DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY…
…we do what we do? I mean, camp’s a lot of work, right? It requires a lot of money, TONS of volunteers, and a time commitment in people’s already-busy lives. So is it worth it? Does it really matter? Read on to hear what one former Camp Challenge camper has to say:
My brothers and I grew up attending Camp Challenge every summer from elementary school through high school. We all continued to staff camps at periodic times while we were enrolled [in college]. Needless to say, this camp had a huge impact on my life and my development as a young Christian man. It’s pretty neat to now write this email as a 30 year old recalling memories from more than two decades ago. I remember the canteen, taking the camp picture the first night of camp, worship nights out at the pavilion, walking across the field at night learning to speak to God, making friends with whom I still speak with, endless games of knockout (of which I always won!), and of course walking up the hill to our cabins. I remember vividly nights where I first experienced the tangible love of Jesus and the call of the Holy Spirit. I remember praying on the balcony of Amity, singing Amazing Grace as I walked through the fields looking up at the stars, seeing a relationship become real, learning what it means to follow. Taking that annual drive down from [my hometown] to Bedford in the summer became a tradition of sorts, and even a signpost of my ever-developing relationship with Jesus. My journey has been an eventful one since my days at CC, taking me from the corporate world to the missions world, touching 35 different nations, and now back to the corporate world in Indianapolis. I am unsure how many of these messages you have and/or will receive, but I am certain my email is representative of countless other men and women now scattered throughout the country.
Thank you for all you do to pour into young people’s lives on a yearly basis. I am a living testimony of the effectiveness and lasting value this place has on people’s lives… basically what I am trying to say is that I know that God used this camp to help lay a piece of the foundation for who I am today. If I end up staying in Indiana once I have children, you can count on another generation of [my family] running around those grounds!
IT DOES MATTER! You can be a part of a ministry that makes difference! Find a way that works for your season of life by returning some of your God-given…
…TIME! Apply to be summer camp volunteer
…TALENT! Serve as a board or committee member
…TREASURE! Support as a monthly financial partner
The hours you spend, the donations you send, the kids you lend – camp ministry develops followers of and leaders for Jesus Christ! To God be the glory!