Bible Camps and ACOP Culture

[Anna]

Camps, both for family and youth, have had a significant impact on the lives of believers in the past because they allowed people to get out of their everyday routines and focus for extended periods of time on God. Large groups of people would get together to worship, pray, hear from God, and get close to Jesus again. These camps would often be catalysts for revivals and renewals.

In my own life, Bible Camps have played a significant part in my adulthood, as I did not attends camp as a child. Camp was were I started my leadership training journey. It is also where I experienced some of the best and worst times of my life, learning something valuable from every one of those experiences. I don’t believe I would be where I am today if it were not for Bible Camps.

[Zach]

Camps have had a big impact on the Pentecostal movement because of the focused and “separated” environment that they created for people to withdraw from normal life and connect with the Lord and each other in a focused and set apart way. Tradition, relationships, and exposure to different people and intense focus all contributed, but I am sure that the faith and expectation that was built for what would happen “at camp” also contributed. I have never really been a camp person myself, and feel these get aways to be more distracting than helpful, but I am looking forward to new experiences in the ACOP and perhaps having a different experience. I’ve heard lots of great testimonies already!

[Jaylen]

I think bible camps seem to hold a special anointing for God’s movement in peoples lives. It is so commonly heard that people had some of this first tangible experiences with God at camp, or they got saved at camp, or healed at camp, etc. Perhaps this is due in part because non-christians tend to send their kids to bible camps, but I believe there is some level of anointing on them where God really moves in particularly pivotal ways through them. At the same time, many bad stories come out of bible camps as well, which ultimately all comes down to how the camp is being led and stewarded, which is also what it would also come down to with its successful side as well.

[Kimberly]

Adult and family camps are very important because it shows that community and learning together as Christians is still important even when you’re no longer a child. There isn’t an age when we no longer need to be encouraged by another Christian and dive into the Word together. I love that ACOP is highlighting full family engagement in Bible camps!

I did not get to experience Bible camp as a kid, but I am very excited to be introducing it to my kids. I also got the opportunity to speak at our local Bible camp this summer and it was such an awesome experience to see how impactful it is for the kids, and also the leaders/speakers. Bible camp is something we are now making a part of our family life.