As girls grow up and transition into women, they are desperately looking for role models to follow. Our staff have many responsibilities, but at the end of the day, their real task is to build relationships with girls and point them toward Jesus. Our staff are not perfect, nor do they have the answers to all of life's questions. They are simply college students whose lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and His grace and love.
At Camp, our goal is for girls to both hear that story and rub shoulders with women who've been changed by it. We are not a "platform-driven ministry", meaning that we don't have a camp speaker who does all the talks and we don't bring in a band to lead worship each night. Instead, we want campers to hear the story of Jesus in a variety of settings from a variety of voices. Here are some of the ways campers hear about God and His love at Camp Crestridge:
Chapel
Each morning after breakfast, campers go to the Chapel, where they are led in some fun camp songs and a devotion from one of our Discipleship Directors. Each summer, these Chapel talks follow a theme. The themes over the past couple summers have included the seven I AM statements and God's pursuit for us.
Quiet Time
Following Chapel, campers are given time to reflect on what they've heard. This time isn't long, as girls have energy and are ready to go for the day. But it's important to stop and take a few minutes. Campers are given a small guide that gives them questions to think about things they can pray about or reflect upon.
Evening Cabin Devotions
Each day, campers end the day back in the cabin; just the 10 campers and 2 counselors, and they talk through the story of Jesus' life. This material is age-appropriate and presented as a story and leads to discussion that allows campers to ask questions and take it at their own pace.
Campfire
Each Tuesday night, all of camp gathers around the campfire and we sing songs with Ron and hear a message from someone on camp leadership. At the end of Campfire, there is no "altar call", but campers are encouraged to find their counselor and talk to them about whatever is on their heart. This time is often very impactful and memorable for campers, especially as they get older.
Sunday Church
On Sunday morning, we go to the Chapel for the closest thing we have to a "traditional" worship service. This is a time when we invite speakers in from the community to give a message. These have been former staff or have close connections to camp.
Disclaimer: Our campers come from many different backgrounds, faith experiences and denominations. Camp is not the place for deep theological debates that differentiate between these denominational backgrounds. Our goal is to clearly and simply present the Gospel and story of Jesus Christ.
