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Partners in the Mission:
Crossings Sets Record
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| Release Date: 08/05/2008 |
| a message from Dr. Bill Mackey, executive director |
Over the past nine years, Crossings Camps have provided incredible spiritual experiences for teens and chaperones across Kentucky.
This summer alone, Crossings hosted 6,118 participants – a new record. And while final counts have yet to be reported, Crossings has already celebrated more than 220 professions of faith and 430 calls to full-time vocational ministry.
“God chose Crossings for us…and it was exactly what we needed,” wrote Troy Richardson of First Twelve Mile Baptist Church, in an e-mail to Scott Bidwell, program director for the Jonathan Creek Camp and Conference Center.
“We had four students who made first-time decisions for Christ, and many more who said they needed to get back on track with God,” he said. “It felt like the ‘Blueprint’ theme had been chosen specifically for our group. Everything that we learned was what we needed to hear.”
Richardson shared the following quotes from students:
- “My Bible study leader explains things in a way that I can understand.”
- “The TAWG booklets (Time Alone With God) are awesome…they are written so I can understand them. I finally get it.”
- “We can’t wait to go back to Crossings.”
He also shared examples of two students whose lives were touched during their camp experiences. He told of one student who got off the bus and ran to her grandmother, wrapped her arms around her and said, “I’m sorry for the way that I have been acting. I love you!’”
Richardson said another student “did not eat on the way home because she had given all of her money to the missions offering used to help kids go to camp in Zambia.”
“It is hard to put into words, but you and your staff have made a difference in our lives,” he said. “Thank you for your willingness to serve in this capacity.”
This is just one example of how Crossings is impacting church youth groups across Kentucky. By the end of the summer, Richardson’s testimony could be multiplied more than 250 times for all of the youth groups that will participate in the camps.
David Melber, president and CEO for Kentucky Baptist Assemblies, is hoping more churches will bring unchurched teens to the camps. Melber said unchurched teens can come at half the cost, but only 42 applications were received this year.
According to Melber, the 65-member summer staff works hard to build relationships with camp participants, unlike other church group-based camps. Crossings asks youth leaders to send a prayer request for each camper before they arrive at the camp, which enables counselors to pray specifically for students in their group.
It was my privilege to visit Crossings at Cedarmore recently and to thank God for young lives that are being transformed by the Gospel. Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for making these experiences possible by your gifts through the Cooperative Program!
Dr. Mackey's column appears weekly in the Western Recorder. To subscribe to the Western Recorder, call (502) 489-3535. |
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