmaker what so ever haha. It's cool though, now some of those groms like Jaleesa & Jake Vincent, Isabella Nichols & Harry Bryant are actually sponsored professional surfers now making crazy surf films all over the world! I'm just a freelance filmmaker that gets to tell peoples stories, somewhat like yourself Jemma! Maybe we should make a CS Aus Doco? haha I'm actually so keen for that...


Peter John was a big influence for you- you guys travelled round Aus for a year?! (we didn't go for a year, just a few months and not everywhere around aus haha) 

Yeah good 'ol Epic Pete. He took me under his talented movie making wing when I was in my early 20's and we did a lot of travelling up and down the east coast shooting music videos and live shows. It was my first taste at working on a bigger set with Jibs and rigged out RED cameras etc. But we mostly just had a lot of fun, surfing and hanging out. 


What's been some of the most cherished shoots & people you've worked with?

One of my favourite projects to be a part of was the 'living on cloud nine' documentary in the Philippines with Compassion, Christian Surfers and The Australian Christian Channel. We took 4 young CS groms (14-15yrs old) over to the Philippines with a "surf trip" being the lure, but really we wanted to expose them to how other kids in different parts of the world do life. It was really crazy to see the transformation in these groms' lives from the start of the trip to the end. I think it was so special for me because it was an idea that God placed on my heart and to have people believe in the project and see it executed was just so fun! We had a big screening in tickle park Coolum Beach over easter of 2013 and a couple of thousand people came. It was also my first ever big doco project, so that was also really exciting.


Can you take us through the process / inspiration behind directing the Live Passionately film with Monsta Surf?

My parents took me and my sisters over to South East Asia backpacking for 3 months when I was 8 and ever since that trip I was hooked on travel and experiencing cultures different from home. I guess it instilled in me a real longing to show that to others as well. So when Cam Greenwood (founder of Monsta Surf), Elliot Gray (Director of Photography) and I started to dream about a trip to the more remote parts of the Philippines, our initial plan wasn't to make a doco, it was to just surf and hang and get a few pieces of content for the brand. The plan quickly escalated into us taking the whole team of Monsta Surf Ambassadors over as well and seeing if we could make a doco out of the trip. We didn't plan it too much, we knew that there could be really good waves, or it could be flat and we also knew the area that we chose in the Philippines was devastated by a category 5 typhoon a couple of years prior to our trip, so we packed our bags full of Water Filtration systems incase the locals in the area didn't have safe drinking water. The team of ambassadors had no clue of the itinerary or anything prior to the trip, we wanted everyones reactions to be pure and unfiltered. I won't give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but we scored some real fun waves and ended up being so ridiculously blessed by the locals in that area and had a chance to make the trip more about giving back than just scoring perfect waves.


Your sister has also been a big influence in your life...

How has your music evolved since that little kid singing in the shower?

Yeah my sister Ellie was a huge musical inspiration for me. Her encouragement in me is a big reason why I can even sing in front of people or sing into a microphone. We started a duo called 'The Merrys' back in the day and played a bunch of shows and festivals around Qld. A memorable moment for us was beating Ziggy Alberts in a song writing competition at the Kings Beach Tavern haha, had to pull that one out. But yeah since then I've been a part of starting a worship collective called 'Children of Inheritance' and I now also have two little side project bands, one with my wife called 'As He Is' which is like Christian Lofi Pop and one muck around band called 'The Jordies'  which is more psychedelic pop with my friend who also has the name Jordy haha. I started producing music more frequently through covid lockdowns and now I'm adding that to my resume as something I do as a creative freelance service for anyone wanting to make cool music. This week I actually have Lucy Crock from CS Vic in the studio cooking up a little EP, it's sounding delicious. 


The story of how you & Aubrey met is pretty magical... could you give us the short version hehe.

Haha there is no short version, but I'll try my best. Somehow Aubrey got invited to the 2 week writing and recording workshop type event that we had for 'Children of Inheritance' by one of my friends who helped lead the project with me. I didn't want her to be there haha- sounds bad, but I wanted it to just be people we all knew so the culture was set and we could go deep together with the Lord. But anyways she still came and from the moment I saw her beautiful smile I was like "Oh Lord help me not fall for this woman'... 2 weeks later I was saying these words to her... "I'm madly in love with you and I want you to be the mother of my children." Thank the Lord that she didn't run away, and agreed we should be a team! haha. Then after initially getting a big rejection from Aubrey's father for her hand in marriage, 1 year later we got the all clear and ended up getting married on April 3, 2020 in Michigan, smack bang in the middle of the gnarliest pandemic lockdown the world has ever seen. It all sounds dramatic and gnarly, but I honestly wouldn't change one part of our story, it's just beautiful and meant to be.


Jords you were living in Darwin for a while there?

I was. Yeah, in January 2018 I moved up to Darwin with 10 of my good mates and 50 other randoms from around Australia as part of a wild movement that the Lord was doing up there. I ended up getting a creative role with Youth For Christ and doing a lot of trips out to Arnhem Land and the surrounding communities. It was so wild what God was doing out in the communities of Arnhem Land. We were seeing crazy miracles, people saved and the whole community up there in Darwin really believed it was the start of an Australia wide revival. It was pretty exciting to be a part of. I even got some waves in Darwin! haha, on a cyclone swell there was little 2ft shories at Nightcliff beach and there was like 20 local crew on it haha, could literally start a CS chapter up there. It was funny, we surfed it two days in a row, then no one surfed cause there was a croc on Nightcliff beach, but then the next day it was still cooking so we went back out there haha.

Could you talk us through what happened at Nat Gatho during worship...

Yeah for sure, basically on the night of communion which our old team were privileged enough to lead, we were just gonna put some chill piano music on in the background while everyone was doing the washing of each others feet, which was so beautiful to see by the way. But a couple of girls from Sunny Coast CS came up to me and asked if I'd just tinker away with some worship songs, cause they really felt on their heart to end the night in a space of bringing God glory through song. So I was like, heck yeah! It really moved me as people started to wash each others feet and then come down the front and sit to just be with God in worship. The people who'd had enough went and did their own thing out, but the ones who wanted more lingered longer. I saw a hunger for God's presence, which to be brutally honest, I don't see much of in our CS culture. But the people who wanted to meet with God came to the front and knelt before him and as we were singing "Let us become more aware of your presence, let us experience the Glory of your goodness" I just felt a crazy wave of the Lord's presence smack my heart like a tonne of bricks. I started weeping uncontrollably and could harldy strum the guitar. What I felt God was downloading to me during that time was that 'those who thirst for me will be filled', 'God comes to those that want him'. There was a 'wanting' in that room that night, it was beautiful. The Lord also showed me that if we can take this same desire and hunger for his presence back to our local beaches, facilitating similar spaces of beholding the magnificence of Jesus, people will encounter him and have their lives changed forever. It's the fuel we need, it's the very thing the world doesn't have. So my encouragement after that night was to just want to want Him more and make spaces to do so with others.


The joys of being a father... and to the literal breath of life...

Ah yes, my beautiful daughter Ruah (meaning breath of life) is such a blessing to us all. Fatherhood is just the most magical thing in the world. It's also the most challenging thing in the world haha. But the way God shows me his heart through my daughter is crazy. Even in the tough times of no sleep or when she smacks her head on the ground and the coffee table falls on her, God shows me his heart for us. I've always wrestled with the questions of why God doesn't intervene in certain situations, like he so has the power to. But being a father and watching Ruah learn how to pull herself up on things and sit up for the first time and eat solid food etc etc, I've realised there's times where it's necessary that I intervene and there's times where she needs to persevere and learn for herself. The most important thing is she knows that I'm here with her and will always be supporting her. God is God, He's all knowing and we aren't, I think being a father has helped me let go of control a bit from the tension of wanting to know all the answers to the mysteries of God's ways.


Relevant line of scripture right now...

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Favourite worship album

Probably 'Simple Gospel' by United Pursuit. It's just a classic. 

Nat Gatho 2007 haha.

DAVE LOVELL // Servant Heart

Your family moved from the UK when you were 6. What was it like growing up in Oz?

It was pretty rough really, In today's terms I experienced racism and bullying. I was the new Pommy kid with a proper little English accent which got me an undeserved beating most days. Then when my brothers got to school they started on them too. That was when I had had enough and was big enough to hit back. Unfortunately this set me on a course of feeling I had to fight to survive which pretty much set a course of various poor choices well into my 20's.

Not all was bad though. I had a very loving family, home was a refuge, and we escaped often on family holidays. I guess the poor attitude of the community my folks had moved to served to make us a close family.


You grew up in a Christian family, but it wasn't until a family friend's death, & seeing the way she responded to the incident that really started to turn the cogs over...

This is true. It was Wendy's father that died in a car accident. When the authorities had completed their investigation the police turned up to see what charges were to be layed against the other at fault driver. Wendy's mum just turned to them and said "Oh no we don't want to press charges, they have suffered enough, I forgive them..."

I was like WTF just show me where they are and I will sort them. I realised at that moment that I had no tangible reference point for forgiveness just vengeance. I knew I had a problem but didn't know how to address it, anger.

Surfing Nias, 1980’s

Greg Nole & Dave

Whilst at a raging party, you were hit with an overwhelming sense of conviction... can you tell us about this experience?

I was in my mid twenties and since Wendy's dad passing away we had agreed to acompany Wendy's mum to church on Sundays.

Along with my christian upbringing and these treks to church I had started to process some of my thinking, though at a minimal degree. This particular party was nothing out of the ordinary for us just a big one, with plenty of drink and gear to keep it pumping.

The father of the host was there and he was a Jewish man. Somehow we got into a conversation on the Jewish people and God. He was not devout in his beliefs and I was far less aware of details than my current state made me feel. It was a good natured conversation but probably raucous. Suddenly others were listening and soon were jumping in, joking, but saying things like "oh come on Dave what do you know about God, what about when you did this or that and said this and took that..." It was suppossed to be good natured but I suddenly found myself in this dark space and all I could hear were accusations and my life started to crash in around me. I don't remember what happened exactly but nek minute I was lying on the floor crying in front of what felt like a hundred people just going "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Wooo not the usual reason I may have been on the floor, and fit to say I needed to get out of there. It took me a while to process this but realised that I had a choice - Take God seriously or just ignore him and continue down the rabbit hole I was beginning to fall down.

