Each year we send youth to Camp Christian for a week of church camp. Studies have shown that a week of church camp is as valuable as a year of Sunday School. Below are examples of how Church Camp can impact the faith and life of a young person.
When I was 11 years old, back in 1957, I met God for the first time. I had been to church and Sunday school all my life, prayed before meals with my family and said my bedtime prayers, but I never really experienced God until my first time at Camp Christian. I remember thinking something on the order of “Ah, so this is where God lives when He’s not in Heaven!” Sure there were mean kids (who usually were less mean as the week progressed) and I was a wee bit homesick (for a New York minute) but hanging out with old and new friends, bonding with counselors and worshiping in that blessed placed changed me forever. I began my journey (still in progress) toward becoming a Christian then and there! I went every year until I was 16 and had to get a summer job. I met Jesus there too, or should I say He became REAL to me. Transforming, that’s all I can say! Of course, things have changed there. Cabin 1 is no longer. The pool is newer (still cold) and the faces have changed. But, I think God and Jesus still hang out there when They’re not in Heaven! ~Linda Lombard
I grew up through the Camp Christian summer programs, and those weeks at camp certainly have shaped my faith. But the most profound moment for me at Camp did not happen when I was a teenager. It happened about 5 years ago when I was serving as Director for Otter Camp.
If your birthday falls during the week you are at Camp, the kitchen staff makes you a special birthday cake and the whole camp sings “Happy Birthday” to you. It’s a lot of fun! Ever had 200+ sing to you?
This particular year there was a little third grader who was a little backwards, and she struggled fitting in. The camper’s CIT (counselor-in-training) extended extra attention and care for her. On Thursday, it was the camper’s birthday. At the end of lunch, the staff came out with her cake, and everyone began singing to her. Instead of walking up front to get her cake, the camper ran out the doors. Her CIT popped up and went after her. I followed. The three of us ended up nearby on a bench under a tree. I sat there; didn’t say anything. Just sat there as the CIT held the crying girl’s hand and prayed with her. After some discussion between the two, the young camper explained that she didn’t know what to do. No one had ever celebrated her birthday before. She was embarrassed, and didn’t think she deserved a cake. I then told her that she was God’s beautiful daughter, and that God wanted her to have a cake on her birthday. The CIT expressed that she wished she was at Camp for her birthday, so she could get a “God Cake”. The camper then smiled and I could see the love of God wash over her face. In that moment, a young woman’s life was changed. So was the CIT’s. So was mine. ~Laureen
If you want to help us send our youth to Camp Christian this summer, you can make a donation to our Camp Christian Fund. It costs $340 to send a camper to Camp. Please prayerfully consider giving a special offering and help impact the faith of the youth entrusted to our care.
