One-Week Christian Summer Youth Bible Camp

Day 3 of Camp Areté: A Journey of Faith and Fun

Day three at Camp Areté was nothing short of exhilarating. The day kicked off with an Apostolic Scavenger Hunt, where campers were challenged to find and guess the apostles based on some tough clues. Despite the difficulty, the campers did surprisingly well, showcasing their biblical knowledge and teamwork. This was followed by a lively session of Water Balloon Bible Trivia, which not only refreshed the campers physically but also … Read more

Day 2 at Camp Areté: Wisdom and Gospel Truths

Today marks our first full day at Camp Areté. We delved into the first chapter of Daniel, exploring the wisdom with which Daniel navigated his captivity. Daniel’s deference to authority and unwavering trust in God for the outcome serve as a powerful example for our campers. By wisely choosing his battles over things that directly contradict scripture, Daniel stood firm in his faith and trust in God for the outcome, even … Read more

A Memorable Praise-Worthy Start for Areté

Our first day at Camp Areté was a tremendous success, thanks to the prayers offered on our behalf. All campers arrived safely, with the exception of a few notable glitches involving a broken-down rental car. Thankfully, our logistics coordinator, Sarah Thomas, solved this problem quickly and got the stragglers here safely. We began by introducing the campers to the staff, emphasizing our commitment to serving them with the sacrificial love that Christ demonstrated. This … Read more

During breakfast we serenaded the kitchen crew with our camp song:
Love one another, walk in Him; Imitate the love of Christ to men.
Be filled with the Spirit and, seek His face;
Stand firm and Abide, reflect His grace.

One of the lunch workers was tearing up because we thanked them in such a personal way. They wanted the words on the poster and expressed thanks to us.

The 3D program of DM2 was introduced and explained to campers … Read more

The power went off first thing this morning and our staff meeting was by flashlight. Luckily the coffee was made before that occurred. Staff prayer sets the tone for the day and is extremely important.

We are getting seminary level information this week! We are thankful! We want to be able to read the Bible and draw conclusions and protect against the world, flesh, and devil. We are learning how to find answers in the Word of God! The more … Read more

Early this morning in the staff meeting a counselor reported that her girls told her their down time with her for discussion was their favorite part of the day; they really looked forward to it. Also, another said the campers were yearning for more Pastor Panel time because they really appreciated hearing things that usually come from dads, from a Pastoral point of view.

Morning class—correlating 1 Corinthians 13 with Genesis. We are trying to build categories according to what … Read more

At the morning brief, counselors reported that their campers were definitely talking through some of their issues and questions. One of the Nurses said that on one of her med calls, she waited more than she expected on the group of girls to quit praying! How refreshing to have to wait to wait on kids to finish prayers! A counselor reported that the guys were participating in discussion and prayers. Counselors were excited at the summaries of the day’s lessons … Read more

Each day before dawn (6:15 am) the adults and counselors meet for a review of the day’s agenda and specifically for prayer. After the counselors are released to awaken their campers, we all trek to breakfast.
Areté in total converge for the most important activity of the week—the Bible classes; three per day plus personal devotional time for further study.

This morning began with a lesson from Pastor Brad Maston (designed by Clay Ward) on Inductive Study Methods. The main … Read more