Youth Ministry
Jeb & Barb Egbert

New homes for U.S. SEP

Since 1965, the Summer Educational Program (SEP) has called Orr, Minnesota, home to its annual summer camp. That’s about to change.

Taking the best of what has been learned at the national camp, the WCG will move to a regional camp structure in 2002. Seven camps have been identified, dates have been reserved, and camp directors have been selected for this new model.

Still using the name SEP, the camp locations will be in California, Washington, Colorado, Arkansas, North Carolina, Connecticut and Ohio. Jeb and Barb Egbert will still serve as overall coordinators of SEP, just as they did with the national program at Orr.

"While it is sad to leave a place that has been home for this program for so long," Jeb Egbert said, "we are determined to take what we have learned and replicate that on a regional scale. Furthermore, this will provide camp opportunities that will be less expensive and more accessible for many of our members around the country."

The regional camps will generally last one week, and efforts are underway to make them available to a wider audience than traditionally has been the case.

"We have not been able to serve the 8 to 12 year old niche in the national program in Orr," Dr. Egbert noted. "But with regional camps being much closer to home, we fully intend to build a program that will accommodate them."

The property at Orr is being sold. "While Orr has been a remarkable location for SEP, it accommodates us for only about six weeks a year," Dr. Egbert said. "God has blessed us enormously with that location, but the WCG has had to spend more than $150,000 annually just to maintain the property."

More information about the regional camps will be in future issues of the WN.

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