06 Mar
A couple of years ago, I attended an apologetics training seminar in California featuring, Sean McDowell, Frank Turek, J. Warner Wallace, Greg Koukl, and other authors & apologists. I am especially grateful for Sean and his familyâs hospitality and Frank and his staffâs generosity! Thanks again guys!
While there, I was shocked to learn that Faith Ascentâs mission & vision was already being discussed by more than a few instructors and attendees! For this, we owe a big thank you to author, blogger, and super mom, Natasha Crain! Just days before the event, Natasha wrote an eye opening piece on her Christian Mom Thoughts Blog comparing Christian Summer Camps and Atheist Summer Camps (yes, thatâs a thing now). After reviewing 100 Christian summer camps she had two that she recommended. Can you guess which Christian summer camps made the cut? Before I tell you… Here are a few excerpts from her blog:
The largest atheist summer camp is called Camp Quest. Camp Quest started 20 years ago and has grown to 14 locations throughout the U.S. âĶ Campers participate in all kinds of traditional camp activitiesâĶ along with an important core of âfree thoughtâ activities in line with the campâs secular missionâĶ In other words, they do activities that aggressively teach kids their worldviewâĶ
I went to a Christian summer camp for several years as a kid and remember those weeks rather fondlyâĶ What I donât rememberâĶ is growing in my understanding of Christian faithâĶ After seeing what happens at Camp Quest, I was keenly interested in seeing how Christian camps today compare. I Googled âChristian summer campsâ and visited the websites of 100 camps across the country. I spent hours going through these sites to see what they offerâĶ I wish I could say I had a positive report.
Churches have been slow to realize the urgent necessity of teaching apologetics given the increasing challenges to faith todayâĶ and itâs clear that Christian summer camps are no different. This is a shame. Truly. A lost opportunity with thousands of kids. Two Camps to Consider: There are two fantastic programs for teens that do focus on equipping kidsâĶ First, Summit MinistriesâĶ Second, Faith Ascentâs Base Camp in St. Louis, MO! I hope youâll check out these excellent programs and consider them for next summerâĶ
You can read her the full blog post here.
WOW! Out of 100 Christian summer camps, based on mission statements and keywords, she only found two she could recommended: Summit and our very own Faith Ascent Camp (formerly known as Base Camp)!
Thatâs not to say weâre the only two equipping camps in the world and thatâs not to say other camps arenât doing good work. Thatâs not her point (nor mine). The point is we are losing at least 6/10 of professing Christian teens after they leave home and most say that âintellectual skepticismâ is a major deciding factor. If intellectual skepticism is a big problem then Christian apologetics and equipping strategies should be a big part of the solution! Right? Right! Thatâs what we determined back in 2009. 10 summer camps, dozens of seminars, and dozens of small groups later weâre seeing measurable results!
Weâre excited and humbled to be one of the few ministries proactively addressing these issues! Godâs grace and your support makes this possible! Thank you! For more information about our summer camps click here.
