By AMY DAVIS
It’s boot camp time again… “Boot Camp for Christian Service,” that is.
Tennessee Bible College will be hosting its 13th annual Truth Bible Camp June 12-15 for Upper Cumberland-area youths to enhance their Bible knowledge and have some traditional camp fun as well.
“We’re bringing these campers in while they’re young, and it is much like boot camp,” TBC President David Hill said. “We have them for four days, and we equip them for Christian service so that when they go home they’ll be able to build on that immediately with their congregation. We’d like to see them grow and become TBC students, preachers, Bible teachers, Christian workers and missionaries.”
An overnight full-time camp is held for ages 12-18, and a day camp is offered for ages 9-11. The cost, which covers meals, activities, Bible class materials and lodging, is $25 for full-time campers and $15 for day campers. Camp scholarships are available to qualified individuals.
“No one gets turned away for lack of funds,” Hill said. “If somebody is genuinely interested in going and serious about learning, then we’ll help them go,” Hill said.
The reservation deadline is June 8. Applications are available at TBC, 1616 McCulley Road, Cookeville.
Why go to camp?
“The idea of summer camp is well understood, but this is not your typical summer camp,” Hill said. “Truth Bible Camp has recreational activities, just like other camps, but it also offers campers an exclusive time to give undivided attention to their spiritual development. That’s important because we need good men and women to step into important roles in the church in the future. And this camp is very practical. Every participant is going to be involved, of course, in Bible study, but the full-time campers are going to be learning to put lessons together and deliver those lessons and get a lot of practical tips along the way.
“One of the overall goals is to give campers the confidence to say, ‘I can do this.’ A lot of folks see the work of a preacher, and they think they could never do that. But when young people come to Truth Bible Camp, they have the expertise of our faculty – men who have been involved in this work 50 and 60 years – who help make it a reality for them.”
The demand for preachers is growing, he said.
“A lot of places need preachers, so we’ve got to start early to be able to fill those positions.”
Campers register at the TBC campus on Sunday, June 12, at 2 p.m. Parents are encouraged to bring their children early and join them for worship services next door to TBC at Northeast Church of Christ, beginning at 9 a.m. Day camp will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Camp concludes Wednesday, June 15, following the 7 p.m. evening Bible study at Northeast Church of Christ.
While at camp, boys will learn to prepare sermons and how to become preachers, Bible class teachers, elders, deacons and good Christians. Girls will learn to be good Bible teachers and good Christians and learn more about the Christian life. Bible classes, devotionals and recreational activities will be offered daily. Campers are to dress modestly: shorts must be knee-length, and t-shirts must have sleeves. Sunday worship clothes include a coat and tie for boys and appropriate dress for girls.
As for what’s new at camp this year, the biggest change is the time.
“We had to change the time,” Hill said. “It had been in July, but the Upper Cumberland area school systems kept backing up their start dates until they backed right into our camp time. So we decided to back camp up one month to June 12-15, and we hope to keep it in June from now on.”
Truth Bible Camp also has a new staff member, TBC alumnus Jason Gann of McMinnville.
“Jason Gann is a gospel preacher and a school teacher,” Hill said. “He will be in charge of the Day camp program, and that’s going to be very helpful.”
Joining the camping staff again this year are TBC alumni Tim McHenry of Tompkinsville, Ky., onsite director, and Mark Day of Flatwoods, Ky., onsite counselor.
“It’s going to be a good time,” Hill said. “It’s always a great week. Kids love it. We just got a letter from a family whose child had been attending camp for the past three years, and they said he can’t wait to be there. So it’s a really great experience for the kids, and it’s been a really good experience for us.”
For more information about Truth Bible Camp, call TBC at 931-526-2616.