FCA Sports Camp at Community of Grace Church – a Little Slice of Normalcy

Major adjustments were made to align with recommendations to keep the campers as safe as possible while still providing a meaningful experience: the camp was held over four Mondays instead of one week, space was limited to twenty in the morning and twenty in the afternoon, drop-off and pick-up procedures were altered, and kids sanitized their hands often.

The result was joy and laughter and drawing near to God. The smiles of the campers, huddle leaders, and children’s ministry staff from Community of Grace were contagious. 

 As she watched the kids on the field, Children’s Ministry Associate, Victoria Mathisen, remarked that the camp had been amazing. The church had tried other things to reach kids over the summer with mixed results, but FCA Sports Camp was a great success. 

Huddle Leaders Love Camp 

The huddle leaders agreed that the camp was successful. These middle, high school, and college leaders were each assigned five campers to make a huddle. They remained with their huddle throughout the camp, playing active games like Capture the Flag and leading their discussion times. Even for these teens and young adults, for two hours once a week, things felt normal. They loved hanging out with the campers and seeing them grow throughout the four weeks of camp.

Tanner W. serves as a huddle leader because he believes it is one of the best ways to teach kids about God. “I was a young boy who couldn’t pay attention and take stuff in, but after ten minutes of running around, the kids are laser-focused. I love that you can teach kids that way.” He has also been impacted by older kids at Bible camp and knows what a difference older “kids” can make in a child’s life.

Gina enjoys serving as a huddle leader because of how much kids can learn and change through camp. “I often underestimate younger kids – they are smarter than we think. They get distracted, but they really do get it.” Their questions made her dig deeper in her Bible to find the answers they were seeking.

Tanner V., Jenna, and Kylie come because it’s a good experience, and they enjoy working with kids. Tanner said, “Sometimes I get dragged there, but I think it’s good that he [their dad, Brent, who serves as the camp director] does it.” They recognize the impact they have on younger kids and see that their actions often influence how the kids act more than the teachings. 

A Gift with the Greatest Impact

In the final few minutes of camp, kids gathered in their huddles and were presented with their very own FCA Bibles. Inside the front cover, their huddle leaders had written a personal note of encouragement to each camper. While Brent shared closing thoughts with the kids, some were in another world and did not hear a word Brent was saying. But in this case, it was okay because the item of their distraction was their new Bible. 

Some of the kids were busy reading the notes inside, and some opened up their new Bibles and started reading. Take a moment to understand the depth of that significance. Some of these kids have no connection to a church other than this connection they now have with Community of Grace. Some of them knew nothing of Jesus before coming to camp. And now they have access to the very words of the Creator of the universe and Savior of the world. If you ever question whether FCA is making a difference for eternity, know that FCA is putting the very breath of God into the hands of young kids whose lives will be forever changed.

We look forward to a summer where we can hold dozens of camps in Minnesota, but we are grateful to be able to hold a handful of them this summer when we understand their significance in the lives of young people to be even more than usual. Please be praying for these campers who learned about God at camp and now have His Word at their fingertips.