Summer Day Camp

Who ever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:5

Once again summer brought the beautiful and energetic children of our community who had seven fun filled weeks at Twelfth Baptist Church Christian Summer Day Camp.

One hundred and twenty-five children came to camp as early as 7:30 A.M. and stayed as late as 6:00 P.M. to participate in a nurturing environment. The only way we as a staff could care for these lively young people was through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. More and more children have come each year to this camp seeking love and the unforgettable encounter with the God of the universe.

The daily schedule included cooking, drama, dance, and arts & crafts. Field trips along with the most favorite activity of the summer swimming made for a wonderful camping experience.

Even more important than any of the day-to-day events was the sharing of God’s word with the campers and staff. The devotions for the morning session were the keys to the overall spiritual cohesion of the camp family. We all learned about our own particular relationship with the Lord during that time, a blessing for staff and campers.

The staff was comprised of high school teens, college students and working professionals some who had come through this particular program as campers. The many hours the staff spent with the children before during and after a long day exercised a faith in God which brought them through 7 weeks of sweltering heat.

The Rites of Passage segment of our summer program was experienced by a small group, discipled by Mr. Nobles and Danielle Neville, two truly gifted leaders. We are grateful for their attempt to train adolescent young people of this generation to give their time and effort with no immediate reward. Working in the Food Pantry and the Clothes Rack and cleaning the church up were a few of the mission projects at which the campers worked.

The field trips were great and stretched the view of the children by showing them places outside of the immediate urban scene. Swan boats, nature presentations in state parks and the exciting observation of the New England Patriots practice gave the campers something to look forward to on our trips.

Eric Wainaina, the Music Coordinator, Kristen Scott and Aisha Murray were the leaders for our very important music section of camp, in which campers learned that there is more to music than what the Hip Hop culture feeds them. Lyrics which spoke of the love of Jesus applied to the latest music lit a spark which caused the campers to be overwhelmed with joy.

I praise God that the children enjoyed camp, the staff grew immeasurably and families saw how the joy of the Lord can be our strength. Special thanks to all those who gave of their vacation time to assist in camp.

Staff
Director: Maurice Greaves
Program Director: Margo Anderson
Administrative Assistant: Philana Crook
Education Coordinator: Andrea Newsome
Music Coordinator: Eric Wainaina
Rites of Passage: Maurice Nobles, Jr., Danielle Neville

Counselors
Antoine Trowers, Cha-Reece Burton, Jimmy Humphrey, Dawit Wolde, Kristen Scott
Kerry Inge, Starr Leak, Joshua Gentle, Shawn Williams, Claudine Johnson
Dwanye Williams, Carlos Idiokitas

Counselors in Training
Leah Labitue, Miatta Barker

Interns
Eric Vogt, Mary Pavan, Sammy Kim, Craig Ishihara

Volunteers
Lauren Labitue, Nickesha Anderson, Curtis Johnson, Danielle Green
Kevin Wright, Sabrina Leak