Young people have much to remember from day to day.
This year’s Truth Bible Camp at Tennessee Bible College aims to narrow their focus on the most important thing: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.”
“The theme is straight from the Bible (Ecclesiastes 12:1),” Kerry Duke, TBC vice president, said. “These are the words of Solomon, the wisest and richest king who ever lived. He had power, wealth, pleasure and knowledge, but the most important thing to him was fearing God and obeying Him.”
The camp, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, will be held June 11-15 on the campus of TBC. Full-time camp is for ages 12-18 while day camp is open to ages 9-11. Campers participate in age-appropriate activities, including devotionals, Bible classes, sermon preparation (young men), Bible lesson preparation (young women), community service projects and recreational activities. Registration is $25 (overnight) and $15 (day camp, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.). Meals are included.
Here are some questions and answers by TBC’s camp leaders:
Kerry Duke—TBC Vice-President and Full-Time Boys Leader
Q: What does “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” mean, and how will it be incorporated into camp?
A: “The one thing people need to do is to remember God. That is more important than anything else—money, education, success, sports and similar pursuits. Solomon tells young people to remember Him now while they are young instead of waiting until they are old. This verse destroys the myth that religion is for older people. It also answers the familiar excuse of young people for not being Christians: ‘I’m too busy now. My life will slow down when I am older and then I can think about spiritual things.’ Solomon shows that it will be harder, not easier, to begin thinking about God in old age because of the challenges of the latter stage of life, especially failing health. Our goal in the camp is to help our young people to develop the habit of remembering their Creator in everything—school, work, play, relationships, money and other parts of life.
Jonathan Huddleston—Camp Director
Q: What is the purpose of Truth Bible Camp?
A: “We strive to help our campers strengthen their relationship with God and their leadership potential in the church. We provide biblical guidance to help them face the issues in today’s world. The boys can expect hands-on experience and instruction in leading the various acts of worship, including training on sermon preparation and delivery. The girls can expect to learn how to prepare for and teach a Bible class, including opportunities to teach their peers. They also receive instruction from mature Christian women regarding Christian service, including visiting the sick and caring for others.”
Jason Gann—TBC Registrar and Day Camp Director
Q: What’s day camp like?
A: “Our day campers are focused solely on learning more about God’s Word. They come to us full of energy each morning, and we meet that energy with an action-packed day. They have at least four Bible classes per day, outside games, arts and crafts, singing, snacks and more. There are so many things that we could choose for our children to be involved in this summer, but this is one that allows for 20 or more hours in a study of God’s Word. This is a venue where your child can grow closer to God in an atmosphere surrounded by Christian teachers and Christian counselors. This is a place where your child can be around fellow youth who want to know more about our Lord and with whom they can make good friendships that will last a lifetime.”
Debbie Kea—Full-Time girls Leader
Q: How can young ladies be involved at camp?
A: “My girls are involved from the first moment! Our mission is to become teachers for Christ. These girls will grow and learn to be a part of a ladies day within this week. They will speak, pray, sing and read scripture. In addition, this year they will be learning to teach a children’s Bible class. By the end of the week, they will have completed a lesson including a visual aid that they will be able to teach whenever they are called on. This is just the beginning of lives of service for them.”
Tim McHenry—TBC Online Instructor and Camp Counselor
Q: What are some fun camp activities and traditions?
A: “I would say the watermelon seed-spitting contest is the highlight, but that would probably not be most people’s vote! Of course there are the team sports, capture the flag and more. However, we also have ‘homemade’ activities like ‘tank’ where you basically knock each other around in a relatively safe arena. There are also less physically demanding activities like karaoke and campfires – plenty to have fun with at camp.”
Allie Strong—TBC Instructional Assistant
Q: What are some new things at camp?
A: “When it came time to begin planning this year’s Truth Bible Camp, I started playing around with some ideas on how we might incorporate TBC’s international students. A big portion of my work includes setting up Zoom classes, which means I work closely with our international students. Hearing stories about their struggles began to change me. I grew up in an area with a family that went to church whenever the doors were open. I never had to think about how I was going to get to church. My government never tried to hinder me from going and studying God’s word. I have grown up in the church hearing about these international students and the work they are doing but having the opportunity to witness it firsthand and hearing about it directly from them has been life-changing for me. My hope is that these campers can see firsthand the work that is being done overseas and that some of them can have the same life-changing experience I was blessed to have.
For more information on camp please view here. Registration for camp is available here.
-Amy Davis, TBC Correspondent
