Work Camp

Work Camp 2010 Newlsetter is here: Newsletter #2 – 12 13 09

As of December 14, 2010 we are now FULL!
A waiting list will be formed for those who are still interested in going. There are always between 1 and 3 teens who need to drop out of the Work Camp Mission every year. So sign up and get on the waiting list to assure your chance to go.

Remember to write your Sponsor Letters to help raise spiritual and financial support of this year’s Work Camp. Here is a sample sponsor letter for you to use: Sponsor Letter Sample 2010

Our first Fundraiser is now complete. The Bake Sales brought in more than $1300 for our Mission. Great job work campers. A special thanks to our Coordinators, Nina Krause, Lisa Sorensen and Julie Shadid for all of their efforts to make this a successful effort.

Our next Fundraiser is the Chili Fest which is Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. We will be preparing the food on that Saturday, January 23rd in the afternoon. We will need everyone’s help, especially on Saturday to cut up the vegetables and prepare the Chili. We will likely have our T-Shirts available by then – so plan to be there on Sunday to sell and represent our Work Camp Mission!
Mark your calendars now!

The 2010 Work Camp site has been chosen. We will be going to China Grove, North Carolina the week of June 20-26,2010. The Registration Forms for this Work Camp will be available in early August. The deposit will likely be $200. So talk to your parents and get ready to sign up for this year’s Work Camp in the beautiful region outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Get your REGISTRATION FORM here: Work Camp 2010 Registration Form   Sign up as soon as possible, because we have only 55 spots for youth and 12 adults. Sign up now and send in your $200 deposit with your registration card. A parent must sign your form.

Work Camp 2009 trip to Bolivar, Teneessee – June 28 – July 4, 2009 is now completed.
It was an incredible experience this year. 53 youth and 11 adults went to rural Tennessee to serve a community that is increasingly slipping into poverty and dispair. The 265 youth and adults from Churches in Iowa, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Illinois all made a huge difference in the lives of the residents with whom we served.

The week was a great challenge for all of us. The weather started out in the high 90’s with humidity at around 100% on Saturday and Sunday before the service work began. The weather stayed hot but the humidity dropped to make most of the work sites tolerable. But the gym with most of the programming was really hot.

Also the school at which we stayed challenged us with the mess, the poor showers, the huge cockroaches and the grime all over. We struggled with the food – not its taste, but the fact that we generally ran out of the entrees about a half hour after starting the food lines.

Some of the other groups were also challenging. The group from Iowa was just as large as us (with 62 in total) but they seemed out of sorts all week. They made fun of our group for wearing swimsuits in the showers, they left each night to get McDonald’s, and they seemed all to themselves.

So with all these challenges we met on Monday night Church devotion to talk about it and leave it behind so we could get on with the ministry at hand. The youth were awesome in their willingness to stop complaining and to focus on Serving God and Serving Others instead of worrying about their own comfort.

Our youth from St. John’s were incredible leaders: leaders in worship as they led the Praise Band and helped in all of the God Sightings – Wes Ward, Shannon Vogel, Kristen White, Aleska Barkoviak, Casey Grogg, Allison Johnson, Elizabeth Krause and others were youth who experience significant God sightings and shared them in large program.

The youth also made great contributions… Shannon Vogel, Kristen White, Connor Sampson and Logan Abeling noticed that the school wasn’t recycling all of the cans and plastic bottles we were using at the Camp. So they made signs and promoted a recycling program for the entire Work Camp. Other kids got on board and by the end of the week we had numerous garbage bags full of recycled cans and plastic.  Then Tammy Fahling started a fund to help pay for a Exterminator for one of the residents. She helped collect over $500 for this project.

Finally, and most importantly, the youth and adults from St. John’s were the leaders in prayer, service and community this week. This group was close and Christian in its interactions with others – with each other – and the community of olivar. They truly embraced our theme of “I AM THIRD” – God is first, others are second and I am third.

A sample of some of the important information needed for Work Camp…

Here is the important information you will need to sign up for this year’s Work Camp:
Work Camp Brochure and Sign Up: Work Camp 2009 Brochure
Important new Guidelines for All Summer Missions: Summer Missions Sign Up and Funding Guidelines
Group Work Camp Website: Group Work Camps
A sample letter for Sponsor Donations:New Sponsor Letter 2009

This month’s Work Camp Newsletter: