This year’s PCI Junior Boys Brigade project is focusing on Romania. The Presbyterian Boys’ Brigade World Mission Committee has just launched this project called ‘Revamp the Camp – Romania.’ It aims to raise £8,000 to pay for the refurbishment of the bedrooms in a church-run campsite in the north-west of the country.
The Junior BB Project is for boys in the 8 – 11 year age group.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has a long association with the Boys’ Brigade (BB). The BB is one of the biggest Christian youth organisations in UK and Republic of Ireland. Each year, the Junior BB project, for 8 to 11-year olds, gives Boys’ Brigade companies in congregations the opportunity to help raise funds in support of an overseas project.
PCI partners with the Reformed Church in Romania who owns the campsite at Algyogy, Transylvania, in north-western Romania. Over the years, many Christian camps for children and young people have taken place at Algyogy. These have included camps led by PCI global mission workers Csaba and Ilona Veres and teams from congregations in Ireland. However the rooms at the campsite are in need of major refurbishment.
PCI global mission worker, Ilona Veres, who is from Lisburn, has been involved in many camps at Algyogy over the years since she went to Romania in 1993.
“It is a wonderful facility for the church to have. So many children and young people have benefitted spiritually by camp programmes and have happy memories of camp fun and games. We would be very grateful for any support the Junior BB boys and leaders can give us,” she said.
Rev Dr Jim Campbell is chair of the Presbyterian Boys Brigade World Mission Committee. He explained that the summer camps are popular in Romania, especially as schools close for 12 weeks.
“Many churches and Christian organisations use the long summer holidays to run camps for children and young people. These include Bible teaching, other activities and games.”
This year’s PCI Junior Boys Brigade project is focusing on Romania. The fundraising project is called ‘Revamp The Camp – Romania.’
The former minister at Cooke Centenary Presbyterian Church in Belfast continued,
“Through this project we seek to help our partner in Romania to continue to provide a good facility. A place where such camps can be held in future years, so that many more children and teenagers hear the Gospel message.”
Last year’s PCI Junior BB project was entitled ‘Crossing the Line – Kenya. It raised over £8,000 to help produce booklets to give children in Kenya a good Christian foundation as they enter their teenage years.
You can find out more about the Boys Brigade in Northern Ireland on their Facebook page here.