After that it was a process of both Wendy and I pursuing an understanding of what a relationship with God meant and what it meant to us.

By the following year we had both decided this was real, got baptised, and then got married.

Speaking at Gymea baptist church

You started dating your now wife Wendy at 19, and went on a massive journey of both coming to know God together...

Yes that’s right. She was the one good decision I made at that stage in my life. After she poured a full schooner over my head at the local pub, which I probably deserved, she had my attention. We traveled, surfed and partied together for 7 years. Then as the stories above allude our paths collided in a big way with the reality and relevance of God and the life of Jesus. I am 60 now and she has been God's gift that has held me and our family together. 40 crazy years.


Surfing was an escape for you...and down the track moving into CS was quite a natural progression?

The salty water, the oceans waves and the wild of the sea has always been part of me. I was born and had my early years on the rugged coast of Cornwall UK. When we first moved to Australia we lived for a while on the beach at Port Stephens. So I loved the ocean. My brothers and I had the legendary Coolite boards as kids. When I started high school and found friends that surfed we were at the beach every weekend and some days we were supposed to be at school. But yes, it was an escape from the community I was living and struggled in. So years later when God replaced all that anger with his love, it was a natural progression to forge a bond between my faith and a love for God with my love for surfing.

Surfing Rote Island

As head of department for Horticulture at Tafe, Regional Coordinator & family man with your wife and four kids... how did you balance your time & commitments? 

Haha that’s still a miracle but I realised early on that there was no correlation between hours put in and the results of what God can achieve. I learnt to prioritise, be honourable with the time I had, steward well what I was given and put others before myself (because as you can read between the lines of the earlier stories until my mid twenties life was much more self focused).


You're now passing the RC role over after 15 years, to absolute legend Georgia Wilsher. What does this next year of rest mean for you...

A year of replenishment. Focus on some things that I have put on the back burner. Possibly take up a few new skills, travel a bit and keep my heart open to the next thing God has in store. And of course revel in the goodness of what God is going to bring through Georgia. It’s going to be epic!


God has been impressing 'learning to walk in the grey'... can you elaborate on that for us?

This would be a long paragraph if I really dive into this space. But suffice to say that God has been teaching me that things are not as black and white as we like to make them. If we decide something is either black or white and it doesn't fit that box, then I am already making a judgment. Who am I to judge anyone? When I get to meet Him face to face I don't think God is going to say to me 'Dave you loved those people too much.." But he may say "who were you to judge that person?"

Having things Black and White just makes things easier for us to navigate life; we don't have to question and stop and think as much because we have already made our decisions on every issue. Learning to walk in and navigate 'The Grey' forces me to rely on God constantly for wisdom and discernment. You are walking in ongoing revelation. 


A verse of scripture that's hitting home right now...

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1Peter 5:6

Favourite worship album?

I don't really have one to be honest. I love a wide variety of music and find the lyrics of many secular songs turn my thoughts to God. But I do have an extensive Worship playlist on my phone that includes music from among many; 'Vertical Worship' 'Elevation worship' 'Bethel' ' Francesca Battistelli' & 'Third day'.

Regional camp

PADDLE AGAINST POVERTY 2023 - WOLLONGONG EVENT REPORT

The Paddle Against Poverty event took place on the 1st of April 2023, starting from Wollongong Harbour at 8am. This year marked the 23rd time that the event has been held, with around 90 paddlers joining the cause.

Accompanied by a fleet of boats, surf rescue and marine rescue teams, the paddlers made their way towards Thirroul. The conditions were ideal, with a helpful southerly swell and light offshore winds, followed by southerly tailwinds. The paddlers successfully completed the journey, arriving at their destination safely.

The event was a huge success, with over $38,000 raised to support three sponsees: Surfaid, Juraki Surf, and Mercy Huts. This achievement was made possible by the incredible effort and dedication of all involved, including the paddlers and their donors, support teams, and event organizers.

The organizers expressed their gratitude to God and the local business sponsors who supported the event. They also thanked the major partner, Tibra Foundation, for their generous support.

Overall, the Paddle Against Poverty 2023 was a great success, and the organizers are already looking forward to next year's event, hoping to expand it to multiple locations across Australia.

To learn more about the event and its cause, visit the website or check their social media channels.

For future enquiries contact : Sandon Groves (Paddle Against Poverty, Wollongong Event Coordinator) via email at [email protected]

Website: https://paddle-against-poverty-23.raisely.com/
PAP Instagram

NAT GATHO 2023 - TASSIE BABY

We love you Kath & Steve Bailey!

National gathering 2023 was a wild one to say the least. Perched up in the little old surf shack town of Dodges Ferry; named after a guy named Dodge who apparently liked to dodge the dole reporting as well, we found that CS fitted quite nicely into this small surf community. It goes to show that the power of worship, prayer & even just the small acts of kindness really do make waves across the places we dwell… Blue Lagoon conference centre, once a victim of torment, threats & not so delightful morning blackboard messages from certain neighbours, has now been praised and accepted with love from these people from just a simple act of a few CS crew leaving easter eggs & a note outside their door (they did not know the circumstance, but God…). The love and light of Christ that shines through this community is so powerful; we cannot understate the blanket of light that is being poured forth in the spiritual realm in times like these, where we are united together, to celebrate the one that binds & holds us together.

 We were honoured to have Dave Standen- Cronulla local, absolute legend, frother, father, fisherman & fisher of men to preach to us over the course of the weekend.

Friday focused on the way of love. “I am the way, the truth & the life.” John 14:6

Our way- the way of judgement, pride, exclusivity & sin that we can so easily slip into, or the way of Jesus- the way of love, humility, servanthood, kindness & sacrifice. There is always another way in any situation; a better way that we can choose, and that’s the way of Jesus, the way of love. Boldness without harshness, power without insensitivity. There is a beautiful striking juxtaposition of the Lord’s high, bold claims, but spoken (and acted) with a lowly humble servant heart. With pure unconditional love.

 Speaking of striking juxtaposition… how was the entry & form of MC’s Sam Tolman & Mitch Loveday HAHA! Coming in hot on a giant inflatable pink flamingo held up by the Margies boys- Mitch & Sam did not hold back. Sophie Adams, AKA rapper Soph DAWG in da houseee- was the essential glue holding the team together. We’re talking confetti, 80’s lycra, personalised stickers, song & dance… boy oh boy, wow oh wow, what a show! It’s pretty rad that within CS we can have these beautiful contrasts- it does not need to be a solemn, reserved, run of the mill, overtly religious talk or conference. We CAN go from humour gone slightly mad to worship & praise for our King (even though it took us 30 minutes to adjust back into haha) God was the creator of humour, and Jesus died for all of us so that we can express the weird, the quirky, the maybe slightly heretical in all forms… “BE THE MANGOOOO. YOU ARE THE MANGOOO. BE THE MANGOOOO. Now my body feels relaxed, relaxed, relaxed, now my body feels relaxed, relaxed, relaxed.” If you know you know.

Tassie RC Brad Kermond taking one for the team- skulling, & soaking in, the mushed pear juice formed from the foot dance of a few CS crew.

 So a big question, what is it that God’s healing us in in our own hearts? And how does he want us to be prospering our own surfing community? Letting the hard parts of your heart be healed and carved out. Taking off the steel cladding, letting down the layers, the walls. We hope you came out of Nat Gatho weekend with a soft, smooth heart- a bit like Dave’s soft baby feet after he took the ankle grinder to them. Best analogy ever, thanks Dave!

 Saturday focused on the waiting… honestly I think this sermon hit home for every single person in that room. We are so conditioned to be impatient, to have everything at our fingertips. So what about when it comes to the bigger things? How are you in waiting for those things of bigger meaning & purpose? Jesus waited 2 days before he healed Lazarus.

It is in the waiting that Christ is glorified, it is in the waiting that God can show us the glory & goodness in our lives. God does not cause hardship, suffering & sickness, but he does reveal his power through that. Just remember, the Lord’s delay is not the Lord’s denial.

 And of course Sunday… the way to new life. “I am the resurrection & the life.” John 11:40

Listening in to the soft, still promptings and voice of God, for He is constantly orchestrating everything in our lives, in unity with others. Just as Christ has risen, we too must rise in the path that has been laid out for us. To live as those who have a living hope. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Setting our hearts on the things above. Putting to death the old self & putting on the new. Walking in love…

 

Sunday morning’s paddle out just happened to be one of the coldest mornings in 20 years I think I heard BD say… at a nippy 2 degrees Celsius, booties were ON & wetties were zipped. Unless of course you were a young Jay Panopoulos- rocking the Malibu bikini & mini skirt hehe. We love to enforce strong values here at CS. Even though it was ridiculously cold, the spirit and stoke of all involved- over 150 people- was so beautiful to witness & be a part of. As we formed the cross & joined hands, we prayed for our surf communities and missions back home, and then for the person beside us. Such a powerful way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, & the HOPE & the LIFE that we have in Him.

 

Ofcourse, one of the best parts of gathering is exploring the vast coastline for breaks & bays with a whole bunch of frothers you’ve only just met, but are already instant family. (You’re stuck with us for eternity so get used to it). We were lucky enough to score Remarkables, Clifton Beach, Parks, Eagle Hawk’s Nest & even Mays which is super rare to break so praise the Lord. These connections that we make with crew from different missions all over the country are super special, and something to hold dear. And to keep the passion & fire burning as we return back to our local beaches. I pray that this fire and love continues to burn for the rest of the year, until we meet again… BE THE MANGOOOO!!!!!

THE PADDLE OUT …

If you have any photos or videos of Nat Gatho 2023 (especially some film snappies or photos of Mitch & Sam’s grand entrance) send them through to [email protected]

Photos: Isaiah Merrick

Words: Jemma Scott

SOPHIE ADAMS // CSALT Leader 2022

Soph tell us a little bit about yourself…

Originally from the North West coast of Tassie, I’ve just spent the past 18-months on Phillip Island leading the CSALT students, and now have moved to the Surf Coast- West Vicco to study Nursing and Psychological Science at uni. I’m also a competition judge for Surfing Victoria, and my hobby is probably people if that’s even a thing.


Haha that is so a thing. What compels you to live your life every day for the Lord?

Put simply, I’m a Christian because life with God is way better than without Him. The moment I step away I always seem to screw things up situationally and relationally in my own humanness haha. Therefore, partnering with God is just way better for me, you, and the kingdom.

