Summer Carnival 2018 - the capacity to change lives
Summer Carnival 2018 - the capacity to change lives
19 January 2018
Around 370 teenagers attended this year's Summer Carnival at Philip Island which included teaching and worship sessions - and good old-fashioned fun! Photos: Justin Sebastian
By Anthony Castle
It’s hard to imagine Summer Carnival getting bigger, but that’s the reality facing the Southern Territory’s youth department after the seventh annual event exceeded all expectations this year.
Summer Carnival is the annual Youth Councils of the Australia Southern Territory. After humble beginnings in Geelong in 2012, it is now a big event, with 372 campers and 92 leaders last week converging on Phillip Island Adventure Resort for a week of youthful celebration in God’s name. 
It seems a long time since the Geelong days, with its showers in mobile-bathroom trucks and sessions in a colourful big-top tent. Moving to Phillip Island in 2016, with swimming pools, a flying fox, and a giant swing, the camp has gone from strength to strength, growing to the point where it is now at capacity. It isn’t the capacity to attract numbers of campers that is impressive, however, but rather the real change that the event sees in teenagers’ lives.
“Summer Carnival engages hundreds of high school-aged young people with fun and spiritual formation,” said John Marion, youth ministry training coordinator for the Territorial Youth Department. “We have music, magicians, and carnival rides, but the purpose is to see more young people following Jesus and thriving in Salvation Army communities.
“We’ve been doing this event for seven years now. It’s gotten bigger, but the outcomes are the same. We see young people decide to follow Jesus here. Summer Carnival changes lives.” 
Last year’s Summer Carnival saw 245 young people make decisions to follow Jesus. That included 28 first-time decisions, 30 decisions to recommit to God, six decisions for officership and 11 more for soldiership. The numbers are yet to be confirmed, but the response from young people at Summer Carnival 2018 suggests that lives have been changed in a similar way.
Campers come from corps across the territory, but many also come to the event from youth groups, high school outreach, social programs, and case management connections. Summer Carnival is designed to be an inclusive community, no matter who the campers are or where they are from.
“I’ve never seen anything like Summer Carnival,” said guest speaker Anthony Barnes. “Kids can jump, dance and shout and no one will bat an eye-lid. It doesn’t matter what they’re backgrounds are, no one is excluded from the event. These kids can come and experience Jesus.” 
Guest speakers at Summer Carnival this year included Captains Anthony and Lisa Barnes, from Seattle White Center Corps in the United States, carnival favourite Fulton Hawk (pictured right), and Rowan Castle, Director of Emerging Faith Communities. National Commander Floyd Tidd also spoke to the campers on the final night.
“The theme for this event was ‘We Belong Together’, focusing on how our lives are changed through relationship with God and each other,” John said. “The journey of adolescence has never been longer or lonelier than it is today. Summer Carnival shares this Good News with many struggling young people.”
Even though another event is over, Summer Carnival never really ends for the Territorial Youth Department, as the team will begin organising the next event as early as March. Summer Carnival 2019 is already booked in and discussions are underway about how to make the event even bigger, with increased accommodation, new performers and new attractions. Summer Carnival may now be in its eighth year, but as it grows its capacity, it will continue changing lives for some time to come.
FOOTNOTE: The Department of Youth supports youth ministry across divisions and corps. We provide resources and events. Our aim is to see more young people thrive as followers of Jesus and Salvos. For more information, visit www.tsayouth.com
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