why more christian youth should go to church camps that challenge them

Howdy y'all! As most of you know, I returned from my church camp this week. Last year I wrote a post about what all happened at camp, but this year I thought I would do something a little different.

For a little background, my church camp is located in the mountains of New Mexico. We don't have any access to technology and we go on two half day hikes during the week. We go to bible class and chapel every day and do a whole lot of chores. It is a challenging, but rewarding camp. In contrast, the camp that I went to before I was Church of Christ did not challenge me at all. We never did chores, I had access to my phone all week, and the thing I remember most from those camps was how much recreational time we had. I remember very little about the worship or classes we attended because we simply didn't do much of that.

The reason I'm telling y'all all of this is because I want to bring more attention to the fact that I don't think a lot of church camps are really benefiting their attendees spiritually as much as they're a social event. I've noticed that I lot of camps focus more on how much fun you're having with regards to recreation as opposed to spiritual health. I've noticed that it isn't about Jesus anymore.

A lot of the people in charge of youth today think that they'll lose our attention if they actually teach us and give us lessons, but that absolutely isn't true! I am not 4, I have the attention span and brain capacity to hear challenging questions about Christ! I want to learn about Jesus!

Going to a camp that challenges me mentally, spiritually, and physically has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. My ideas about Christ have matured so much in the 3 years I've attended Blue Haven. I've learned that my body can handle crazy hikes (even if I don't love it). I've actually enjoyed doing chores and serving those around me. And even with all the hard parts, I've had an insane amount of FUN at camp.

Long story short, Christian youth need to go to camps that challenge them so that they can actually grow. Absolutely you should have fun while doing it, but believe it or not, kids can do challenging things and have fun all at the same time! Playing in a bouncy house for half the day and then singing Lean on Me isn't going to bring anyone closer to Christ. Working hard every day to learn about Jesus will.

Have a great day!

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