Vol. 1, No. 3 – September-October 2006
SEP Southern California 2006 – "We Were Meant to Live!"
By Mark and Anne Stapleton
In mid July, 248 people came together for a one-week experience on a mountain in Big Bear Lake, CA.
SEP So. Cal. had 169 campers, 63 adult staff and 2 staff children, and the inaugural Servants Passage Intensive had 10 participants and 4 coordinators (see article on page 2). Around 25 other adults volunteered during the arrival and departure days on the parking, hosting and registration crews. There were also many people from Pastor Tom Ecker’s three church areas who committed to a 24-hour-a-day prayer chain during the entire week of camp (July 9-15).
Joining our camp for its first year was the Servants Passage Intensive, led by the Pelleys and the Dukes. Servants Passage was a welcomed component to SEP So. Cal., offering dorm and activity assistance as well as a great example to the campers.
Through chapels, debriefing, solo time, activities, events, dorm living and other experiences, the campers learned how they were "meant to live." (The phrase is taken from a recent Switchfoot song.) In the spirit of teaching the youth to give, this year a "Campus Improvement/Outreach" activity was added in which each dorm had a chance during the week to improve the camp we rent from.
SEP So. Cal. provided a place where the youth could see that the way of Jesus is not only better than what the world has to offer, but it really works.
Randy and Marli Brown, a gifted husband-and-wife worship team from Michigan, led the praise and worship services, which facilitated many moments of surrender, commitment and transformation. Randy & Marli also mentored two local youth praise bands who led the camp in worship on Monday evening and they coordinated a variety show on Thursday, when over 40 campers used their talents to glorify God and encourage their fellow campers and staff.
The junior camp enjoyed several wet and wonderful times, including a water carnival at Cedar Lake and an afternoon at an area water slide park, followed by ice cream.
The highlight for the senior camp was the Purity Session on Wednesday. The
boys and girls were separated for seven hours,
followed by two hours together, taking part in
experiences that reminded them that they are knights (left)
and daughters (right) of the one
and only true King. The youth were challenged to show love to one another by
respecting each other in their thoughts and actions.
1 Timothy 4:12 was a key verse for the youth: "Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in your speech, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity."
During this inspiring and transformational week, many young people made first-time commitments to Jesus and recommitments to living out their faith. Eight campers made public proclamations of their decisions by being baptized on the final morning of camp, while a number of others were baptized in their local church areas on the following Sunday. All glory be to God, who is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope! (Ephesians 3:20).
More photos will be
posted on
the
sepsocal.org website
Pathways
in Ohio
By Jim Valekis
At our fifth summer camp at Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, OH, there were 126 present, including 40 staff. Eight baptisms took place at the end of camp, and many (staff and pastors included) experienced a deeper commitment to Christ and deeper sensing of his "generating" presence in their lives.
Camp Executive Director Jay Richie did an outstanding job in creating a well-planned, well-overseen structure that enabled the spiritual and social aspects of the camp to take place freely and without a lot of stress. Many commented that the chapel messages were very good, easy to understand and clearly shared the gospel. The kids related very well to the concept of God as the ultimate Generator, and the PowerPoint slides (supplied by Generations Ministries) made presentation fun for the campers and easy for the camp chapel presenters. Mike Greider served as camp chaplain again this year, with the assistance of George Hart.
A
special highlight was a three-pastor Bible-based presentation (Mike Greider,
George Hart, Jim Valekis) on the when, how, and who of future mate selection.
After the presentation we sent the campers to the campfires with questions to
consider and pastors to advise and help each group (organized by dorm, with
gender-specific questions). The kids responded well to this event, and some saw
it as a highlight. As pastors, we got to experiment with team teaching, which we
all saw had powerful potential both for camp ministry and ministry back home.
And a lot of kids were given opportunities to share what they needed to share
and articulate a positive plan of action for their future.
Activities functioned smoothly, too, thanks to the wise planning and hard work of activity directors Jason and Julie Frantz. Shown above: downhill skateboarding. Below: flag football and drama.
