In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul admonishes Timothy to “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” I believe one of the greatest ways to encourage the “youth” of today to be “examples of the believers” is through the summer camp ministry. Each summer, the church youth group, under the supervision of the youth pastor and church sponsors, set out for one week to get away from the many distractions of this world (TV, computers, video games, cell phones, etc.) to go to a Christian camp of like precious faith. In the past five years, the youth group has attended the Wilds in Brevard, NC, Camp Victory in Somerset, KY, Bill Rice Ranch in Murfreesboro, TN, Camp Mt. Moriah Christian Camp in Powell, TN and most recently, Teen Extreme at Pensacola Christian College.

Often when people think of camp, they think of fun and games, swimming, and cook outs. Though Christian camps offer plenty of activities and games for the teens, the main emphasis is the Word of God. Each day there is a time set up for each camper to spend “quiet time” with God. Also during the day, evangelists from around the country fervently preach God’s Word. Each summer, teens make decisions in areas such as salvation, Bible reading and prayer, dedication of life, surrender to the call to the ministry, parent relationships, and many other areas. Many men and women in the ministry today made decisions to serve the Lord at camp. If you are interested in having your teen go to camp this summer or for more information about camp, we encourage you to contact the youth pastor today.