Let’s imagine that five or six months ago you spent a week with a group of elementary kids at camp. Many kids ministry leaders did this—most of them survived and lived to tell about it!
I hope you had an awesome camp experience with your campers who are regular attenders and the kids who were brand new to your church. By this point, you have followed up with kids after the week of camp—but don’t let camp fall off your radar.
After camp you’ve invested in these kids and you\’ve seen many of them weekly in your kids ministry program. After going to camp you\’ve learned more than just their names, you have a foundation of a relationship. You have connections with them about shared interests, hobbies, and you have an opportunity to know their parents better too.
Camp is a gift that you can enjoy all year because the spiritual impact and relationships last longer than just the week you are away. In fact, the week of camp is only the beginning for a kids ministry leader who is intentional about seeing kids grow in their walk with Christ.
You\’ve got six months until next summer, so book your dates and get kids signed up now! As you promote, you can use campers from last year to tell the group about their experiences. They might not remember everything word-for-word, but I’m sure they will remember the fun and also the gospel.
The parents and other caring adults who support your group going to camp will appreciate knowing the lasting impact of summer ministry in the lives of the kids.
If you haven’t booked your camp dates yet, we would love to serve your group at CentriKid this summer—dates are online at www.centrikid.com/by-location. If you have already booked your camp dates at CentriKid, then download Group Leader Information from your camp location page on www.centrikid.com and contact us anytime if we can help you prepare for camp.
Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid Camps team and manages the Lifeway Kids events. He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together. Jeremy loves to read, watch sports, and grill burgers.