I was eleven years old at the time, and our family was in the process of moving from the local Catholic Church to our present home in the Covenant Church. It was summertime and my mother approached me and informed me that I was about to take a week-long trip to a camp – but not just any camp, a Bible camp. My mother desired to see me connect with a new group of friends from church.

I had some initial anxiety about this experience, but that all quickly faded away once I stepped onto the camp grounds. I dropped off my luggage and I was soon having the week of my life. Large group games, cabin time, night activities, swimming, fishing, late nights, endless supplies of sugar (well, at least it felt that way).

Camp was every kid's paradise! But is camp simply a week away from the family (parents, don't get any ideas) with countless fun activities? It was during a period of free time in the middle of that week when my counselor pulled me aside and asked me about my faith and whether I knew what it meant to be a Christian. It was through this conversation that I accepted Christ and began my true walk with Him.

Bible camp, although an extremely fun place to be, is so much more than just simply a fun place. It's a place where walls can be broken, relationships formed, and most importantly it is a place where students can meet and grow in their relationship with Christ. Once I tasted the goodness of camp I could never get enough.

I spent summer after summer back at camp. Eventually I was too old to be a camper and I was given the opportunity to work at camp, and even make a little money. I spent time working at camp as a counselor, activities director, waterfront director, and island director. It was as a staff member that I began to see why camping ministry is so powerful.

As an island director I had the privilege of running an outdoor adventure camp on a 22-acre island. One particular week we had an especially annoying group of junior high girls on the Island. At the beginning of the week it was quite apparent that they weren't ready to experience the great outdoors. However, as the week progressed, they seemed to adjust to the rougher environment. In the middle of the week I was able to share the gospel message with the students. The behavior of the girls improved; however, there was no dramatic story of conversion . . . or at least so I thought. But the following summer one of those girls came back, and during, a time of testimony, she shared that it was that evening when I shared about salvation that she accepted Christ and was walking with the Lord.

Camp does something to people. It takes them out of their normal environment of TV, X-Box, computer, Internet, and all the other distractions and places them in a new environment where Christ can become real and personal. This is the key to camping ministry. This is the secret behind Door Number 2.

It may come as a surprise to some of you, but the immense benefits of camping ministry are not just for kids, they are for adults and the entire family. Each summer both Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point run a camp for families. These camps provide families with an action-packed week where the entire family receives spiritual encouragement and instruction.

Camping ministry has the power to change lives. It changed my life and I strongly believe it can have this same impact on both you and your family. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about camp and the many special memories I have of my time spent there.

Many of you can relate to my sentiment, and if so, I encourage you to share it with others. If this kind of experience is new to you, come to camp, give it a try; it will be worth it.