DEAR CHURCH, THANK YOU
A successful camp experience requires the care and sacrifice of numerous individuals on the front lines and behind the scenes. The following people made our week at camp in Estes Park, Colorado, possible:
PRAYER WARRIORS—thank you church for standing in the gap for our students: for lending your faith and prayers as they entered an unfamiliar realm. Know that God responded to your prayers for our students to experience safe travels, build godly friendships and encounter him personally. For seven of our youngest students that meant choosing to commit their life to Christ—and they're excited about baptism! Furthermore, we observed each student grow spiritually. Your prayers became nights overflowing with tears, hugs and joy!
PARENTS/GUARDIANS—Thank you for entrusting The Message with guardianship of your child for the week. I recognize the difficulty in allowing your child to travel well beyond your immediate reach. Thank you for not allowing fear to dictate your child's future. As such, I hope you're able to recognize the value of sending your child to camp. Studies assert, more than YouTube stars and Instagram models, parents/guardians continue to maintain the status as the top influencers in their child's life. This means your decision to send your child to camp affirms that faith is, in fact, essential and a worthwhile investment of our time and resources.
STUDENTS—I am appreciative for your passion to "come to know" Jesus—to engage in the teaching, worship music, small group and recreational activities. (And for 12 of you experiencing camp for the first time, I'm proud of your decision to press onward when you felt overwhelmed and/or sick.) Know whether you hail from Woodlands or call The Message home (or somewhere in between), you impacted my life. I am grateful for you sharing a part of your life with me—for allowing me to witness the ways God worked in and through your life during camp. I am blessed to serve you; you inspire me to be a better person and leader.
FINANCIAL DONORS—practically, camp happens because of your monetary assistance. After registration, vehicle rental/fuel costs and our hotel stop, cost-per-camper climbs above 500 dollars. This means every single student benefitted from your generosity—whether a full scholarship or subsidy. Please accept my gratitude for discreetly serving our students; you asked for no recognition and provided without strings attached. In doing so, God used your faithfulness to affect our students' eternity, creating an unknowable ripple effect from their new-found faith in, or recommitment to, Christ.
SMALL GROUP LEADERS—you sacrificed a week from your life and your families to serve three vehicles full of students—predominately middle-schoolers! You slept in bunks, endured chaotic cafeteria lines and marched miles a day above 8,000 feet. You woke around 7 a.m. each morning and concluded your days well past midnight. During those hours, you continually invested spiritually into students' lives and cared for them when they experienced altitude sickness or felt homesick. You served as spiritual parents for the week, and I'm grateful to know your investment lasts beyond camp. Specifically (in alphabetical order):
JD—I'm so thankful for you accepting the position of Student Ministry Associate, and while still learning this new role, open to being whisked away to camp. I'm so grateful that you would give of yourself entirely and quickly embrace our students: leading them in a small group and through personal decisions about their faith. Yet I also give thanks for your specialization in the art of play. The meaningful conversations transpired through your willingness to enter their world—to play (hard) beside them. Thank you for modeling coming before Christ authentically, and for making our students feel loved and valued.
Kinsey—You are a God-sent blessing to The Message and EQUIP. I am thankful for your commitment to our students—the way you love and care for them. In a world of inconsistency, you steadily show up; they know they can count on you in times of need. And while you possess the expertise of a teacher, coupled with the heart of a servant, it's the way you model trust and faithfulness in God that I admire most. I am incredibly thankful our students have the opportunity to experience your leadership and love.
Maggie—few will know that, as an advisory board member, you assist with the direction of the camps nationwide. It's incredible to think that thousands upon thousands of students will experience your input while attending a Student Life Camp. And then, while at camp, you leave the administrative role for something particularly intimate: leading a small group and late-night worship music gatherings. God worked through late evenings—the outdoors surrounded by mountains, stars and songs—to soften the students' hearts and draw them to him. Thank you for sharing your giftings with the group and declaring such wisdom into their souls.
Mitch—most student pastors have little interaction with their lead pastor, I am grateful the opposite exists for us. Because you value the next generation, I'm witnessing a youth group beginning to understand their position within The Message and the broader capital C Church. They will not "graduate" their faith upon exiting high school because of your belief in them, and the invitation to belong to The Message as students. Thank you for your leadership and devotion to loving God, loving people and making disciples.
Church, whether you contributed a financial gift, prayer or physical serving, know that God honored your faithfulness. Thank you for listening and responding to the way he prompted you to act. Lives were changed, including my own, at camp. And I believe God when he says he'll carry on the good work: the commitments to Christ, new godly relationships and individual encounters with him, to completion. Yes, the camp has concluded, but the transformation has begun.