Faith Bible Blog

John Church News, FBC Photos summer camp

It was a great camp. In my many years of being a camper, a staff person, and running camps, it was my very favorite camp of all time. It was that good. It was that good on so many levels. It really was great. Thank you for every act of service, every encouraging word, every single thing you did to make this camp happen. I am humbled to see your hearts and watch God work in and through each person who came to camp. I can’t say enough good about it and I am thankful for all that the Lord did. Thank you MAD, kitchen, boats, kidz, grunt, staff, band, speaker. It was tremendous.

It is pretty amazing to look back and see all that God did at camp.  Please spend time over the coming days thanking God for all that He did at camp. Continue to pray for lasting fruit and true heart change in each person that came to camp.

We love you all,
Shawn

Shawn Church News summer camp

Wow, what a day at camp. The games at the beach yesterday were incredible, then we had a short service actually on the beach, off the water, with the sun setting in the back [in their eyes], a little distracting but very New Testament, and taught through HOT, COLD or LUKEWARM from Revelation 2. Camp back to camp, had dessert, then played MIDNIGHT megabox [actually it was 9pm – but the name sounded better] with jungleman Dan leading the games [who’s son is that?]

After some discussion, everyone went to sleep and woke up a little bit more tired. Early boat sign ups, breakfast, staff meeting, MAD meeting, and kids fellowship time, then off to the lake for all day boating, beaching, swimming, wake boarding, inner tubing, and TONS of staff student discussions.

I had one new family come to camp, helping out with the MAD CREW who said, I GET IT, I GET CAMP. I FINALLY GET IT. A time away from the routine of life, saturation with the Word of God, life on life discussions from staff, adults, leaders, pastors about the Lord and all the things that matter to HIM. They kept saying to me, I get it, I get it now – how great is this, this is incredible, this is great.

The band this year is COMPLETELY INCREDIBLE, totally focused on worship – great musicians whose music is secondary to lifting up the Lord in praise and focusing on the WORDS of what we are singing – incredible!

I had one staff person and an adult volunteer have an extended time with a student [who had a similar background as the adult volunteer – abuse, wild lifestyle of sneaking out and sneaking boys in her room] have some very serious discussions about forgiveness, obedience, following Christ and more. We had a TON of students who know about CHURCH, but have never really gone to one, who told me today, they want to come to ours – yet they are not yet saved. And this is after teaching them HARD TRUTHS on Lordship, the fruit of salvation, losing your first love and more.

At the beach today, discussion after discussion about spiritual issues took place, finding out where the kids hearts are at. We are praying to water, sow and see fruit but regardless we are rejoicing that we have the privilege of proclaiming the gospel and demonstrating the person of Christ to these students. WHAT AN HONOR TO BE HERE!

Again and again, I am so thankful not only for our adult volunteers – the MAD CREW [Mothers And Dads] but for our high school and junior high staff of committed disciplers. Filled with the Spirit, armed with the Word of God, they are having a dramatic impact on students from horrible homes and students from great homes. They are living out what many of their parents are trying to model, but doing so as a young person – and the impact of that witness is POWERFUL. Sometimes affirming what is being modeled in the home, but sometimes saying and doing what their parents have always said, but finally GETTING IT through a younger example, and sometimes undoing a poor witness in the home and often providing the only healthy parental model the kids have ever seen. I am so thankful for our staff leaders.

It is such a joy to see staff person after staff person meeting one on one with each student all throughout the day, adult servants taking care of boats, fixing lunch on the beach, setting up the sound system, walking around handing out food and water and helping kids put on sun screen.

Pray for us tonight as we open God’s Word on complacency – which is where the majority of our Christian kids are at – pray that God would do a great work and change hearts.

We are thankful for you who are praying too.
A fellow slave, Chris

PS – Last night at 11:30 pm I learned that a friend of mine just lost his 18 year old son Hunter to a tragic jet ski accident in Washington state. I called my friend Mark and cried with him and I continue to struggle with a great sadness in my heart in the midst of great hope. Please pray for the Graham family as I fly up and do the funeral this Friday. They all know the Lord and Hunter is with the Lord even now – the family is praying for God to be glorified in Hunter’s death but please pray for them too as they rightly work through their grief at losing a son for now.

Chris Church News summer camp

Dinner Saturday night was meatballs and pasta – this is NOT camp food – it is LUXURY! Everyone loves it. Then some free time to talk and fellowship and get to know each other [and for me to take some pictures too]

Saturday evening was a strong message from the book of James on genuine faith versus phony faith and led right into a LONG ‘TENT’ time with students and staff discussing what has been taught now in the first three sessions.  We are trusting God to do a great work, so thank you again for your prayers.

The MAD crew continues to excel with great attitudes and hearts of love for the Lord and His people. Boat drivers are arriving and gearing up, set up construction guys continue to fix and design whatever is needed with happy hearts, security team continues to watch over the camp, the kids and helps others in many ways.

Sunday morning, everything [including cooking] shut down, so EVERYONE could come to the time of worship and time in the Word. We are thinking about you all gathering as FBC in Murrieta and I know you are all thinking about us as FBC gathering next to Lake San Antonio. Today’s message was on Revelation 2:1-7 on losing your first love and gaining your first love back. We continue to pray that God would work in the lives of the kids in a great way and are beginning to see some fruit.

For the rest of today, we go to OUR BEACH, an amazing cut off the lake that was a wonderful beach, a place to land boats, hang out, eat and gather to worship Sunday night. On the beach, we will have an ‘almost’ acoustic worship in praise time then a short look at Revelation 3:14-17 are you HOT, COLD or LUKEWARM and what that really means.

We love you all very much and are so thankful for your prayers

Chris

Chris Church News summer camp

Camp is going great – KEEP PRAYING
Everyone arrived safe, camp was already set up, the set up building crew made things amazing, dinner was better than camp food has ever been, we experienced some start up problems with some electronics which caused a late start for the meeting, instead of 7, we started at 9 – but first meeting went well. Fun with Josh and Jon was great, a giant hit the gofer head as it pops up [with staff instead of gofers]; the band was amazing, great musicianship without overshadowing the fantastic words of key praise songs. The teaching was I Corinthians 15:1-11 on why you should believe in Christ – Please pray, there are a lot of unsaved kids here.

Wake up to Jon and Josh, then breakfast, tons of helpers have made the beginning of camp run seamlessly. Rod spoke to all staff and MAD crew [Mothers and Dads] about why we are here, loving God first. The Saturday morning meeting was split – junior high then high school met separately concerning true faith verses religion from John 3. Then we had a great fun game at another fantastic lunch. We just finished some great camp games – I will try to send some pics, though the internet service here is difficult.

Now is free time where staff are meeting with many students. The impact of our junior high and high school staff’s upon these students is amazing – pleading for their souls, modeling the faith, service and sacrifice, walking them through the Word on the issues they battle with and so much more. Even though many students come from GODLY homes, the effectiveness of their Spirit filled, dedicated ministry to these students is a HUGE blessing and having a great impact for God’s glory.

Keep praying
We love and miss the rest of you
Chris

Chris Church News summer camp

Photos from Saturday games, part 1

Photos from Saturday, part 2

Shawn FBC Photos summer camp