The last night of camp we experienced a powerful storm (lightning flashes and wind included) that not only took out the lights, but the camp's water system, including the camp’s showers and toilets. It seemed that God was working with us even here, because we all experienced a taste of what happens if the "power source" isn't there, and what the application of a local "generator" or two can do in your corner of the darkness of this world. We ended the event with an awards banquet and a "camouflage" activity in the dark. It turned out to be a blessing rather than a setback.
The junior camp followed the Fiesta Vacation Bible School theme put out this year by Group Publishing. Chris and Judy Hoban headed it up, and they brought a team of staff workers from the Columbus church area, including a nurse, a drama teacher from a local high school, some musicians, and Grandpa (Judy's dad) John Halford as well.
Teen camp in Louisiana
By Anthony Rice
Our 2006 YES Teen
Camp (Youth Extreme Summer Camp) was at a different facility, since Katrina
destroyed the camp that we
used for the past 15 years. Since we had a smaller
number, 80, the smaller facility worked out perfectly for us. We also had to
shorten camp to three days due to the fact that those were the only days
available. The boys’ dorms were up on stilts overlooking a swamp. Three
alligators graced us with their presence all camp long. The alligators were more
than happy to be thrown food scraps that the kids smuggled out of the dining
hall after each meal. Needless to say, we canceled canoeing.
At the camp directors’ conference in May, Mike Rasmussen mentioned that he
encouraged his young adults to take on an active ministry role. So instead of
having our pastors lead all six chapel sessions, I asked two of our young
adults, ages 18 and 19, to each lead one of the chapels. They were able to
present the gospel message through the perspective of a teen. Both were simply
amazing! During the first message, Raylon Joseph mentioned that Jeff Broadnax
(who is a regular at our Discovery Weekends) gave a message that changed her
life. She went on to encourage the teens to embrace the grace that can only come
from God.
We held chapel twice a day. Even though this shortened the outside activities to
five hours, many of our teens live in rough environments and appreciated the
extra focus on the spiritual challenges they face. We made chapel fun, relevant
and deep, with high-paced worship and pre-planned and impromptu skits.
Since many of our campers are from the inner city, I asked a rapper who used to
be with Master P to record a brief rap intro and conclusion to the Prayer
Journey CD. One of our teen girls wrote the lyrics. At the conclusion of the
journey, one of the older boys who is "really rough" told me that he would have
cried if there weren't people around him.
It is always a blessing to see how the teens respond to what God has in store
for them.
SEP Rockies
By Cliff Snyder
With 52 campers and 38 staff sharing their week (July 2-8), at an elevation of over 9,000 feet located at the Wondervu Camp northwest of Denver, Colorado, SEP Rockies 2006 experienced its most Spirit-filled camp so far.
The worship services were all phenomenal, coordinated and directed by worship leader Katrina Weber (one of the many hats she wears at camp). The chapel messages were equally well received by the campers, who eagerly bonded with our guest chaplain, Anthony Mullins.One of the key features in camp this year was the well-trained and spiritually inspired staff. Over the passed two years Sarah Miles has been diligently working on the staff training and staff bonding activities, and the fruit of her work was evident this year. Sarah’s commitment and passion for camp ministry and the positive spiritual effect it has on the lives of all who are involved in it continues to inspire and humble those of us who are privileged to work beside her. The addition of Anthony Mullins as Camp Chaplain to the gift mix of the staff made it an awe-inspiring camp this year, which led to 29 campers accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Anthony did a fantastic job in relating to both campers and staff.
Our gift mix also included our fantastic
kitchen staff headed up by Laura Griffin. The kitchen staff not only prepared us
three wonderful meals a day but they were also our prayer warriors for camp.
They copied the photos of all the campers with their names, birth dates and
where they were from, and they would pray for the campers and staff as they
prepared the meals. Along with the meals, the kitchen staff had themes for each
day, such as, Independence Day, Fiesta Day and Western Day, with decorations and
costumes to match.
One of the most well-received activities at camp was the Adventure Class led by Joe Weber. The part of the class that really struck home for most of the boys was when each of them got to carry a full-sized replica of the cross, just like Jesus did before his crucifixion.
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