That was my question when I arrived at Schweitzer as the new Student Director. I had never been to any camp, much less a faith-based one, and I couldn’t understand why we needed to take students off-site for a week to have a spiritual experience. Who wants to eat cafeteria food, listen to speakers they don’t know, and voluntarily sleep on a dorm mattress? It sounded like a week I would gladly avoid. I wondered, “Couldn’t we just do a lock-in and call it good?”
The answer, I learned, is absolutely not.
In July, at 39, I finally headed to camp, expecting long days, little sleep, and maybe a bit of boredom. Instead, everything clicked. I found myself surrounded by hundreds of middle schoolers who genuinely wanted to worship the Lord. They were hopped up on soda and faith, hands raised high, praising God with their friends; it was incredible. The first night’s discussion turned into tears as we talked about loss and separation. The next night, a student told me she wanted to explore a call to ministry. There were tears, laughs, sunburns, sweat, nine square, and some aggressive discipleship. It was the kind of week that springboards kids into a deeper relationship with Jesus and their friends.
So, if you’re like me, wondering what camp is about, join us next summer—as a student, parent, or retiree—and see what God is doing in and through Schweitzer Students. It just might click for you, too.
