SEP: impossible
dream comes true

By Sheila Talley

My husband, Phillip, and I came into the WCG in the early ’60s. After learning about the Summer Educational Program, I dreamed to attend. However, as we were past the acceptance age of 18, plus being newlyweds, we were ineligible on two counts. I put my dream aside.

We sent each of our three children to either SEP or a Winter Educational Program. That was a partial fulfillment of my dream. At least I was the parent of campers and looked at the experience through their eyes. But God had other plans!

In 2001, the dream came true when we were accepted to attend SEP Higher Ground II. The fact that we were the oldest campers there only added to the adventure. We drove from Oklahoma to Orr, Minnesota, arrived on July 20 and unpacked.

That we were regular campers was soon evident. My husband of 39 years was assigned a dorm on boys point, and I stayed in a dorm on girls point with about a dozen other women—both staffers and campers. We were ready for the experience of a lifetime!

The heart of the camp was how God’s Spirit permeated the atmosphere. It was so evident in the daily chapels, praise and worship, fellowship and testimonies of the campers.

Jesus was at the center of our worship. His love was evident in the faces and actions of the young people we met. It spilled over on us, as we older adults were accepted and loved as much as anyone else.

It was inspiring to see the commitment that these young people have to Jesus and to our denomination, and to see the growth that took place there. It was difficult to see the camp end. We left Aug. 2, after my husband participated in a three-day canoe trip.

As these enthusiastic youths of our church return to their local congregations, eager to serve and filled with hope for our denomination, we older members have an obligation to them. They deserve our support and our involvement in their ministries. We can help their dreams not to be impossible either.

DREAM FULFILLED—Sheila Talley, Higher
Ground II participant, delivers a pitch at SEP
in Orr, Minnesota.

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2001