This is my my daughter Angela, and her husband of four years, John. They're serving GCC's Middle-Schoolers at Camp Adventure with me. After telling a guy I was heading out Sunday for another week of Camp Adventure, he commented...
"C'mon Mark. Is all the effort and time worth it? Don't you have other things to do? Missing sleep and sweating for a week in a rustic camp with Middle-Schoolers seems crazy. Why do you keep doing it? Does it really matter?"
I think it does matter (I've been going to Camp Adventure for the last 35 years) so let me spin the question...
Let me ask you, "What matters in your life?"
Ask yourself:
"Was there a week of my life that marked me, inspired me and changed me - for the better? What happened during that week? Who made that week so special to me? Why am I still cherishing that week as a formative time in my life?"
One of the reasons I keep working Camp Adventure is because hundreds of people tell me their Middle-School experience at Camp Adventure facilitated their walk with Jesus. They say, "My week at camp formed my faith. I think it changed my life. I met Jesus at camp."
So, how about it?
Can you identify a week that marked your life? Can you recall a formative and catalytic week that put your life on a good trajectory?
Why did that week matter to you?
Acts 28:14
"We found Christian friends there and stayed with them for a week."
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The week/weeks that changed my life happened at camp adventure. I love camp and am so glad you keep coming Pastor Mark.
Sam
PS-I can't wait for camp in two days!!!!!!
Posted by: Sam | July 05, 2008 at 12:59 PM
What a great pic of Angela and John! Congrats to them on four years of wedded bliss!
And concerning Camp Adventure....Well, the week I spent there as a 12 year old made a difference in my life! I accepted Jesus there! And then nearly 30 years later, all three of our sons experienced Camp Adventure under your leadership! Today, they are passionately following Christ along with their own families. Camp Adventure and your mentorship when they were there as campers, and later as counselors, is a huge reason they are awesome men today. I'm just hoping you stick with it a few more years so I can bring our grandson up there for an incredible week of adventure! Thanks for your faithfulness to the middle school week that changes lives...and thanks to Sheila for being right there with you!
Have a great one!
Posted by: Becky Hunter | July 05, 2008 at 03:02 PM
My son Steven will be spending his first week at Camp Adventure helping you and DC with the middle-schoolers. Steven's heading off to Purdue this fall and I'm so glad that he still desires to spend time helping those younger than him to facilitate their walk with Jesus.
I can't tell you how important GCC's Oasis and Lifeline programs have been been to Steven. They have truly helped my wife and I raise our son in the ways of God in spiritually practical ways that I believe will stay with him for life. By the way, he's had a blast along the way! I expect his week at Camp Adventure will be as rewarding and fun for him as it is to those he serves. Thank you Pastor for continuing what you started!
Posted by: Mark McClean | July 07, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Dad, I love that you go to Camp every summer. I loved being there with you for the for the first 25 years of my life. Camp marked me. My summers at Camp impacted my life in a huge way and the fact that we were all there together, as a family...that was the best part. I'm praying for you and Mom and Ang & John this week. Great picture!
Posted by: Amber Cox | July 08, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Mark-
I, too, am a Camp Adventurer lover! Thanks for caring enough about our little town of Farmland to move there, lead us for so many years and introduce us to Camp Adventure. I went on to be a counselor there and one summer actually worked on staff there mowing, doing dishes, etc because I believe in what Camp Adventure does and I've seen first hand the lives changed...mine has been. My first year at CA, the young Matt Beeson was my counselor...What a week!!!!
I miss you and Sheila so much and will always hold you dear! I know that you all left to Epworth when Amber was so young that she probably doesn't remember me, but I remember babysitting her and cranking that swing for hours because that was the only way she wouldn't cry. I love to see how many lives you all are still changing today! Have another great week at Camp Adventure !
Posted by: Joel Bennett | July 08, 2008 at 10:22 PM
...of course I remember Joel Bennett! Are you kidding me? The Bennett family was like my own!
Posted by: Amber Cox | July 09, 2008 at 04:57 PM