From August 5 to 10, 640 individuals, including 200 children, gathered at the Hope Camp held at the campsite in Friedensau (near Magdeburg). The event offered a rich and varied program catering to all age groups.
Now in its fifth iteration, the Hope Camp is organized by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany in collaboration with Hope Media (Alsbach-Hähnlein near Darmstadt). The event was made possible thanks to the dedication of numerous volunteers who assisted the organizing team.
From "Swimphony" to "Voicephany”
The central theme of the Hope Camp revolved around the concept of voice – exploring foreign voices, one’s own voice, and the voice of God. In our modern world, we are constantly surrounded by a cacophony of voices, particularly through social media, which Pastor Manuel Füllgrabe (Leipzig), the camp's speaker, aptly described as a "swimphony." The challenge is to discern the voice of God amid this noise and to find one’s own voice. How can individuals unite to create a collective voice, transitioning from "swimphony" to "voicephany"?
Drawing on several biblical narratives, primarily from the Gospel of Mark, Füllgrabe illustrated how Jesus made the voice of God resonate and inspired individuals to discover and embrace their own voices in service to God. He encouraged them to become “Love Leaders” and “Hopetimists,” using these creative terms to encapsulate the essence of his messages in a memorable manner. Each morning began with a skit that introduced the theme, which was then further developed by the speaker in the evenings.
Experience Worlds
In addition to gatherings in the Friedensau Tent Arena, a diverse leisure program unfolded across 60 so-called experience worlds. These included a multitude of activities for children of various ages and adults, such as alpaca walks, horseback riding, creative workshops, sports, and culinary delights. Other experience worlds featured workshops designed to explore the Bible and delve into faith and life topics, including Christian ethics, prayer, biblical stories, personal resilience, family love, parenting, health, and intensive sessions like the “Yes-Jesus Summer Week.” Notable activities included sports sessions with six-time freestyle football world champion Aguska Mnich and her husband Patrick Bäurer, among many others. On Saturday afternoon, six individuals were baptized in the natural swimming pond of Friedensau.
The Hope Café, set up in open-air tent pavilions during the evenings, became a popular gathering spot, offering a variety of culinary delights.
Pastor Alexander Kampmann, the initiator and leader of the Hope Camp, remarked at the opening: “The Hope Camp is a grand family reunion. Here, you can meet many people and, in doing so, expand your own biological family.”
The next Hope Camp is scheduled to take place from August 4 to 9, 2026, once again in Friedensau. For more information, please visit www.hope-camp.de , where a film clip featuring highlights from this year's Hope Camp will soon be available.
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