Personally, I didn’t grow up in a family of faith but think I probably always knew Jesus from a young age I just didn’t really realise it was Him initially. As a teenager I got caught up in the world a little and really didn’t like who I was or the idea of who I was becoming, so my prayer so desperately became “God, please transform me into someone new, someone more like you Jesus.” That teenager seems so unidentifiable and distant now. I couldn’t be more grateful that with the support of CS community, CSALT, Gods word, church, mentors and a relationship with Jesus, I am stepping away from who I wasn’t meant to be and becoming more like who God intended. Being a follower of Jesus is such a rewarding and encouraging process of growth, I just never want to stop becoming more like Him really, that’s what compels me to live a life with and for the Lord.

What excites me on the day to day though is just the fact that it doesn’t matter what happens God just enjoys us being close to Him so we get the crazy awesome opportunity and privilege to live alongside him as close as we want. It’s epic! In Philippians 1 Paul expresses that he is caught between wanting to die to be with Christ and wanting to live to be fruitful for Christ and the salvation of others. I think this is so beautiful and brings loads of perspective that our walk with the Lord isn’t about having this or that but actually everyday getting “the privilege of trusting in Christ.” This is no small thing that God died through his Son to have relationship with us, why waste that privilege. No way Jose, I’m not giving up that honour haha, I want to be a part of it every day for the rest of my life please! Being a Christian is not about our worthiness (which we are so valued and worthy btw) but it’s about stepping into service for the kingdom & helping & loving others. Honestly, that opportunity is just way too exciting to miss.


Amen sistaaaa. What is the most whacko thing that happened at CSALT last year? There were plenty…

Oh wow, how could I list one. Believe it or not there wasn’t anything that I can recall that was super crazy dangerous like stories from the good old days of CS. We’re pretty mellow these days but still get a bunch of young surfers together and we had jumping off bridges, rooves and rocks, creating mass waterslides, sketchy surfs, and kitchen dance parties with a 10-20 piece utensils orchestra. However, maybe one of my most memorable nights started out with a game of spoons. The cards game quickly developed into much more as we played around the kitchen bench. The spoons were changed for folks coated in peanut butter and the cards were swapped for closed eyes and a mystery timer also known as a microwave set for minutes at a time. This was rather amusing watching the students stand blindfolded for minutes at a time waiting for either the timer to go off or microwave to blow up (whichever was coming first). Lucky for us there was no explosions, but someone was slapped in the face with ham and that was it we broke into a full on food fight with mustard squirting, PB smudging and flour throwing. This went on for some time into the midnight hours until our clothes were stained, hair was sticky and we realized we had to clean up for church in the very same room the next morning. If any group of people are boss cleaners at 1am it’s CSALT students that have put off their chores.

CSALT class & worship session on a grassy hilled cape, overlooking the beauty of God’s creation hehe.


What is the main thing you took away from CSALT as a student and as a leader?

I didn’t grow up in a heavily surfy community and certainly wasn’t surrounded by Christians that surfed (legit zero) or even many girls that surfed (maybe 5 max across the coast). Therefore, CSALT was massive for just realising there was a community of like-minded peeps out there. For a number of reasons, CSALT was personally such a redefining year regarding identity, which made it super powerful! Also, I grew a lot in scriptural context, depth, and understanding, which has been a helpful foundation for further biblical knowledge and spiritual growth in the years that have followed.

As a peer leader, the biggest takeaway has been the joy of watching others grow, knowing the depth of how defining the year is for them and getting to be a part of it. It blows my heart and mind with love for them, and gratitude for the opportunity! Witnessing the students transform is such a massive privilege and so so so incredibly, amazingly, rewarding! The best way I can describe it is that you get to witness God part the seas of people’s individual lives, a miracle that never gets old!

This vulnerability and connection have grown an overwhelming love in my heart for all the students. I kind of didn’t really realise this would happen so intensely and it’s already happening with the students this year too haha. Guess that’s the Holy love of Jesus for ya, so contagious!

CSALT dad & dreamer of it all Lucas Bartlett, myself & the other CSALT leader Nathan Pearson.

Little stopover on the central coast for CS girls camp 2022.

Yeah man, you were such an incredible leader & just such a strong woman of God, so we have to thank you so much for all your prayers & words of wisdom that you imparted on us. Not a paid partnership* hehe but why would you recommend CSALT to people that are thinking of doing it?

CSALT is advertised as the “best year or your life.” This statement isn’t wrong, in fact, it’s as true as Jesus healing the sick or Noah building an arc (at least it was for me anyway). Honestly though, whether you want it to be or not, CSALT is the most transformative, educational, refining, growth provoking, fun year ever! So much so I came back as a leader just for more 😊. If that’s not enticing enough, just do it for the road trips, for the experiences, for the surf, for the lifelong friends, for the community, or just do it for GOD!!! He is worth it.


Do you have a prayer for the group that just finished up CSALT? As I guess the goal of of training up these leaders is that they would use these new skills in their lives wherever they go, and use it to bring glory to the Lord above all…

My prayer for past, present and future students remains pretty consistent and something you can for sure be praying for too. Its Ephesians 3:18, that they never stop perusing growth and seeking Gods heart to know just how “wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is.” Also, for obedience over their lives to step into everything and anything God is inviting them into on a daily basis but also within their leadership journeys. I think it’s pretty important we’re praying for all young leaders that they would not conform to culture but rather create it. Also, of course that they forever feel and know just how loved they are by their heavenly father and the CS community. Amen to that!!

PRAYER POINTS // FROM SOPH

1. That every day is a day closer to Him. Another incrementable step up the stairway to heaven.

2. Less humanness and more of His holiness. Also, for direction and discernment as a step into a new routine and lifestyle.

3. Would love prayer for where & what I am meant to do for the kingdom and where I am next meant to lead.

4. Also, that I can be a voice and image of Christ with the Surfing Victoria judging tent. My prayer and dream is to transform that tent into a place that truly knows the name of Jesus.

Prayer for CSALT crew now…

- Home sickness

- Flow of relationship

- Easy intergartion

- Transformation beyond measure

- A new generation of community like God designed for Eden

Gratitude for CS!!

JONO BAILEY // A Life Devoted to Him

christian surfers jono bailey

National Manager, father of three, husband to Naomi, a child of God & a devoted servant to the Kingdom… Jono Bailey has been a part of Christian Surfers for over 20 years. His passion for adventure, surfing & faith has taken him all over the world, but the hot sandy shores of Australia’s Coolum Beach, & the whisper of God called him back home… This is a snippet of Jono’s story.

Growing up you were drawn to the risk & adventure side of expressing & pursuing faith. How did your grandparents influence this? 

 Like many of us, I was looking for a life of adventure in my late teens and I'd become disillusioned by what felt like a safe, sanitized version of Christianity in my local church. I'd heard stories throughout my childhood of my grandparents that traveled by ship and train in the 1940's from Australia to live as missionaries with remote communities in the Nuba Mountains, Sth Sudan, Africa.  As a boy those stories sounded so epic, I wanted to be a missionary like my grandparents or play football for the socceroos!  

 

How does Christian Surfers relate to you in a similar way?

 Christian Surfers has been a community that's invited me to live the adventure and life of a missionary... on my local beach. I've had so many incredible experiences in CS where I've been challenged to live outside my comfort zone and walk a journey of faith with Jesus. I remember one specific camp where I drove a combi van full of grommets to Nth NSW (3 hours south of the Sunny Coast, QLD). It was some of those teenagers' first camp with our local CS crew and they were buzzing. There wasn't much sleep that weekend, but lots of waves and adventures. I remember being completely spent and exhausted toward the end of the camp when several of them responded to an invitation to follow Jesus. It was moments like those that I'd know I was living my childhood dream.

 

At 17, your faith became your own & you partook in a YWAM & discipleship training in the late 90’s. Tell us about this time… 

At the time, CS had partnered with YWAM to run a Surfers Discipleship Training School in Newcastle. It was quite similar to what we are now running with CSALT (Christian Surfers Aus Leadership Training school). I'd finished school and just turned 18 and was ready to surf, travel and learn more about following God. It was the best decision I'd ever made, one of those life altering experiences that was foundational for my faith.

 

 As much as the allure of travel, surf & human connection in far-away lands were, you realised that God wanted you to continue your mission back home?... 

Part of my YWAM experience involved a short term mission trip to India. In the late 90's we didn't have any reference to surf locations, however, we knew there must be waves so our team packed our boards and traveled the southern coast. We found lots of beaches with waves and in some locations we were able to run spontaneous surf lessons for local kids. We'd follow with a drama on the beach to share the gospel. 

 Before leaving on this outreach I'd stood before a huge map of the world at the YWAM base and said a prayer of surrender to God... something along the lines of "send me to wherever you want me to go". At the time I didn't hear an answer to that prayer, however, as I stood on the sands of the beach in India and tried to share the gospel with the kids I was aware of how much the language and cultural barriers stood in the way. I was reminded of my prayer and felt aware that if I was to go somewhere like this, it'd be for the long haul. Standing on the beach I repeated the prayer again, knowing the cost it might take. It was there that I felt like God spoke to my heart that he wanted me to return to my own tribe... the surfers of Coolum and Aus, with the same commitment to love and serve them as I would any other tribe elsewhere in the world.

 

The ‘open house’ on the shorefront of Coolum that you & a few CS crew lived in sounds like the aussie Jesus version of North Shore’s Pipe house ha!…  

 Haha - definitely not the same quality of waves or house!!! It was an original fibro beachfront shack that we lived in for several years. Myself and two other CS leaders in our early 20's felt inspired by the original CS house in Cronulla and we saw this little shack and thought it was ideal. Being young and poor (I was at bible college and the other two were apprentices) we couldn't afford the rent so we had 10 couples from church donate $10 per week to help us live there. Others donated furniture, fridges / freezers etc.  We moved in and hung a banner out the front with Christian Surfers Coolum on it and being on the main road it became well known as the CS house.

During those years, we'd have grommets join us for a surf, dinner and a bible talk every week on Thursdays and then often on the weekends. It was a safe home for some that were having challenges and needed somewhere to crash for a few nights. Lots of other visitors would stay on their travels too. It was definitely a slightly chaotic time, but full to overflowing with amazing mission opportunities and adventures.

