Stories

Youth Ministry At Camp Meeting

A Pastor’s Testimony

by Robert Lechner

For youth attending the Iowa-Missouri camp meeting, community service projects are an important component of their training and activities. The initiative came from the teens themselves, inspired by the leadership of Pastor Jeff Wines.

The story began four years ago when camp meeting moved to the campus of Sunnydale Academy. Jeff, who pastors nearby in Columbia, Missouri had a vision to convince the kids that ministry and service for Jesus can be fun. He asked me to assist him. At the end of camp meeting we began asking the kids to fill out a survey about their experience the past week. Last year’s feedback indicated that the teens wanted deeper involvement in ministry. So this year we selected nine youth to mentor their peers.

Our theme was, “How to be Real in an Unreal World.” Morning and evening worship began with U-Crew from Union College leading out in praise and worship. Then our young men and women spoke to fellow teens about how they live for Jesus and seek to uphold His standard. Afternoons were filled with fun service projects.

On Wednesday a group went to Centralia and helped the park district spread mulch. We also served at the Columbia Food Bank, where the youth had a blast packing hotdogs and cereal for distribution to food pantries around the state. Thursday afternoon the kids visited “Oceans of Fun,” a water park in Kansas City. And for the fourth year in a row, on Friday, the youth painted a house for a person who couldn’t have done it on his own.

Sabbath morning we had a more than 140 youth in worship, and that afternoon the youth took younger kids and did activities with them.

This year’s surveys basically told us, “Don’t change a thing.” That’s encouraging, but what really matters are their testimonies about how camp meeting made a difference in their lives.

Robert Lechner is pastor of Sullivan Church in Missouri.