As you know, the youth have recently returned from Passport Camp in Spartanburg, SC. Passport is an annual event for us. For those who are not familiar with Passport, let me give you the schedule of a typical day. The day starts with breakfast sometime between 8:00 am and 8:45 am. Each day you will go at a slightly different time within that window. That way the line keeps moving quickly and things don’t back up. After breakfast, each camper has a time of personal morning devotions and prayer. Prompts are provided to direct their thoughts. At 9:30 everyone gathers in the main auditorium or meeting space for morning celebration. This is a time to wake everyone up! “Energizers” games, skits and a word of challenge get everyone ready for the day. Campers then go to their Bible Study groups and adults to an informational meeting and then our own Bible Study time together.
The next element depends on where your group is assigned that day. Some remain on campus for meetings after lunch others load up for mission sites. During normal years, youth choose their activities for this time. At Passport choices the groups are mainly on campus and focus on things like music, using art in worship, drama, games and recreation from around the world, sports for those who are competitive and sports oriented, then a couple of mission opportunities and “Tree Space” for those who have a green thumb! At Passport Missions all the choices are different types of mission projects: children’s ministry, social ministries, yard work, painting, light construction…the list is large! You could find yourself working at the Salvation Army or repairing a trail or a community garden. Every project is an important contribution to that community.
The afternoons include some free time for students to enjoy some recreation and clean up for supper and worship. The other evening elements are nightly celebrations, something different each night, and Church group devotions. This is a time for church groups to check in with each other and process what happened during the day and during worship. This has always been my favorite part of the day! By this time, everyone is just about ready to crash for the night. The days are very busy, but the work is rewarding. Thank you, First Baptist Church for providing this experience for our youth. These memories will shape their lives for years to come and build an attitude of service for our future church leaders!
The porch cover we completed is above.