 

 Whilst studying at Bible college, you realised how special CS was… as a surfer & adventurer at heart, I think a lot of us can relate… 

In those days I was living in the open house and studying at bible college and there were times that I was struggling with what often feels like the stereotypical path of a "leader" in the church. I think I always felt a bit like a square peg in a round hole. I didn't really want to be running Sunday services and preaching on a stage, I wanted to be running surf events and talking about Jesus with surfers on the beach. I think the battle at the time was realizing that serving in CS was just as legitimate as being a "church minister". I have perspective now that both are important and have their role in seeing God's Kingdom grow in our communities.

 

The Jesus Pro Am set the standard for equal pay years before the World Surf League recognised the importance. Can you tell us more about this event & how Christian values & morals are a major benefit & influence to society?  

 My specific involvement in the Jesus Pro Am was helping to bring it to QLD for a few years from 2010 - 2012. The decision to offer equal prize money for both mens and womens was already established by that stage and we fully supported that stand in QLD. Whilst it was innovative in the surfing community in its day, I think it was a reflection of our ancient belief that both men and women are equally image bearers of God and valued as such (Genesis 1:27). In recent times I've been so stoked to see that CS has continued to celebrate women in our movement. Many of our best leaders are women and I'm always so appreciative of their contribution.

 I think that's a great example of an area where CS has been innovative and set a higher standard in our society. I believe that as we listen and follow our Creator we will continue to be a blessing to our surfing communities and broader society. Just last week we launched Christian Surfers Aus on TikTok social media platform. Its a space where many young surfers will be influenced and I think it's an arena that CS can be using God's creative genius to bless surfers and share his love for them. Pls be praying for our young crew that are working on creating this content :)

 

Jono you’ve been involved in CS for over 20 years now… what’s been the most gratifying thing for you over this time? 

 Without question it's the relationships with so many legends I've had the joy of serving alongside or serving in the mission. It's a big community that has God's love at the centre of it so we are all equal and filled with a genuine love for one another. The events and activities are key moments and provide opportunity ultimately for the relationships to be formed and built stronger. I'm often reminded that CS is the sum of its people.  

 

As national operations manager, what is your role not only in CS but in everyday life?

My most important role is to love... firstly Naomi, my bride of over 18 years, and then the 3 amazing grommies that call me dad - Lydia, Micah and Josiah.  

 In CS - I also aim to love the surfing community by serving as CSA Operations Manager. My role encompasses working alongside our National Director and Administrator (Steve and Kath Bailey) and Regional Coordinators to plan and implement epic national events, fundraising campaigns, communications and training programs.  

 I find myself doing a lot of different things in my role...

 I was stoked on Saturday to take my 3 kids surfing at our CS Sunny Coast Saturday surf and then host Jordy (new QLD Regional Coordinator) and the QLD Mission Coordinators as they formed goals and strategies for the next 3 years to grow CS in QLD.

 Last week I returned from our CS International Gathering in California where we had an amazing time being encouraged by leaders from across the globe that are serving in CS. It was a perfect opportunity to build collaborative relationships on global projects such as the new Surfers Bible which will be an amazing project.

 

 What makes you happiest? 

I'm happiest when I live within God's grace for each day. For me, that's like finding yourself in the pocket of the wave and picking the perfect line... it feels effortless and full of His power. When I'm aware of God's face shining upon me.  It doesn't matter what I'm doing, it's more about living in the joy of His approval. I tend to be the happiest and truest form of who He has made me to be when I'm in that zone.

Having said that... I do also enjoy the rare times I sneak behind the curtain of an actual wave :)

 

A line / passage of scripture that has been relevant of late… 

 Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written; "The righteous will live by faith."

 

Favourite worship album? 

 Hmmm... not really any albums - I've got a spotify playlist of my faves. Probably my favourite song lately has been "Shepherd of my Soul" by Rivers and Robots. 

SANDON GROVES // Paddle Against Poverty

You had the privilege of growing up in Christian fam & knowing Jesus from a young age...

Yep so I grew up in a Christian family and had the privilege of understanding God’s grace and the message of Jesus from a very young age.  Although in some of my later teenage years there were times where I pushed God away a bit and tried to do my own thing, God kept calling me back to him.

 In your teens you were super involved in the church but found a nice balance with CS...

When I was in my teen years, I found that having church and CS was such a nice balance, because it gave me the opportunity to hang out with lots of other Christian surfers, doing fun, crazy stuff together, but also the space to dig deeper into God’s word at church.

 What fascinated you in studying psychology & doing what you do with disability caring?

Psychology has always fascinated me, because at the end of the day it’s the study of what makes us who we are.  It’s a great space to delve into a lot of the questions we find ourselves asking every day and it’s also a beautiful opportunity to be able to help people in my career.  Doing disability care part-time while I complete my studies felt like a natural progression, there’s a lot of overlap in what I’m studying, and it’s given me that practical understanding of what it’s like to work with people in a caring context.  I hope that my time in support work is able to provide me with a solid grounding for when I eventually practice as a clinical psychologist. 

 This past year you've taken over as Director for Paddle Against Poverty. Can you tell us about this organisation & your role within it.

The Paddle Against Poverty has been running for 22 years, this will be its 23rd.  It’s a charity event supported by Christian Surfers Australia (CSA), and was actually founded by my dad, along with a few others.  So, it really has done the full circle.  What started as a small group of keen Christian surfers, eager to help children in poverty, has turned into a community event, with around 100 paddlers taking to the water each year to raise money for a myriad of powerful causes, such as Compassion Australia and Mercy Huts to name a couple.  My role this year as its director, is to oversee the organisation and leadup to the event, which starts around 6 months beforehand, as well as make sure that as an event the Paddle continues to grow and flourish so that we can help as many people as we can, in the most effective way possible.

 Dan Hatton has been a big supportive influence for you...

Dan has been the director of the Paddle for the last 10 years!  He has poured his heart and soul into it and the results are so evident.  Under the gracious hand of God, Dan has been able to create such a strong and positive culture around the Paddle, where people are just so happy to be a part of it…  I feel honoured to have received the baton from Dan, and he has been an amazing support in this transition process as I learn the ropes and figure everything out.  Along with Dan, Jono Bailey has also been incredible to work alongside, and someone who has helped me greatly in my first year as director.

 Music is a big part of your life. How do you express that?

From a young age, music has been a passion of mine.  I remember playing in the church band from my early teens and haven’t stopped since.  There was a period of time in my earlier teens where I considered trying to make it a full-time thing, however I ended up deciding to pursue psychology instead, and now it’s just something I enjoy doing, as well as playing gigs on weekends as some extra part-time work.  The most profound impact music has had on me though is definitely in worship. I love singing to God and leading others to do so as well, it’s such a special experience for me.

 

Any revelations you've had recently?

I think if I had to name one, it would be that despite most of the responsibility of the Paddle being on my shoulders this year, I need to hand my anxieties, worries and stress over to Jesus, and trust that his plans are good.  Although, this is far easier said than done!

 You're about to get married! Woohoo! How did you & Amelia meet?

Yes I am, in July this year.  It’s a very exciting, but busy time, especially with the Paddle coming up!  Amelia and I met through her older sister Amaris, who I met through one of my best mates who was dating Amaris at the time.  Those two are now married, so it’s quite cool that one of my best mates will be my “brother-in-law” (not legally, but you know what I mean). 

 What makes you happiest?

I think happiness is something that we all desire, and treasure when we have it, but doesn’t necessarily last.  I think joy is a far more profound state, and something that the bible talks about a lot.  Joy is intertwined with peace, and joy in knowing Christ, is a state that transcends situations, emotions or context.  In saying this I think of my uncle Pete, who sadly died of cancer at the end of last year.  Despite everything he was going through, Pete has this unshakeable joy that flowed from his relationship with Jesus.  It was a joy that spoke to the hearts of those around him, as we watched his health deteriorate and his body decay, he seemed to grow brighter and brighter as he got closer to heaven.  This joy that Pete had, and that anyone who follows Christ has, is what I hold most dear. 

 Favourite worship album?

I think some of the Hillsong worship is pretty awesome to listen to, but in all honesty I don’t actually listen to that much music so I can’t say for sure.

PADDLE AGAINST POVERTY

WOLLONGONG EVENT - APRIL 1st

CRONULLA EVENT - TBC

GEORGIA WILSHER // Letting Love In

Meet Georgia - a true force to be reckoned with in the Kingdom. Currently residing in Manly, Sydney with her two best mates- she is really living life to the full. When Georgia’s not busy caring for others or organising CS camps, you can find her soaking in the glory of God's creation. From shooting fish to exploring reefs, horse-riding, surfing, camping- you name it. Georgia does it all and she does it with style. However, her journey has not been an easy one. If it wasn’t for the unwavering faith & love of those around her, and the realisation of God's unconditional love for her; she wouldn't be where she is today…

Growing up you had some understanding of the bible from your mum, but it wasn't until a time of deep struggle that you gave your heart to God...

Yeah, that’s right, I’m so grateful for those things my mum showed us, she has had such a tough life and for everyone who knows her- knows she’s an absolutely amazing lady. I think I always had a feeling God was there, but by a pretty young age I had experienced a lot of family trauma and because of this developed a lot of struggles within myself, just like a lot of us do. 
I was always living in fear, wrestling with my belief in an all-knowing, all loving God, I struggled with never feeling good enough and instead no matter what I did I always left feeling broken and pretty lost. It wasn’t until I was 15 and ended up in hospital from an eating disorder, that I really started realising that, yeah, God is real, and He does love me!

You were in hospital for months recovering... the family & friends that showed up for you during that time shared with you the love of Christ hey...
Yep I ended up in there for a few months, when I first got admitted I was told my organs where shutting down and that I needed serious treatment. 
My brother and mum are so inspirational and were so constant and loving throughout the few months, my family, my friends and a pastor at the time I barely knew, just kept showing up; consistently just coming in to pray, to sit and talk, to listen to me cry. They never judged me or shamed me or even felt sorry for me, they pushed me to be better and didn’t care about what I had done or what had happened or any of that, they where just there to love me. 
The love that was given was something so hard to describe without simply saying it was God.  And that’s what really drew me to God, the unconditional love, the community, His pursuing and relentless heart, God who uses situations and people and shows Himself even in hospital chairs. 
I wanted the consistency, peace, love and genuine hearts that they had and that’s really an aspect of my life I try to mimic; to just keep showing up.

