How many of you have ever been to a week long summer camp? Well since I can’t hear your responses I’ll assume some of you have.
There are all types of summer camps out there. Music, theatre, sports, art, wilderness, church and cub scout camp are just a few that you could send your child to or that you may have attended as a child.
I’ve gone to a few camps in my day. Basketball, baseball and church camp are the ones I remember the most I’m sure there were others but I just don’t recall at this moment.
As a camper you expect a few things, good times, decent food and a cool t-shirt. Another thing about campers is that they rarely have any idea of all the hard work it takes to make those three things happen.
For the last several years I’ve been on a leadership team that puts together three camps a year. Southland Student Conferences puts on a weekend retreat in Ocala for around 300 middle school students from Presbyterian churches throughout Florida. We also put together a middle school summer conference in High Springs, Florida that usually is 5 days in July. And the last event is a High School Conference located at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia this too is held for a week in July.
I’ve been taking students to these camps for 10 years now as a counselor. The last three years I’ve been the camp director for the Mid-Winter weekend for middle school students. One thing I’ve learned about these events is that it takes a lot of people willing to love students to make them happen.
As a leadership team we pray a lot. Mainly because we feel without God being in charge and His Holy Spirit leading us and others to focus on Him, that these events would never happen. Our main goal at Southland is to point students to Christ and to community. We really believe that students need to know how much God loves them, and we need to offer solid biblical teaching to show them God’s love for them in His word. We also feel students need community, we all do. Students need opportunity to learn how to love God and share God’s love with others.
There are a lot of details involved in transporting, housing, feeding, caring for, entertaining 300-500 students. Not to mention the pressure of sending them home with a cool t-shirt. It also costs a few dollars.
We are solely a volunteer organization that is non-profit. As we like to say after 50 some years of doing this we’ve yet to make a profit, but we hope and know that God’s Word is profiting all those who have heard it. We see the impact that this ministry has had and will continue to have on students and their communities.
Where God places you He provides and He has always down this with Southland. Sure there are always ways to do more and do it better but we’ve found we can honor God with what He gives us, whether a little or a lot.
There is not a lot of sleep this time of year for youth workers and volunteers. Many work long hours to make sure that camp is “Fun”. Even though our goal is bigger and broader than “fun” and “safe” we do spend a lot of time in working toward these two goals.
If you are interested in supporting Southland and helping us point students to Christ and community you can contact me at kdkelly32@embarqmail.com . If you want to know more about Southland you can check out our website at http://www.SouthlandCamps.com.
So if you send your student off to camp this year whether it is church camp or not, remind them to be thankful for all those who have worked hard to make their camp happen. Remind them that things don’t just happen in life and that they should be grateful to you for allowing them to go and grateful to those who had a vision for them to be there.
Thanks for supporting our future.
