We Call It Kids Camp

By Dave Smith

“I like you Mr. Dave.”

I looked down at 6-year-old Max, son of Polish parents, and one of the children at Northshore Christian Church”s Kids” Camp, and replied, “I like you too, Max.” And after a week of shepherding some 15 second-graders, I decided I also liked kids” camp.

Many of our new churches throughout the Northeast have a summer kid”s camp. In other places, we call them Vacation Bible Schools. This year I spent a week helping Northshore with its fifth kids” camp.

Northshore Christian Church began in the fall of 2005 in Riverhead, New York, on the eastern end of Long Island. Jerry and Kristen Halpin organized the first kids” camp even before the public birth of Northshore. Since then, it has become one of the church”s key outreaches.

Many of the families who now call Northshore home first came to the church through kids” camp. Some of them now serve with kids” camp, investing in many children who have no relationship with God or his church.

A Week to “˜GO!”

The week officially kicked off at 9:30 on a Monday morning. But church volunteers had been working weeks before with the decorations, supplies, and logistics that go into such a camp.

We used Standard Publishing”s “Studio GO!” The themes were “GO! Lead,” “GO! Risk,” “GO! Tell,” “GO! Obey,” and “GO! Serve.” We began every day together in the church auditorium where some 100 kids sang, danced, and shouted their praises to God. And then it was off to our stations.

My group began each day with games. The kids bounced on the moonwalk, jumped rope, carried water in sponges, ran relays, threw balls, and squirted water at each other and the adult leaders.

After 20 minutes of such organized chaos, it was off to teaching time. We had daily visits from an impressive list of Bible characters. Gideon showed up the first day. Then beautiful Esther told her story. Mary came running in the next day to tell us that Jesus was risen, and Ananias talked about how God used him in the life of Saul, who would become the apostle Paul.

I was amazed at how well the kids listened. One of my favorite moments occurred when Mary ran around the room telling all of us that Jesus is alive. Seven-year-old Morgan jumped up and said, “I have got to tell all my friends!” Morgan then turned to me and listed all the people she was going to call and tell about Jesus when she got home.

Another favorite was young Simon on our “GO! Obey” day. The teacher challenged each child to obey God”s command to tell others about Jesus. Each time she would say, “Go obey,” Simon would say, “I already told my mom yesterday about Jesus.” This dialogue repeated itself several times.

From the teaching session, we moved to the craft station. The kids made items such as torches and trumpets, crowns and microphones, jails and hands. About the time we were getting hungry, we headed back outside to the snack tent. Even that time connected to the day”s theme. After hearing the Bible story again, the kids made crafts out of food and ate them. The adults were less cooperative, choosing to forego the craft and just pound down the pretzels, marshmallows, or crackers to hold them till lunch.

The final station was called “Community Corner.” The children watched a short video of how kids like them served their communities. Then they thought of ways they could serve their families and neighbors.

We reconvened for more songs, dances, and shouts, and then it was outside for “Slime Time.” This was a real highlight. Every day a few kids got to be slimed, which basically involves sitting in a kids” pool while other people dump a gelatin-like mixture on your head.

Sound fun? The kids loved it.

In fact, one of my unchurched kids, Anthony, told me that he only came to get slimed. He got slimed Tuesday, but he kept coming back all week, getting more and more involved.

On the last day he turned to me and said, “I don”t want camp to be over. Can we keep doing this all summer?”

Worth the Trouble

The camp officially ended on Friday, but all the kids and their families were invited to return Sunday morning for the closing service. Some 70 out of 100 kids came back. We sang songs for their families, gave away prizes, worshiped, and then enjoyed a barbeque together after service.

I sat down with a grandmother named Babs. She had never been to Northshore before. Next to her was her daughter and son-in-law. They had come the year before, and now were back again.

Is a camp like this worth all the trouble? Does it make a difference?

One of the families who helped with kids” camp has six kids. I ran into them at the beach one Saturday and learned more of their story. They talked about their Catholic background. She shared how the Catholic church did not seem to care about her kids. He talked about how he never got anything from the message or service. Then they came to a kids” camp. And they came again. And they came again. Finally, they started coming to Northshore.

They talked excitedly at the difference this new church has made in their lives. He said he always learns from the messages. She explained how Northshore makes her feel so welcome, and she likes the value it places on children, families, people. And they rejoiced they could give back to something that had made such a difference in their lives.

Please pray for camps like these to bear fruit all over the Northeast. And maybe now you can say, “I like kids” camps too.”

 

 

Dave Smith is professor of church planting at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and does development work with Orchard Group Church Planting.