It's been 10 years, how have you seen God move & work in your life over that time as your faith has strengthened & your heart is continuously being sanctified...
Haha my goodness, where do I begin? 
Well, firstly following God is bloody hard! But He never said it would be easy, He just promised He’d be with us and that’s something I’m so grateful for. I think life with God too is a lot of surrender, a lot of trust and most of the time it looks nothing at all how we thought it would be in our heads. I’ve fairly well given up making plans and when I tell people things I’m planning on doing, I always say “But who knows with God.” 

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” // James 4:13-15

In saying that though life with God is so much fun and is so exciting!
I can say my life so far has been one huge adventure and I have gotten to go to some really wild places, experience a lot of cool things and meet and live along side some of the most wonderful people. 
God has healed my heart a lot over the last few years as I seek and trust Him first, I’ve been challenged and grown in a lot of areas and am continually being humbled and reminded of my limitations yet also just how God can use someone like me to bring about his plan. Gods strength is made obvious in our weakness. 

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Yourself & a few friends decided to organise a CS Girls camp in 2021 / 2022. How did this come together?

One of my wonderful friends Lillie Leet who is also an amazing leader, encourager and surfer were chatting one day about how cool it would be to have a girls camp, and it started from there! We had our first one in 2021 in Cresso- and honestly the stoke and excitement from all the girls was so cool to see and just being able to facilitate that was so humbling. 
Last year Lillie was away so my house mates and best mates; Shellsea and Aimee stepped in and were such big supports, listening to me talk for hours on end and verbally process everything we needed (hats off to them, how they deal with me I don’t know! Haha) We held it in Scotts Head and the surf was so rubbish but gosh the girls had such great attitudes! We went 4wDriving in the mountains and towed behind Kips (thanks for that) van on the beach. We had a huge dance party with smoke machines and lights of course, shared testimonies, several mums cooked amazing food and to top it off Gil Davis came to speak. So over all I think it went really well. 
Can’t wait for the next one!

Georgia your pretty gifted at art! The shell designs for the T-shirt were so beautiful. What are some of your other passions & ways you spend your time?

Oh thanks for that.
Gosh honestly I just love so many things in life, I can’t say I’m exceptional at anything but I love doing a lot, anything outside and adventurous, I am a serious kook but love learning new things! 
I have a great friend and family group around me (pretty easy when you’re in CS) but everyone loves fairly similar things and is willing to try new stuff, so it makes hanging out so easy because everyone gets in and gives it a go!
I love surfing of course, my house mates and brother spearfish so they’ve been encouraging me with that which has been fun. Basically anything in or on the water!
But in saying that I also really love skiing, rock climbing, horse riding and hunting, 4wdriving, creating things, playing music (I have so many amazing friends who inspire me with their talents), gosh there’s honestly too much to love about life- which makes it hard sometimes, but I also feel so grateful I can (and have) had opportunities to do so much. 

Where is God calling you at the moment?
For me at the moment it’s just loving people better and serving them, and hence through that becoming more like Him. I’ve got a lot of goals and dreams for this year that are on my heart, which I’d really like to see come about… but honestly Gods in control and I hold things pretty loosely these days Although you have dreams and desires and aspirations, it really doesn’t matter what you do- whether you work at Coles packing shelves, are commentating for the WSL, a teacher, a builder, a policeman, a nurse, a muso, a mum or dad whatever it is as long as you’re loving those people around you, doing it to the best of your ability, using your talents and gifts to honour God and serving Jesus then that’s enough. A part of who you are is what you do but it isn’t the totality of your being and I really like that. 
So that’s where I am at the moment, just seeking God first whatever I am doing and challenged every day by that.

A verse of scripture that hits home pretty hard right now...

Haha again way too many but there’s probably two… 
“We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours. Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

“ A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 

Favourite worship album?
Jervis Campbell and John Mark Pantama

CRONULLA MISSION // Sarina Blackley

What inspired you to start the Cronulla mission?

A wild mix of everything really! I first came to CS through the National Gathering in Stanwell Tops (2022) because I saw it on Insta and thought, "surfing and Jesus, what could be better?". I won't lie, it was a bit scary to go to something I knew nothing about, but I very quickly fell in love with the joyful, crazy, and authentic fellowship. People who made everyone feel welcome, regardless of their walk of life and surfing ability. Things like getting tips from old sea dogs, being encouraged and cheered on waves (despite how often I nose-dived), and even just realising that bringing Jesus up in a convo was totally normal. 

After Gathering I found myself missing everyone like crazy, so I went to as many things as possible, and eventually, through a Godly appointment, ended up camping next to a bunch of CS crew from Maroubra. From there, I joined them for surfs, camps, and Bible studies, and felt inspired to rekindle that community in Cronulla. I was also reading Brett Davis' book ‘Groundswell’ and found it pretty crazy to see familiar names and addresses from before I'd ever thought about surfing.

One day I just messaged the legend himself, Dave Lovell, asking how I could get more involved because I had kind of reached a point where I couldn’t shake the feeling that Cronulla needed something like this. From that moment it was just doors opening. The old Cronulla crew had been praying for someone to step up, and all of a sudden a girl who had been riding a foamie for a grand total of a year and a half, was simultaneously in awe, and in an argument with God and the idea that He wanted her (a total kook) to restart the Cronulla mission. 

The weekend I met the Maroubra crew by making fun of their fire (which I later sat around).

Two local spots I would sit and photograph as God stirred His heart for Cronulla to mine.

How has CS shaped and impacted your life?

Well, as of writing this at the end of December, 2022, I’m looking back over the year, and I am absolutely amazed that it was only in April that I found CS. That’s 8 months of my life where I have seen God’s faithfulness, community, friendships, and of course, surfing, on a whole new level. Getting the deep understanding that there are people like you all around Australia, who you have connection and family with under the name of CS has been pretty phenomenal! I’ve felt encouraged and seen like never before, and I’ve also seen God like never before. My non-surfing friends will testify, I won’t shush about how awesome and inspiring these people are. 

I think that the most powerful thing about CS is its heart toward people. Let’s be real, we all experience loneliness. In fact, 1 in 2 Australians have shared they often feel lonely, or as though they don’t have anyone to turn to! (Pai & Vella, 2021; Swinburne University of Technology, 2020). Yet in CS, everyone seems to belong, no matter their denomination, surfcraft, or lifestyle, and everyone genuinely wants to get to know and support you. It’s that authentic thing again. Surfers are raw and Christian surfers are something else. Even just some of the grommies I met in Coffs recently, like man do they have some anointing and favour upon their life! Genuinely believe they’ll reach hundreds through their surfing. I could talk about the people I’ve met for days if anyone could handle my voice for that long! 

Young adults, and families coming down on a Saturday morning - one early morning with all the girls.


Tips and tricks for other crew looking to start up their own mission.

Biggest tip: step out in faith. If you have even the slightest desire or passion, find your regional coordinator, find a leader figure in your area, and share your ideas and dreams. “But I suck at surfing” - me too. It’s the biggest honour to see God move in, and despite your weakness. “But I don’t know what to do” - He does. And I know that as you chase His heart, things are going to fall into place, doors will open, more leaders will come. God, ultimately, is good and loving. When you see that in the creation around you, and feel it as you surf, you can’t help but want other people to see it too. There are people across Australia cheering you on, and our God, the one who made the universe, and those waves you froth over, the same one who loves and cares for you, is cheering you on as well. Go show His love to others in your own unique way! And never be afraid to message one of us for a chat.

Cronulla…

GET IN TOUCH with Sarina //

insta: @sarinablackley

email: [email protected]

BRAD KERMOND // Re-evaluating life

You grew up in a bit of a New Age family but met a friends dad at youth camp who's basically discipled you over the years...

Mum grew up in a Catholic school and family and Dad had been to Sunday school a few times growing up, I think they thought that qualified them as Christians. They dabbled in some new age practices I think just out of a longing and search for truth, meaning, and an awareness that there is a higher being above it all. They have since turned away from their new age practices and have a beautiful relationship with Jesus and invested in a church community. It's been a radical journey! Yea so when I was 13 years old I got invited to a youth group and I met one of the other kids dads, a fella named Emmo who was a bit of a legend in the surf community, really good surfer but a Christian as well. Any way he invited me to go surfing with him and his son and I loved it because he would take me to all the good surf spots that I couldn’t get to on my own. I was pretty regular at youth group for a couple of years and learnt about Jesus, so had a pretty good understanding of the Gospel. Sadly my friends were all getting into partying and drinking really heavily and I stopped going to youth and started going to these wild parties instead. But Emmo was super consistent throughout my teen years and I reckon every week I would surf with him at least once. Without me knowing it, I was being discipled by him through our conversations, our road trips, and even the music he introduced me to. Anyway he was the fella that eventually invited me and took me on the Christian surfers camp that would lead me to the decision to follow Jesus. 

A near death experience when surfing made you question who you were, & what legacy you would have left behind... what was going through your head?  Can you tell us what happened in detail?

Yes, so I was 18, very much a grommet, my mate and I saw on the surf forecasts that a big swell was going to hit Portland, so being the grommets that we were packed our cans of baked beans and box of Nutri-grain with no milk and camped at this beach called Crumpets. We got up for a dawny, and the swell was just hammering this coast and some giants sets of waves were rolling through. Where Portland is located this type of swell is similar to when Lauderdale point, seven mile and Mays point all get waves, that’s when this spot gets its best swell. Anyway we were frothin, which is another term for very excited, kind of like a dog before it’s about to get fed.

We were about to get some of the best waves of our lives! From the beach we used a rip to get out the back and it wasn’t long before a set came through and I called shotgun on taking the first wave. So I rode this 6 foot bomb for about 15 seconds and the wave kind of ended on this section that landed on rocks, so you had to kick off the wave so you’d didn’t slam into the rocks. So I jumped off my board where the wave ended and pin dropped into the water, however, over night and without realising the huge swell had brought with it these mass piles of bull kelp, which is that really thick wide and heavy seaweed, and it had all piled up in this spot where the wave finishes. So I pinned dropped into this pile of bull kelp and I got wrapped up in it like being in a sleeping bag with your arms pinned and the hood pulled over. And I panicked! It was black under there, I didn’t which way was up because a wave would roll over the top of me and I was rag dolled under the water whilst being wrapped up in seaweed. I tried to climb up my legrope because my board would have been floating, but the kelp was wrapped around my legs pretty good. I lost a lot of breathe trying to kick off the seaweed, and I was trying swim through this seaweed but again didn’t know what direction I was paddling. I was doing this for about a minute and I lost so much breathe.

