Camp or No Camp?
John Ryder is the new DOM at Boones Creek Baptist Association . Boones Creek Assoc. owns a camp that connects to youth, children, and churches. John recently asked the questions, ”Why do we have a camp every year? Why do we go though the work and worry?” So he started to check records. He found the following:
“Summer 1954 Boones Creek opened for the first time. In the 56 years since then, there are records for the number of campers for 42 of the 56 years in the association minutes. The other 14 years they had camp but didn’t recored the numbers. There were 350 – 600 campers each summer.
Salvation Decisions: 1,951, an average of 46 per year for the 42 years. Re-dedications were almost the same numbers.
Each camp session offers a week of intense Bible study, fun and games. There are a total of 4 weeks of association camps divided by age groups. A different Boone’s Creek Baptist Associaion pastor serves as camp pastor each week. They preach a sermon to the campers each night. They were and are the pastors fortunate enough to have lead the 1,951 young people to Christ.
Young people have accepted the call to youth ministry while working as staff at the camp. Young people have accepted the call to preach while at the camp. The staff undergoes an intense interview process and background check before they can work with the children. They are also trained on the Child Protectiopn Plan and the Emergency Plan. The staff for the most part were campers at one time.”
When I was in my first church, my pastor thought every child needed to have a camping experience. So we offered a children’s camp at Montgomery Bell State Park in TN. It is so important to strengthen families, help children become independent, learn to get along with other children, obey leaders, and listen to God.
I’ve heard Ed Young, Jr. talk about how his mom and dad encouraged him to attend camp. He said it had such an impact on his life and future.
Kentucky Baptist Convention sponsors two state camps. Cedarmore Camp is at Bagdad and Jonathan Creek Camp is at Hardin Both have conference centers. You can find information on the KBC website.
Camp or No Camp? And the answer is CAMP!