From HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index
CLAYTON, Georgia – June and July in Georgia mean hot days, cold sweet tea and summer camps.
Georgia Baptists this year saw the largest number of students in their camps in three years, resulting in more than 50 salvation decisions and nearly 70 teenage calls to ministry.
At Camp Pinnacle alone, nearly 500 girls attended this year’s missionary camps on the scenic property in the mountains of North Georgia.
“We place a strong emphasis on having gospel conversations so they have opportunities to make decisions to follow Jesus,” said Karen Pace, child labor consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “If they are already followers, they are learning to be disciple-making disciples.”
Pace said summer camps are such a tradition among Georgia Baptists that some of the children at Camp Pinnacle have followed in the footsteps of their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers this year.
“Every summer children are called to serve in missions,” she said. “We have professional missionaries ministering around the world because of what God did during summer camp.”
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board sponsors Impact and SuperWow camps for teens and Surge150 for music students.
“Impact” took place during the week of June 6-10 at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia. The gathering was preached by Andy Blanks, co-founder of YM360 and Iron Hill Press. The Edenfield Band from Carrollton, Georgia performed live worship music for the event.
“We’ve seen the most spiritual and numerical growth through our ‘Impact’ camp, which is a discipleship and leadership camp,” said Cameron Wilkins, a Next Gen counselor serving in the west-central region of Georgia . “’Impact’ deliberately focuses on biblical fellowship and small groups during the camp. This challenging environment catapults students back to their hometown with great drive and a thirst for more.”
Thirty students gave their lives to Christ on Impact and 43 others answered the call to ministry.
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s next-gen team “SuperWow” camp, which focuses on empowering youth groups, saw 12 students rescued and another 17 surrendered to the ministry.
Two hundred students attended the State Mission Board’s “Surge150” music camp, nine of whom made a profession of faith and six made a dedication.
“I truly believe this is one of the best camps in Georgia for students who love music and want to improve their skills,” said Rhon Carter, Mission Board worship and music catalyst. “Students may be drawn to camp because of its focus on music, but their lives are transformed by our focus on Jesus.”