All of a sudden I had a wave of thoughts and anxiety hit me as I was struggling to get out. I remembered thinking I’m gunna die here, and I’ve done nothing with my life besides surfing & partying. I was a terrible son to my parents, and I’m not going to get to do the things that I really wanted to do such as have a family of my own. That theme of what legacy was I going to leave behind was playing over in my head.

My body was doing that weird shake when it doesn’t have any air in it and these thoughts were just so loud in my head. I then prayed God help me! Then it went really still and really quiet and I stopped trying to reach the surface. I remember then having this overwhelming peace kind of resting on me and again it was super still. I then heard a voice say “take off your legrope Brad” . I knew what the voice in my head sounded like, and I knew the voice in my head doesn’t address me as a second person. So it could not have been an idea. This voice said take off your legrope Brad. The voice sounded so trustworthy, it was weird and hard to describe. My board would have been floating on top and kind of bobbing up and down letting people know the whereabouts of where I was. To take off the leggie was kind of a big no no when surfing. But I just trusted this voice that I heard, took off my legrope and then it was like the seaweed just fell off me and I could see light again and finally reached the surface.

As my head came up out of the water I heard the most horrible noise, my mate Dylan who I was surfing with was just screaming my name thinking that I had drowned, another fella was on the rocks in front of me had stripped down to his undies and was about to jump into make a rescue attempt. The waves then took me into the shore, Dylan had paddled in to meet me, he was so upset and he was saying don’t you ever do that to me again! I sat on the beach for about 10 minutes after that just thinking, the adrenaline slowly wearing off. Just thinking, wow was that voice God, or an angel? Thinking wow, I should have died right then but I’m still alive. Did I just get spared from death, does my life have more purpose than what I was currently living for?

Just a few weeks later you were invited to a CS camp in Torquay... 

A couple of weeks later I was invited to a Christian Surfers camp down in Torquay and at first, I thought Christian surfers, that sounds like the dorkiest bunch of surfers out there! I thought of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons but with a surfboard under his arm haha. I was very wrong!


You kind of hit rock bottom just after...

Yea later that year, my partner and I split up, I'd busted my ankle that kept me out of the surf for 6 months, and I was at the pointy end of Year 12 with exams. I remember just feeling so overwhelmed and probably the worst depression I've experienced.


When Lucas Bartlett gave you a buzz to come along to New Swell you knew God was tapping you on the shoulder.

Yea kind of. I think I was desperate for some change and when he called to invite me to New Swell, I said yes straight away not really knowing what I was saying yes to, except that it involved surfing and some good blokes. I was greeted in the car park by grommets doing burnouts in a van on the gravel church carpark, and other grommets wrestling each other through plaster walls, and only minutes later were in a worship session singing out their hearts to their Creator. And I felt I had arrived home. This is when I felt a tap on the shoulder by the Boss upstairs and felt a prompting that I had to give my life to Jesus and get baptised. I went up to Lucas after on our way to the Torquay skate bowl and asked if he would baptise me. He looked at me in a funny way because he thought I was already a Christian, which was why he invited me because New Swell was actually a leadership camp for Christian Surfers haha!! Later that week I got dunked at Bells beach in my boardies, Lucas and Steve Bailey were in their steamers!!

You felt a strong prompting to be baptised? Why do you think it's important?

I think I just knew that was was how Christians made a commitment. Someone explained to me that week as well that it was symbolic and spiritual moment to declare a fresh start in Jesus, the old way of living was being put to death, and the new creation was here. I couldn't wait to put my old life to bed!


You've just jumped into teaching hey?

Yea I finished my teaching degree six months ago and teach four days a week, and one day with CS.


Since moving to Tassie 6 years ago, & now Tas Regional Coordinator, what shift have you seen happening?

I felt Gods hand over the move, I knew only a handful of people in Tassie but where I landed we had folks ready to join and lead the CS Hobart mission. It was incredible! Since then our crew has grown exponentially and 3 different outreaches exist from the one mission. The north of the state has been a different story though, we have a lot of contacts but less of a stoke to do ministry through CS. I'm believing that someone will take the reigns and start something.


Are you getting pumped for National Gathering in Taz?

So pumped! I love hosting people so pretty excited to host all the national froth-bags in our backyard!


Relevant verse of scripture at the moment...

Ezekiel 37. The whole thing. My family and I have been through a pretty hectic season and suffering a bit of PTSD from it. God gave me this verse at the start of the year and just love the promise that God alone is going to breathe life into these dry bones again!


Favourite worship album? "Live at the Banks House" by United Pursuit and Will Reagan. It's 13 years old now but one I keep coming back to because of how raw and honest the worship is. I always joke that Will Reagan kind of sounds like a Christian version of Ben Howard.

Brad with his wife Alex & daughter Maggie.

BRETT DAVIS // PART II

1985 Grom Group

MITCH.  You’re running a local thing at the moment called Shaping Bay. Do you want to tell us what that is, how long it's been going for & the idea behind it?

BD. Yeah. Well, I've been running Christian Surfers as basically a Grom program I realized for 34 years…so for 34 years Christian Surfers for me was teenage boys. So, 34 years of teenage boys. I've been living in this area for a long time and just had this revolving door of 17 year-olds leaving the group you know, which is typically what happens if you're down with teenagers, and very few would make the transition to becoming leaders because so many of them moved out of the area to go to uni to find other jobs or whatever. And so, as I was getting older and maybe a little tired of growing camps aha

MITCH.  They're wild.

BD. I was just more and more convicted around just now seeing some of those 16 year olds who were 26 and then they’re now 36 and like  I'm still good friends,  but there's nothing in Christian Surfers where I can invite those kind of people to because they're not in the grom stage. So, I just had this restlessness around what would it mean to create a missional route that older guys could come to, and was really thinking about that because you know I've got older and all my main surfing peers are getting further and further away from 17 year olds and 16 year olds ,and I'm hanging out with older and older guys. Church stuff is still a massive jump. So, I'm thinking they can't go to church, they can't even go to Christian Surfers, here I am with all these personal relationships. So, I started thinking and reflecting on what it would have mean to create a community that was a different kind of model than just a sort of Bible study more proclamational thing but a conversational model for older friends.

So, the Shaping Bay, it was started six years ago around the idea of community, that it would be a community for older guys. We had that through surfing but to actually land it at someone's house in the meal then it would be topical, we would find a compelling topic that we would think about, or it was something that just came up in the community as some crisis has happened, we'd have a topic. But it would be a conversation and the best way to get conversations is to pose some questions. So, three questions would be posed, and each question would take you deeper and then it would be a discovery. It would be a facilitated conversation, no pressure. But we would discover the things around these topics and then at the end the facilitator- which is a Christian Surfer guy- would draw the threads together and somehow maybe draw some biblical connection, which we would often refer to as an ancient text. I'll often tell guys man, listen to this, it's like 2700 years old, it's from this book of Proverbs.  You'd read it out and guys are going yeah, that's the same stuff we were talking about, and they find out at the end that Asian text is the Bible and how good is that!? So, that's my latest development I guess of, what does it mean to pioneer a new expression or mission to a much older group of guys who'd be very shy of Christian Surfers. None of them would think they're going to Christian Surfers. And so, I would say it's a community conversation that's facilitated by Christian Surfers, it's not a Christian Surfers group. So, it's quite different.

Cronulla 1984 girls.

MITCH. There's a there's a girls group happening too?

BD. Oh, yeah, there's Shannon Hughes- WSL commentator, great surf coach. She had a bunch of girls who were quite keen to get out of the community of surfing what does it mean to have more conversation. So, my wife sort of stepped into that, my daughter was happy to be part of that and yeah, she's been left carrying the baby because the other Christian girls moved on haha. But that has been another interesting expression, they’re mostly in their late 20s, early 30s- quite a challenging group to wrangle that one. My wife says she has been the mum figure and some of the girls don't have mum figures, so it's been quite special. She's also navigating this space; it’s some pretty hectic topics with some very politically savvy, well-educated women who have very little regard for Christianity but find this group quite amazing.

 

SAMMY. Wow. That's cool. I've had the privilege of going to a couple of them and I think what you said is right, like the way it's so organic- it's not blatantly non-Christian but it's disarming enough so that someone that's pretty opposed to the church can walk in and go yeah, I feel comfortable here.

And even the way you word stuff like there's an ancient text or an ancient idea so and so. It sort of disarms them to want to listen a bit more. The unfortunate thing is I guess when you go hey from proverbs or whatever they go oh, that's from the Bible. I might switch off here…

BD. Yeah.

SAMMY.  But I think the couple times I've gone, I've heard you lead with that and it's a really cool way to not surprise attack people.

BD. It's gotta be genuine and authentic, and I say if there's going to be any Christian content coming out, it's just going to be because some of us happen to be Christians in the group, and if the topic and the questions are your faith; it has some meaning on how you answer those questions- you've got to own it, and you've got to own it with words that a person can relate and understand to.

So my mate Alex, who I was surfing with this morning, he came up to me a while back and said was this a Christian group. I said no, it's not a Christian group in that some of us happen to be Christians, there’s plenty of guys that aren't, but all views are welcome, every views welcome, welcome including the Christian one. We're not gonna we're silence or shut down anyone, because in certain conversations when you're in the Christian world ,well if you have this kind of view  you're going to be shut down , but equally if you're in another setting and you happen to have a Christian point of view well you're going to be shut down. So, I'm saying no, no, we're going to learn to have honest conversation and no one's going to be shut down, and most people find that refreshing.

MITCH.  Yeah, you don't often have honest conversations these days.

BD. No, it’s too polarizing and most people deep down realize that, so it's quite refreshing to go well I don't understand that at all and don't agree with it, but good for you, and maybe we can learn something from each other. So, all of the guys have said that whether they're Christian or not they've said I learned a lot from listening to the stories and the way you've answered those questions.

The thing is for that to be multiplied all around the place, and I've applied exactly the same principles to various other main groups and other groups that got nothing to do with surfing- but that model could be utilized anywhere and in today's world, and as a church, is looking at ways of creating  community or doing mission or building relationships, there's a lot to be said there.

1986 ‘Behind The Lines’ Opera House

MITCH. What’s going down in CS? Like what’s some upcoming stuff, do you have any of the gossip?

SAMMY. National or Intergalactic.

