Last week was Camp LifeLine—a week of camp on the illustrious shores of Stoney Lake. It was an incredible experience for everyone—staff, volunteers and students. I’m so grateful for how our volunteers left it all on the field. Our team absolutely killed it and most importantly, God showed up in a big way.
I can’t imagine our student ministry without camp. It’s an indispensable part of what we do. Here are a few reasons why we believe in camp.
GOD MOVES
On Thursday night we led our students in an hour long worship experience. God moved powerfully. Near the end of the night I invited students to surrender their lives to Jesus. 200 middle school students came forward to pray with their leaders. It was amazing. There’s just something special about getting away with students and creating space for God to move.
IT’S JUST TOO FUN
Camp is where we drop our most ridiculous and hilarious videos. For example…
NurseryBack from LifeLine Student Ministries on Vimeo.
TRAINING
Throughout the week, high school students who served as junior cabin leaders came to me with extraordinarily difficult questions from their small group time. Some were theological, some were practical and some were downright ridiculous. I love the fact that our high school students were wrestling through tough issues with our middle school students. When it comes to ministry and leadership training, it really doesn’t get much better than camp.
“I FEEL LOVED BY THE WAY THEY TEACH”
Halfway through the week, one of our cabin leaders came to us with a story about an incoming 6th grade girl. During their cabin small group time, the question was raised, “What makes you feel loved.” The girl’s response was that the teachings that our staff were giving made her feel loved.
I love camp because in the span of a week you can teach your students somewhere between 8-10 times. And truthfully, kids listen better at camp. This means that you can really dig into issues or clearly communicate a few ideas. For this 6th grade girl, who for whatever reason doesn’t feel loved; we were able to drive home the fact that she is desperately loved by her Creator. That truth, well understood, can transform a life.
AN ENTIRE CABIN COMING TO CHRIST
Very early in our week of camp we went old school. We preached the gospel and called for a commitment. We didn’t go Billy Graham and ask people to come forward but we did send them to their small groups with a few pointed questions. After the salvation teaching, an entire cabin of middle school boys gave their lives to Jesus.
Many other students decided to follow Jesus during the week and I love the fact that many of our high school leaders participated in the conversations and prayers. What a life changing experience for them.
BUILDING TRUST WITH PARENTS
Lastly, I love summer camp because it is our best marketing tool with parents. As it turns out, when you have their middle schooler with you at camp for the week, parents listen to your communications. They watch the videos and read the blog attentively. This is a big opportunity for us to communicate our values.
We received an astronomical amount of appreciation from parents through social media during the week and in person at the end of the week. Camp provides our ministry with an opportunity to build trust with parents. We’re a ministry that highly values partnering with parents, so for us, camp is a huge win.
