The Crossfire youth work at St Pauls, Castle Hill, has six good reasons for celebrating this month " Amelia, Elise, Kelsy, Aaron, Simon and Ashlea.

The six are part of a group of eleven youth who made commitments to Christ at a Crossfire camp organised by St. Paul's youth ministry team earlier this year.

"The talks were really good," says 13 year old year 8 student Amelia Ash.

Though she comes from a Christian family, Amelia says Beach Camp brought her to a point where she had to "get real'.

"The talks challenged me and I thought it was time to stop pretending," Amelia says.

13 year old year 8 student Simon Tillerney agrees, saying he'd had an on-again, off-again allegiance, but one talk was enough to help him realise the level of commitment required.

"I was trying, but not doing it in front of my non-Christian friends," Simon says.

12 year old year 7 student Aaron Kanaley faced a similar situation.

"First time I went on camp I committed my life but I didn't really keep it," he says. "This time I really wanted to choose. I don't really feel scared anymore about talking to my friends."

Crossfire, St Paul's youth ministry, is based on a model that encourages each of its nearly 500 members to consider themselves a crucial part of the ministry.

"It’s very much a student centred ministry where the leaders support the kids," says youth worker Katie Hooten.

"We may organise the event but it’s very much led by their desire to see their friends come to know Christ."

Several of the six new starters came in contact with the group because their friends suggested a new way to fill Friday nights.

Crossfire 68 caters to kids in years 6-8; Crossfire X tackles youth from years 9-12.

Ms Hooten says leaders try to build the expectation that belonging means contributing to the ministry.

"Obviously in any church community you want every member to not just learn but to have some input. God’s given them gifts which they can share with that community," she says.

This latest group of Christians says Crossfire 68 is helping them put two and two together in a world which has little to say about God.

"I had this hunch from the beginning of year 7,"says 13 year old Kelsy Bridgwood. "I knew about Jesus and God and stuff but I didn't really know what it was all about."

"Just coming every week and having talks has really helped. I had a lot of build up before I came to camp," she says.

Beach Camp, where she and the others became Christians, is one of a number of weekends away run by Crossfire to give members a chance to evangelise friends.

The latest venture run in early April saw 250 kids travel to Stanwell Tops.

Rather than split members up into older and younger groups, Crossfire sees the benefit of a united community.

"On camps we find that the younger kids really benefit from watching the older kids in worship and getting to know them is really valuable," Ms Hooten says.

11 year old Elise Fowler has only been coming since the beginning of the year but the support she has received has seen her travel from a young girl "forgetting about God' to a Christian eagerly working her way through the Gospel of Mark.

She's not shy about telling people how long this new change will last.

"Hopefully, for the rest of my life," Elise smiles.

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