MITCH.  Intergalactic.

SAMMY.  You can throw it out at us.

 BD. I sit on the side a little bit, I'm not in the center anymore. But as the founding advisor, I still sit on the International leadership team which is incredibly generous of Roy, who when I was the international director he was on my team. Now, he's the international director and I'm on his team, because at the end of the day, we're not here to build our own kingdom we're here to build the kingdom of God. We're on the bus and who cares what seat you have on the bus because you know you can switch seats according to the season and timing of life and you've got the humility, where you can continue to play a role. But that space is very rare in organizations and the chairman of the boards, it's very unusual that Christian Surfers is able to do this. And so, sitting in those places for sure Roy at the International Conference said we're definitely going to step out of the fogginess of a Covid era, and it's time to step up and step out, and the vision was cast , that at the moment Christian Surfers is around 30 nations and about 150 missions. But by 2030, we're going to be a thousand missions in a hundred countries.

So, that's growing our ministry seven times in terms of the chapters which is probably the most significant side of growth. It's echoed by Christian Surfers Australia, who announced that Easter this year, that at the moment there's about 20 chapters and we're to be 40 chapters in the next three to five years so doubling the size. Globally you're talking about increasing seven times the size. So, definitely a big push to not look down or look in, but to look out.

 I think there's some incredible opportunities emerging. I'll put Indonesia on the table because I'm filling a gap at the moment as the regional coordinator for Japan and Indonesia. There is no Christian Surfers in Indonesia, Ado and the crew had done that role for over 20 years &  decided to shift sideways with a focus with other church planting movements. So, it's positioned vacant but I've developed a network of surf Ministries that are operating in Indonesia, and Ado and his crew are still one of that, they still want to partner with Christian Surfers but not be Christian Surfers. We had a face-to-face meeting on a new charter boat which is another new ministry starting in Indo, and decided the best thing that Christian Surfers could do in Indonesia would be to mobilize short-term missions of guys to go and either service some of these other organizations and secondly, to rebirth a faith-based surfing hostel which was called the Bali Surf house. A couple of great girls ran that for a very long time, and it's been dormant for three years. We feel like it'd be great to see that start again. So, there's a position vacant that will be pitched about some young crew thinking about living in Bali and running a faith-based surfing hostel.

There’s plenty of other opportunities around short-term mission stuff, and the Olympics is being held in our region in Tahiti, which will be the only time a Pacific island- probably for the rest of history- will ever host an Olympic event. So, Kevin Hemingway's got a big sort of welcome sign for people, particularly from our area to come to Teouphoo, which actually you won't be able to access the event, it's going to be closed and televised but there'll be opportunity to do some ministry around the Olympics, because it's the biggest event in Tahiti’s history.

SAMMY. Wow.

BD. So, that's beyond next 2024. Japan's got a big open sign for some short-term mission stuff there and that will happen next year. So, a couple of short-term mission things, and potential for some long-term stuff, opportunities for expansion. So, there's some really good things to look forward to. More stuff around leadership development, I think we'll see more of that and the new Surface Bible is going to be getting developed with back-end digital platform for multiple stories and testimonies and stuff that can be constantly updated. So, that'll be an awesome resource that you can look forward to as a Christian Surfer person.

Taiwan 2012 Temple.

2005 CS Japan National Conferance.

SAMMY. Oh, that's so exciting. There's so much going on and it's so cool to hear that sort of perspective and vision because you can get so, not lost, but just caught up in what's going on in your community. So then when you hear that snapshot just going wow, there is so much bigger and more happening than what is happening in just our community. So, that's super exciting & encouraging.

BD. Yeah, I mean everything from you thinking you could start another local mission in the beach down the road, which might mean you moving and becoming a new hub of activity to starting ministry in a new country. There's all kinds, but definitely I feel like Christian Surfers is in a lookout and grow mode.

SAMMY. Let's go. Watch this space.That's so good. That's a good encouragement for anyone listening as well just to hear that and take that in. If that's prompting you or making your G-d up, or getting you excited maybe listen to it and do some journaling haha!!

BD. It's great to reflect on where we've come from, because you talk about where we're going, but it's all based on where we've come from. So the Groundswell book, since you mentioned, if you’re listening or reading and like to find out more about Christian Surfers, a great way- you can look at the current stuff which will tell you the state of things and where some things are going- but by securing that book,  you can also see where it's come from. A that's  inspiring in itself because at the end of the day, the theme of the book is ordinary people but an extraordinary God. That’s my story and maybe that's your story.

SAMMY. So, good. I like how you use the word securing a book because they’re going like hotcakes haha.

MITCH. Yeah, flying out the door.

BD. That's right. Good guys thanks, great to chat with you,  and I just want to cheer you guys on, guys and girls young and old. There's a fresh opportunity in Christian Surfers because surfing has expanded it's no longer a young grom thing or a single person- it's multi-generational, it's multicraft and it's also multi-causes- there are so many causes that surfing’s attached itself to. So, it's a great time to step into Christian Surfers now whatever you ride, whatever your age, whatever your interest is, great opportunities. Go for it.

SAMMY. So, good. Going forward as well, are there any prayer points that you'd want to throw out there for future or current?

BD.  Oh, there's endless need of prayer for a new generation of leaders to be raised up. It's always that. I think vision is being clarified you know we want every surfer and every surfing community to have the opportunity to know and follow Jesus. That's razor sharp and really good, but I think the leaders and the resources to go with that from people in Australia to others overseas, thinking about KK in Japan, it's just a desperate need for people to step up and partner with people who really want to go for it in a bigger way- by leaving some paid work and coming to work with Christian Surfers. So, lots of prayer for that and I think to pray into some of these really tough sectors of the surfing community. Indonesia's the largest Islamic you know, Muslim nation in the world, it's the largest Muslim surf population. Japan's the largest unreached surfing population in the world and their so close to us.

MITCH. Our neighbors.

BD. Yeah, yeah, and here in Australia we have one of the largest percentages of people living in the coastal area, and whilst the vision is for 40 new missions, we actually need a hundred. Easily a 100 missions in 100 key surf towns in this country with multiple staff. So, pray, pray, pray that God takes it and makes it more in all parts of the world including our own backyard…

1982 Brett Davis, God Rules.

2003 Jesus air, Daniel Looman.

BRETT DAVIS // PART I

"We felt marginalised by the surfing community because we were Christians and marginalised from the church community because we were surfers."

What started with a handful of teenagers in Cronulla, Sydney, has now turned into a big, beautiful global family; with missions in over 30 nations & over 1,000 volunteer leaders spreading the love of God through all levels of surfing. We welcome Christian Surfers Founder Brett Davis to the chat room! Yewwww.

Summer 1999. Hawaii airport.

SAMMY. Have you got any crazy memorable moments in the surf? Hectic moments that you thought nup, this is it- I'm gone!?

BD. Yeah, I had lots of big days at Sandon Point, and on low tide when you're sitting on the ledge it's pretty shallow in there. I can remember sort of air dropping a take-off and not making it and hitting the bottom really hard, and then feeling myself being dragged and then eventually, coming to a sudden stop where I hit a ledge against the side of my body, breaking two ribs. So, coming to the surface with two broken ribs, you can't really take a breath because there's so much pain. So, I had another six waves in a row on the head.

MITCH. Oh, no.

BD. So, by the end of that only being able to just take short little gasps because of two broken ribs. I sort of got flushed into the shallows and dragged myself up in the rocks and drove myself to hospital.

MITCH. Drove yourself to hospital?

BD. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I begged them not to cut my wetsuit off because they got the scissors out and I was like no, no, just peel it off. My three-two.

SAMMY. Use the zipper, use the zipper.

BD. So yeah, I think I can remember after the sixth wave thinking I'm not getting any air because I can't take a deep breath as I've got two broken ribs aha. Just super exhausting.

SAMMY. Would you mind giving us an overview of how Christian Surfers came to be?

BD. I think it started with my own personal story of being a kid at Kirrawee high school and for me, deciding to become a surfer. Any religious background I had- which was very small- I thought well God's got to go for surfing to come because those two worlds don't mix. So, I made a deal with God that when I got old and about to die, like 63 or something ,I would sort of come back to God then. Then meeting my first Christian friend who was a surfer in year 11 at high school was absolutely life-changing. That person was Jeff Thompson, and realizing that those two worlds could mix, I made my decision that I wanted to be a Christian. Then the realization within that first year I was actually a Christian Surfer but a Christian with a ‘little c’ and a surfer with a ‘capital S’… that surfing was really my first identity, & not being a Christian or a Jesus follower as number one was something I had to change.

So, it was a big turn-around at age 18 to say actually, for Jesus to really come, surfing's got to go… and so I made a commitment to give up my surfing and never surf again if God didn't want me to- in that I knew I wanted to be a Christian first. And so, ironically this is the story that a few weeks later Jeff Thompson came and said we could start this Christian Surfer group you know. So, I had this great sense that God was giving my surfing back to me in the form of Christian Surfers. I didn't think those two worlds could have overlapped.

So, in year 12 at high school as an 18 year old with a handful of mates, we just started this group called Christian Surfers Fellowship. Of course, we were Christians who surfed who were looking for fellowship because we were now marginalized from the beach community because we'd become Christians. We sort of felt semi-marginalized from the church community because we were surfers aha… In 1977 surfing and church didn't really mix. So, that group kicked off in Cronulla in my mum's lounge room with a handful of kids, and it really was just us as raw teenagers ourselves. We dropped the word fellowship within a year because we realized that it wasn't a fellowship, it was actually a mission, and that fellowship of our community was really vital for our survival.

1979 Jervis Bay Camp.

Most of the kids who started coming along weren't Christians because they were typically other church kids who were surfing their way out of church. We were their last ditch attempt primarily by their parents to catch them on the way out, and then they became confident enough to bring friends.

We probably took a really big step forward when we published our first advertisement in Surfing World magazine announcing that Christian Surfers was here. That was followed up with a surfing comic series in Tracks Magazine that Jeff who was a commercial artist started writing, and that put us on the map. Suddenly we had an influx of communication from other groups who had already started and were glad to hear we were existing as well. But also, people asking us how to start.

