Marshmallows around the fire with Jesus
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Most Christians associate sitting around a campfire, singing worship songs and toasting marshmallows with their annual church camp experience.
But Salvationists in Southern NSW are embracing this form of worship weekly, with ‘Campfire Sessions – Faith around the Flames’ attracting ‘new people’ eager to connect with God.
Captain Henry and Lieutenant Cindy Roehrig were appointed to Bega Valley Corps a few years ago and began a journey of seeking God and being open to the direction he wanted to take The Salvation Army’s mission in the area.
“[Even though we had an older congregation], the faith and passion never faded, so we were listening to God and following the doors that have opened in the past couple of years,” said Henry.
God gave the corps a verse, Ezekiel 36:26:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you …”
In researching the corps’ history, the Roehrigs discovered that going back to the 1930s, there are records of Salvationists conducting outreaches as far south as the town of Eden on the NSW/Victorian border. There was also an idea to plant a congregation in the coastal town of Pambula, but it never eventuated.
“Our focus had been on revitalising the church at Bega,” said Henry. “But doors kept closing in that area, and more and more opportunities were opening up in Merimbula [about 25 minutes south].
In collaboration with their congregation, Bega Valley Corps felt called to replant a faith expression in Merimbula. Sunday gathered worshipping ceased in Bega on Christmas Day 2025, with the ‘Campfire Sessions’ worshipping community and mid-week Spiritual Walks beginning in February.
The first ‘Campfire Session’ attracted 18 people, nine of whom were new to the corps.
People bring along their camp chairs to the open area at the back of the Merimbula Scout Hall, which looks out onto bushland. The gathering starts with tea and coffee and a chat, then worship begins with everyone sitting around the fire, singing praise to God.
“Cindy and I love nature,” said Henry. “That’s where we experience God, that’s where we experience the divine … With Campfire Sessions, we can have a gathered worship experience in a more organic sort of way where people aren’t afraid of all the structure that comes with walking into a church building and all that kind of stuff.”
The basic set-up behind the Merimbula Scout Hall that serves as a place of worship ... around a campfire.
The format also suits families, with kids who are not able to stay seated for long periods still able to experience the worship and teaching.
The message is delivered as a ‘campfire’ story, with Henry or Cindy simplifying a Bible passage to make it conversational and encourage discussion.
“People tend to slow down and just talk more than they ever would in church,” said Henry. “I think God is opening ideas of what church can really look like, what it can be.”
The vision for the new Bega Valley Corps replant, named ‘Pulse Gatherings’, is to raise up disciples who raise up disciples.
Part of Pulse Gatherings is also a regular Tuesday bushwalk, rotating through several scenic locations around the area, called ‘Spiritual Walks.’ People are encouraged to join a 60-minute gentle walk in nature to slow down, notice what is sacred, and ‘make space to meet with Jesus.’
“I prepare some guided prompts around a passage of Scripture,” said Henry. “Then, we, by ourselves, do whatever the walk is, and then we meet and share what we experienced, how we have encountered God.”
People who have heard about the walks from friends, or from Facebook advertising, are coming along to check it out for themselves. A momentum is building around encountering God in a different, authentic way. Henry and Cindy continue to pray into where God is leading the corps and what comes next in the discipleship journey.
“I’ve been around the Salvos for quite a while now, and at different times you pick up these stories of The Salvation Army being innovative and doing new things, and then you also hear, ‘Oh, but we have to wear ‘navies’ and do the brass band thing,’” said Henry.
“I think God is reminding us that we can be innovative and do new things and actually just enjoy who God is.”
