SEP Connecticut

SEP Connecticut:
Jesus present and real

By Jeff Broadnax
Camp director

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT—“God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!” This is the reflection of Omar Bin Safir, outstanding teen camper, as he considered the week at Camp Mattatuck in central Connecticut.

From Aug. 15 to 21, we had a wonderfully blessed week of worship, personal achievements, new beginnings and renewal of friendships for our 100 plus campers and 70 staff.

Activities included the climbing wall, volleyball, archery, swimming and arts and crafts.

Chapels were led by John Halford, who actively engaged the teens and preteens in timely and relevant discussions regarding living life with and in Christ. But the most dramatic demonstration of God’s power and love came in a way that none of us could have expected.

For most of the week we had gorgeous weather—not too hot, not too cold, but with just enough variety to allow our mainly inner city campers to enjoy a week outdoors. But on the last full afternoon of camp, as we prepared for the final banquet, clouds gathered, the sky grew dark, and then a massive storm hit the camp.

In the space of a few minutes, our peaceful location was transformed by torrential rain, hail, 70 plus mile an hour winds, tornado activity and almost continual thunder and lightning. The storm knocked out the power for several hours and downed at least two dozen trees. Several tents were shredded and blown away. Campers’ belongings were strewn all over the landscape.

But not one of us—camper or staff member—received so much as a scratch.

Touring the campsites the next morning, I saw trees on top of tents, empty platforms where tents used to be, and tree-blocked roads. We thanked the Lord that none of our campers or staff was injured.

One tent that had housed two of our girls was now the resting place of a lightning stricken tree. Miraculously, the girls had just left for the bathhouse. God is good!

Needless to say, the storm altered our plans for the final banquet, but it didn’t ruin them. We moved into emergency mode, and Kim Jenner and crew put on an elegant banquet despite the fact it took place under emergency generator power. After the banquet, we danced the night away.

Before the evening concluded, we gave honor to Pastor Steve Botha, who, after 37 years of directing camps, is retiring. He will truly be missed among us at SEP Connecticut. That evening he was serenaded by the children, honored by staff and campers and presented with small tokens of our love and affection for him. I sang “Someone Special” as a tribute to him and his impact on the camp.

That evening, with more severe weather threatening, we all bunked in the dining hall.

Dale and Sybil Martin and crew provided the best camp food on the planet. As an added bonus, three of our staff are professional dessert chefs (Oliver Bradford and Avery and Lydia Johnson). They offered baking classes to teens and preteens.

We were also joined for a day by Ted Johnston, national youth ministry co-director and Northeast district superintendent. Johnston delivered one of the chapel messages, mingled with staff and campers and spoke to the staff about the future of SEP Connecticut.

Outstanding campers were Omar Bin Safir (teen male), Tasia Sealy-Browne (teen female), Jason Ekonomakos (preteen male) and Michelle DeRobertis (preteen female). Two young men, Matthew Jenner and Naji Tobias, were to be baptized, but the storms forced us to postpone the ceremony.

This year’s camp was spiritually enriching, physically and mentally empowering and will engrave in us lasting memories of God’s love for us even in the storms of life (Matthew 7:24; 8:23-27; 14:22-33).

There was nothing more clearly understood at the end of camp than the fact that our Lord loves us, protects us, empowers us and celebrates with us. Jesus was present and real every day at SEP Connecticut, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

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