So, out of Cronulla was the birth really of the Australian movement and in 1983, after five years now, a little group in Cronulla which was very small for the first three years and then exploded- when we started an open house drop-in center in Cronulla. We became the hub for developing Christian Surfers Australia. So, our first conference was up the road here at Stanwell Tops in 83. There were six groups represented and about 40 people just exploring the idea that maybe we could be a national thing together and there was a unanimous acceptance about that. I took a bold step at age 23 to resign from teaching to do that full-time, which seems crazy, I don't know if I'd let myself do that now. But yeah, just raw faith, raw passion & we've got to make this thing happen.

1984 Cronulla house.

1984 Cronulla leaders.

BD. I was a very reluctant leader. God was gracious. We had some pretty tough hiccups in the first couple of years trying to work out what would it mean to do this together because we're from all very different backgrounds. There was no adult supervision. Yeah, there was a lot of raw sort of rubbing together to work that out, but we had a major breakthrough saying we would focus on the cross of Christ for salvation, the needs of our unreached surfing friends, and anything else to get in the way of that just put it aside when you come to Christian Surfers. That grew to contacts with other people overseas and we helped kick-start New Zealand, had connections with the UK, and then South Africa, Brazil, and other countries expanded from there until we had our first International Conference in Hawaii in 93. By the time, we got to our third one it was out of hand and needed someone to step up and do it internationally. So, I was asked to transition from the Australia role to a global one. Took my wife and three kids and lived around the world for a year and pioneered the international movement in 1999. I did 16 years full-time at that, handed it over to Roy, being the role of the resident grandfather haha. So, there's a short, short story.

SAMMY. I feel like there’s so many times there’s been like a jump in faith, or a jumping situation. How did you kind of step through those big leaps? There's so much responsibility and weight. What's the process?

BD. Yeah, yeah, well, the process is a long process and it's being faithful in small things. So, the jump to the Nationals after you know five years. In the first three years I couldn't grow our group bigger than 12. So, you're just faithful with small things for years and then there's a breakthrough and you feel encouraged to grow with that breakthrough. You're very mindful of your own limitations and like I said, I was a pretty reluctant leader. In my leaving school certificate report basically had nothing other than attending haha. I wasn't exactly a high achiever, and then you know you look at that big jump to International- well, that was punctuated with years of just being faithful in whatever came along. So yeah, there are big steps, it's like the famous artists that go oh, you know, that person that’s a sudden success story after 15 years. You know they've just done all this hard work and then they're a sudden success, well, it's all based on years of just working it through. But each time for sure there was a sense of God's prompting. There was always a sense of inadequacy, and then there's a sense of well, am I gonna look at myself and my own inadequacies, or maybe look at God that He can make up the difference… and I've chosen to look at God.

SAMMY. You said back when you were 23 you gave up your teaching pursuit, do you reckon that was sort of a turning point? Where you were like I want to make this more about God's plan & not my own will or desire?

BD. Yeah, yeah, well, all those things have been shaped earlier. I guess surrendering my surfing was the biggest surrender because that was around my identity. I had competed when I left school in the job market and had a scholarship as an electrical engineer which I started, and I was going to be paid to go to university and had a secure future as an engineer all set up. And then I just had this prompting that I never actually asked God what he wanted me to do for a career. I just accepted the best, highest achieving offer I could get. And so, I was an underachiever by turning down that and then going into teaching, because I felt that's what God was prompted me. So, there was the seeds of that when I was at university studying as a teacher. I was part of a great on campus Christian student group, and I'd already resolved back then that I wanted to aim for full-time ministry as my vocation. But to honor my parents, they said get your teaching certificate first which was a two-year commitment and I think they were hoping that I would grow out of the idea of this Christian stuff haha.

But yeah, so, I taught for a couple years. But again, the seeds of that were already laid before. When I did Christian Surfers the first time at 23, I just saw it as a kid thing but then I went to Bible college to get a real job, to get a real ministry, because Christian Surfers couldn't possibly be that. The real ministry was to go to Bible College and then go overseas, that's when you're a real missionary. So, I pursued that and never got a sense of calling overseas and was quite surprised when God called myself and my new wife back into Christian Surfers. So, there's been lots of things where the background has been laid, and I think any of these great steps of faith come from ultimately being prepared to surrender your own plans ,and then will you trust God to make up the difference.

2002 BD surfing Aussie Pipe.

2002 Surfers Bible promo.

MITCH. So, good. Wisdom with a capital W.

SAMMY. That's crazy. It intrigues me when you said I wanted to ask God for what He had for me planned like you said yeah, I'm gonna give up my plans but I never actually asked God what He had for me… What did that look like practically for you?

BD.  I am prone to just jump in and do. So, it was challenging to just stop and ask, but it was a fairly honest practical assessment of what could make my life count. And being an engineer is a great career and I believe that there's no separation of the sacred and the secular that you can be God's person whatever you do, but it just seemed to make sense that being involved in teaching, because everything I was finding myself drawn to was around teenagers with this Christian Surfer thing. Engineering was not going to have me primarily engaged with people at all. So, it just seemed to make sense that teaching would be a better option. I'd always wanted to be a carpenter. I was told at school I was too smart for that so I wasn't allowed to do wood work. I ended up doing the physics and chemistry and maths and all these high-end stuff going, all right, so, this is a way of going to university- but still doing wood work, that was appealing and the idea that it was a career more invested in people just made sense.

So, I'm just sort of weighing it all up going well this seems to make sense what do you think God and just being open-handed. At least I was willing to give up the thing that I had secured and then trust that God could just put me here and there and leave me along the way. I had some other friends who were also DNT teachers and they talked about the awesome holidays and the great times they’ve had which was really good as well. So, it was just like it’s a good lifestyle, but equally, yeah, it's just something that was going to give me more opportunity to invest in people, and I could see there was lots of skills around teaching that would be applicable to my longer term goal- which was if I get a shot at being able to invest my life in full-time Ministry directly why not? And teaching just seemed to make sense as a better career for that compared to engineering. For those engineers out there, no offense.

SAMMY.  Shots fired. All these Christian surfing engineers out there going man, maybe I should re-evaluate haha.

BD. That's my story. There's plenty of teachers out there going maybe I should do that. But the bigger thing guys is just investing your life in the things that God could most use, and just being open for that to steer the direction of your life for the opportunities that God could must use. Trying to work out how God's wired you and shape you. Some people are not cut out to be teachers, and some people are really cut out to be engineers, or in the service industry, the people industry, some people are more in the technical industry. If God's wired you a certain way, I think God's will for you is how God shaped you, and some of that's just a good practical assessment internally as well as asking people externally, and then doing the spiritual stuff of asking God as well, but he tends to answer through your own self and your own spirit, and the input of others…

Part II TBC next week…

DAN ULYATE // ABIDE

Based on the Sunshine Coast, founder of Abide Clothing, & a big part of Christian Surfers, Dan Ulyate shares with us his love for the Lord & expressing that through different creative channels & places of service.
”Create and let it all be worship to God. Spending time abiding in God will cause a natural overflow of him and his goodness. This will overflow into what you create. When I play music I cannot help but sing of him and his goodness.  If you're in business just wait and see what he starts doing through you. We have been created to create…”

When did you first find Christian Surfers & how did the community resonate with you?

I got connected to CS through a few guys at the church I started going to (Goodlife). They were just a bunch of super rad guys who just walked in a simple love for God and for surfing. Being relatively new to surfing and surf culture I was keen to get amongst it. (Big appreciation to Benny, Dan and Stevo and the others for getting me into it) 



Originally from South Africa, what was the decision to make the move to the Sunny Coast?

Well, we moved over as a family. Mum and Dad really liked Aus and decided we would pack up and move here as a new adventure. Also as a way  to open my sister and I up to new opportunities and a better lifestyle. It was definitely a big sacrifice for them but I know my sis and I are super grateful for them doing it. 

You've been involved in CS as a group leader & know working with the national team designing & developing merch. Can you tell us about this journey & what you're excited to bring to the table?

For sure! I have been a part of CS for about 9 years now, since I was about 16. When I was 20 I got thrown in the deep end and started leading CS on the Sunshine Coast as a mission coordinator. I started to get involved in the National team around that time too, its always felt like my second family in a way. Between all that I had also started a brand during that time. We have been taking about updating the merch of CS for a while and also how we can create a business “arm” of CS. After being given a business and still running the brand it just made sense to me to jump in and upgrade the CSA merch. I loved business, clothing and CS! So here we are, I'm stoked that the hoodies we have released have been selling out. Next is dropping a new t-shirt range which  we have been working on for a while. Big thanks to Elise Van Boxtel (design)  and others who help out. We have some new stickers and potentially hoodie towels coming :) We want to create high quality, ethical gear for our CS tribe to rep. 

One piece of the jigsaw, one moment of God's grace that bought you closer to Him...
Sheesh, yea! I remember during New Swell in 2016, I was worshiping and just felt like God spoke a new identity over me into my heart. Not a audible voice as such but a deep knowing that I was his and I am his son. I couldn’t really go back to my old ways after that! 

A line of scripture that encompasses that...

“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—”

Ephesians 1:5


You started your own brand- Abide Clothing back in March 2017. What is your why & purpose behind starting this business?

Yea so I hung out at skate parks and surf breaks pretty often and just saw such a lack of identity and purpose amongst the crew I spoke too. I knew there was gold inside of those kids, I wanted a way to bring that out and for them to live with purpose. So through inspiration from another brand I admired at the time I started Abide Culture. To equip and inspire people to find and live with a purpose, to live the life they were created for. The essence of life is to Abide in our creator, God. I assure you that you will find more than just purpose there :) John 15

Ideas for the future of Abide?

Heaps, people often ask, “so how are you helping people find purpose?” I often just say we inspire them to find it. This is great but we’re keen to not only inspire but also to equip in this next season. Keen to do this through events we run and limited runs of clothing we produce. Mentoring is a big big need too, so potentially creating some kind of platform for that also. That’s all I will share for now… haha 


Tips for helping others channel their creativity into serving the Lord?
Create and let it all be worship to God. Spending time abiding in God will cause a natural overflow of him and his goodness. This will overflow into what you create. When I play music I cannot help but sing of him and his goodness.  If you're in business just wait and see what he starts doing through you. We have been created to create. 


What makes you happiest?
Logging Noosa at sunset with a bunch of mates would be up there! It’s pretty glorious. Good food and music is a beauty too! 

Favourite worship album?

Tough one, but I would say my favourite of all time would be the “Garden” (Live) Album by United Pursuit. 

 

EST 1977
Cronulla, Sydney, Australia

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