SEP Ohio:
Pursuing the Great
Commandment 
and the Great Commission

BELLFONTAINE, Ohio—Jim Valekis, camp director, welcomed 141 campers and 61 staff members and guests to SEP Ohio with these words: "You are part of the birth of the first-ever Worldwide Church of God SEP camp in the Midwest—a major WCG outreach to youths of all walks of life in this region. We’re thankful that you’ve chosen to be part of it."

SEP Ohio took place July 14 to 19 at Camp Cotubic, operated by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Resident staff handled facilities operations, food service and most recreational programs. WCG staff provided teaching, counseling and support staff.

Pastor Jim defined the camp’s mission: "Our goal is to be a disciple-making camp—one that focuses on making disciples who make disciples."

Camp chaplain Ted Johnston noted that this disciple-making mission is expressed in the camp’s logo (upper left group photo) where the heart symbolizes a disciple’s passion (the Great Commandment: to love God and love people) and the cross symbolizes a disciple’s purpose (the Great Commission: to make disciples who make disciples).

A disciple’s passion and purpose were pursued in all aspects of SEP Ohio. A primary place to pursue a Great Commandment heart was in daily chapel services, where campers and staff shared worship through singing, prayer and drama. Following combined worship, the 40 pre-teen campers and 100 teen-and-older campers were separated for a time of instruction relevant to each group. Pre-teen campers studied several of Jesus’ "I AM" statements.

Teen-and-older campers examined the "Heart of a Champion"—the heart that the Holy Spirit imparts to disciples as they follow Jesus on a journey summarized by the acronym SERVE—Surrender to God, Enter God’s Presence, Reorder Priorities, Vow to Endure and Enter the Harvest Field. Note: a follow-up to The Heart of a Champion curriculum, titled "Covenant of Courage," is available at www.wcg.org/youth/coc/

In addition to daily chapels, teen-and-older campers participated in Xtreme Life seminars that explored the three primary strategies for pursuing the Great Commission: building believers, equipping workers and winning the lost.

Recreational activities included a 480-ft zip line, pamper pole, water slide, climbing wall, giant swing, water polo, basketball, volleyball and dance.

During the course of the camp, nearly a third of the campers professed first-time commitments to Jesus Christ. Classes were conducted for campers to discuss their commitment and to explore the meaning of baptism. The grand finale of the camp was the closing chapel service in which 21 campers and one adult were baptized.

Many said that SEP far exceeded their expectations. Ruth Baker, a junior camp staff member, wrote: "My son, Austin, 8, said: ‘If someone wanted to trade me all the money in the world for my SEP experience, I wouldn’t take it because nothing is better than SEP.’ "

ZIP LINE [Photos by Heidi Warner]

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2002