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Put your hand up if you've ever met someone who met with God and made some life-long friends and memories at a camp. 

(You can put your hand down. I smile as I imagine some actually sitting at a computer or in public somewhere on their phone with their other hand raised.) 


I suspect most of us know someone.
In fact, many of us are one of those people! 
As I hope you know by now, our church camp is coming up July 14-17. In case you happen to be wondering "WHY CAMP?", let me outline a few reasons for you.

  • Camp settings are so helpful for helping people connect, make great memories together, and bond. Camps strengthen Christian Fellowship.
  • Camp settings can be especially impacting on young lives. Children and teens can strengthen their bond with each other, their church family, and -most importantly- with Jesus! 
  • There are some things that God seems to in our lives best when we've set aside several days in a row for togetherness, special services, and ministry. Camps are a great setting to encounter God together with others. 


Would you let me dream aloud with you? 
As grateful as I am to be able to return to the local Camp Selah as a church this year, I can easily get lost in a daydream about a time in our future when we're away together at one of the Island's great Christian camp facilities for several days of an impacting camp experience together. It's fun to think about laughter and delicious food around tables in a dining hall, swimming, games, teams, prizes, guest speakers, worship and ministry times, baptisms in the Holy Spirit, (the list could go on, but does it get much better than that?). Imagine what it would be like for us to encounter God together at camp and then carry that same flame back into the life of our church and community together through the rest of the year. Imagine an experience so great that we joyfully book time off of work and build our annual holiday schedule around making sure not to miss church camp. Imagine a camp experience we keep building into now that one day our grandchildren and future generations benefit from. 
The reality is, we're able to move towards this more and more right here and right now at Selah. However, last year we had 70+ people take in camp and if we see steady camp growth for a few years, we will soon outgrow Selah's capacity. All the more reason to dream -and plan towards- a day that we will have to move our annual camp to another facility. 
While our present camp has a variety of elements, at the end of the day, we're doing camp for 2 reasons:

  1. Fun.
  2. Spiritual Impact. 

Connecting is fun. Games are fun. Team games are fun. Individual games are fun. Prizes are fun. (evening losing can be fun, as long as we've got a team spirit and are happy to cheer others on!). Free time is fun. Being in creation is fun. Eating together is fun. Fun is good for the soul, and when shared with others, fun stitches us even closer together. 
Spiritual impact is so important. I am thrilled that we have tremendous guest speakers coming to join us again this year for our youth and adult services. God does so much in us as we give more time to His Word and in worship, prayer and ministry together. 
If you have not yet registered for this year's camp, there is still room for you (site spaces are limited and first come first served) and there are also options for just joining for evening services and certain events.
More info & registration HERE ​
I believe we're in for another great camp experience this year. Would you join me in praying especially for the lives of many children and teens to be impacted by God's Spirit at camp this year? 
Pastor Mike