Summer camp once gave me…
by John Wilson – Executive Director
Summer camp once gave me an education. To this day, I can still do a handstand, spit a watermelon seed for distance, and make inappropriate noises with my armpit. I also learned how to perform a back flip on the diving board and even ride a horse. I learned how close God is to us, and how interested our creator is in the details of my life. I formed friendships made of such strong bonds they have lasted until today. I was largely shaped into the person I have become.
Now I grew up on the tree-lined streets of La Canada Flintridge. If summer camp impacted me so much, can you imagine the impression it makes on a young person from a stressful home who never leaves the inner-city? Encountering God’s creativity while catching tadpoles in the pond or roping steers in a corral is a completely new experience. Learning about love we don’t have to earn or grace more lavish than we can describe can rock the foundations of a young person’s world.
Summer camp is really the opposite of the streets. Campers eat three reliable meals every day. They go swimming, do art, and learn new skills. Far removed from sirens and traffic and lurking figures on the corner, nighttime becomes a chance to learn about constellations and the witness that pours forth from the stars every evening. There is no longer reason to be afraid of the dark.
Consider the opportunity to participate yourself in this vital ministry. Your financial support will allow students from our neighborhood ministries to attend camp nearby at Forest Home or far away at Lone Tree Bible Camp in Wyoming and so much more. It costs approximately $500 per person to go to camp. From my point of view as a former youth pastor, a year’s worth of ministry takes place in a single week of camp.
The students in question are getting an education on the streets every day of their lives. With your partnership, we can offer them a different type of education at summer camp. We can introduce them to Jesus.
