FAMILY CAMP: Contending for the Faith

By Jeff Faull

They come from all over. The line of cars stretches down the long winding driveway. With the cars come the pop-up campers, pull-behinds, fifth wheels, and big diesel motor homes. Some come with only sleeping bags and tents; others from their rooms in local motels. But the people keep streaming in.

Volunteer security personnel are buzzing around in golf carts. Parking attendants are waving their little orange batons directing automobiles into makeshift grass parking lots after the gravel lots are full. Missionaries and organizational representatives are setting up their displays in the exhibit area.

The huge, main, open-air shelter is filling quickly. The rows upon rows of borrowed folding chairs and lawn chairs are all in place. Strains of old-fashioned camp music interspersed with occasional newer worship songs fill the air. Words of greeting accompanied by handshakes, backslapping, and warm embraces are exchanged. Familiar faces from previous meetings are recognized with joy.

Hundreds of people are milling around until the moment the service begins. The anticipation and excitement are evident.

Another year of Family Camp is under way.

The Granddaddy

Without a doubt, Hillsboro Family Camp in Hillsboro, Ohio, hosted by Person to Person Ministries, is the “granddaddy” of family camps in our movement. Originally directed by Bus Wiseman and then expanded by Dean Mills, the camp since its humble beginning in 1972 has grown into a huge annual event attracting several thousand people each year. The organization is currently led by director Kerry Allen and a board of trustees.

At first glance you might be tempted to attribute the large crowds to the fact that Highland County, Ohio, the home of this gathering, has at least 17 Restoration churches. But when you walk through the parking lot and read the license plates from 30 different states, you begin to understand the magnitude of this gathering.

On any given day during Family Camp””held the week of the last Tuesday in July””you can drive in and find thousands of people listening to Bible preaching, hundreds of teenagers responding to great music and teaching, and families enjoying each other”s company around a campfire. You”ll see preachers, elders, and missionaries connecting on the 150-acre grounds.

Browse through the display area and discover opportunities for ministry and further study. Access the resource building that houses a library of resources and reference books. You can even sign up for upcoming seminars on marriage, men”s ministry, leadership, preaching, and a host of other subjects.

Growing and Thriving

But Hillsboro is not the only place where this is happening. Hillsboro Family Camp has inspired dozens of smaller camps in locations across the country. The Hillsboro camp has often served as a model and a resource for similar endeavors in other parts of the United States.

These camps are growing and thriving in places like Delaware, Georgia, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. I have had the privilege of preaching at several of these camps and always found the crowds responsive and the fellowship rich.

Family camps thrive in the a cappella churches of Christ as well. These meetings are often referred to as “family encampments.” Some of them are conducted in some very desirable locations. Their longest-running family encampment program, called the Blue Ridge Encampment, takes place every summer in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The churches of Christ also have annual family camps at locations like Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico. One of their Web sites, www.scripturessay.com, describes family camp vividly.

Each year on the fourth weekend of June several thousand Christians gather together, in a huge tent the size of a football field, in the beautiful little town of Red River, New Mexico, to study God”s Word at the feet of some of the best and brightest preachers and Bible scholars available in our world today.

Like Hillsboro, most of these camps offer affordability, a family atmosphere, and opportunities to build strong relationships. Combine that with an emphasis on solid scriptural instruction and practice and a clarion call to the “old paths.” Throw in the adventures of camping, the smell of wood smoke, the strength of family traditions, and the unmatched taste of hot dogs and s”mores, and you”ll understand what has caused family camps to flourish and grow in recent decades.

Seeking Balance

Because of the heavy emphasis and insistence on strong Bible preaching, Restoration principles, contending for the faith, the camp meeting atmosphere, and the revivalist preaching style, family camps have sometimes acquired a reputation for being overzealous or ultraconservative. Negative labels like legalistic or hyperconservative have occasionally been attached to their ministries.

Kerry Allen, executive director of Person to Person Ministries, acknowledges that and is doing his best to balance that reputation at Hillsboro by expanding his circle of influence and fellowship and by reminding speakers to be positive and compassionate in their approach while still remaining faithful to the message.

It has been encouraging in recent years to see speakers who walk in other circles of fellowship within our movement share in main sessions during these camp meetings, and conversely, to see some of the preachers from these camps participate in other well-known venues throughout the Restoration Movement.

I have attended family camps and men”s camps like The Northmen, the Kiamichis, and The Grundy Prayer Clinic since childhood and have made lifelong connections, friendships, and memories. The influence of family camps has helped shape some of my ministry and thinking, and I will always be grateful for their impact.

The promotional material for one of the church of Christ family encampments (www.tahoefamilyencampment.org) captures the nostalgic appeal of family camps:

Since the Restoration Movement of the 1800s, some of the greatest soul-winning events took place under the “Big-Top” of ole-time Gospel “tent revivals.” In those days often whole communities and settlements came to sing, pray, and study God”s Word. Let”s relive the days of yesteryear when the ole-time revivals drew us closer to his Word and teachings. What an experience for our children and grandchildren.

But family camps are more than reliving days of yesteryear. They are part of our future and are here to stay. Maybe I”ll see you there this summer.

 

 

Jeff Faull is senior minister with the Church at Mount Gilead, Mooresville, Indiana, and a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor.