My Nonprofit Reviews

As a point of reference, I served as part of Bethel Christian Camp's staff the summers of 2002-2009.

During my tenure at Bethel, I served in various capacities, under different directors, alongside different leaders, and with different staff members nearly ever summer. The things that always stood out the most to me were: 1) The absolute dedication to teaching the Gospel and love of Christ, 2) The "campers first" mentality, and 3) The dedication to ensuring ALL staff were equipped to succeed, lead, encourage and be encouraged.

From Day 1 of camp each summer, there is always an emphasis to sharing and teaching the Gospel. Daily devotions for staff and campers, chapel twice daily with following Q&A time between campers and cabin staff, verse memorization, even staff introductions are designed with sharing the love of Christ. Bethel serves a large inner-city community and many of the children who attend Bethel aren't regularly exposed to scripture. Time and time again I witnessed hardhearted, hurting children who would simply blossom and flourish from the attention and love the staff would pour out week after week. It is a testament to the work the Lord is doing that so many children and young adults give their lives to the Lord because of their time at camp.

We all learned to give more energy, time, thought, consideration, and attentiveness to the kids around us. Living for people other than yourself day in and day out really helps you to appreciate humility and selflessness. Camp is for the kids. While we often had fun as a staff, we also knew that we were being watched...our actions/attitudes/words/behaviors. We always let the kids eat first, we would monitor the staff during games to ensure the kids were enjoying themselves and having fun "catching" staff members. Our goal during group canteen time was to help our campers memorize their verses for that day, spend time playing carpetball, or frisbee, or just hang out with them! This was sometimes easier said than done, but our head staff were always setting the example by engaging with the campers daily.

My last takeaway deals with the extensive training the staff receive prior to the first week of camp. For all staff members, there was a minimum of a 1-week training and orientation period. This was longer for staff in leadership positions, head staff, and those going through lifeguarding training. The topics covered in training were vast and included everything from safety skills (CPR, First Aid, Buddy System, etc), to dealing with difficult situations, how to explain the Gospel in kid-friendly ways, how to inspire encouragement, excitement, camaraderie among children of different backgrounds, lifestyles, socio-economic status, etc. The blessing to working in a small staff is people were instantly aware if you were struggling with something and needed encouragement. There were weekly staff devotion and development times and always someone willing to pray with you. If you needed something, there was an effort to see it provided. The leadership cares deeply for its campers that make camp possible, but also for the staff who give sacrificially to continually serve Bethel's youth. The annual hand-washing ceremony is an incredible and tangible demonstration of their heartfelt attitudes of thankfulness for ALL staff members, as well as their commitment to exhortation and encouragement.

I have since moved away from the South Carolina area, and have a new appreciation of the blessing of camp. I look forward to visiting Bethel when I can, and can't wait until my kids are able to attend.