The theme for Cross Camp ’09 was short but an effective directive – BE.
PINEVILLE – The theme for Cross Camp ’09 was short but an effective directive – BE.
Be relentless; be engaged; be inspired; be Holy; be encouraging; be whatever God wants you to be were just some of the ways the word was tied into simple sayings that were repeated over and over again to campers.
BE was short for the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), the eight statements taught by Jesus to the masses at the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are a map of life. They are simply stated, but are profound in meaning. They guide. They point. They teach. They show us the values that Christ cares about.
And the Cross Camp staff stressed those points repeatedly to the junior high and high school students during Bible study, worship, family group, church group devotion, Mass Mess and ‘Wreck.’
“It has been an amazing two weeks,” Cross Camp Executive Director Jon Hale said. “We had 15 professions of faith our first night alone, and I believe overall we had more than 60 out of 600 campers.
The two-week total of 600 participants was a record for the camp, which “did a little something different this year,” Hale said.
“Last year, we had to turn away 13 churches due to only conducting camp one week, so we decided to extend the camp another week,” Hale said. “We had 12 churches come the first week and 13 churches, including one from Houston, Texas, this week. All together we had 25 churches, of which eight of those churches were new and had never been to Cross Camp.”
Cross Camp began in 1991 as a local idea amongst a handful of youth ministers from Northeast Louisiana and previously was led by John McKay. Since that time it has become an incorporated nonprofit yearlong ministry. It is completely led and staffed by volunteer ministers.
“I came to Cross Camp as a part of Wreck Staff in 1995,” said Hale, collegiate minister at First Baptist Swartz and now in his sixth year as executive director.
The executive staff includes Ben Hackler, youth minister at East Leesville Baptist Church; Rick Aultman, pastor at Mangham Baptist Church; Brian Crain, youth minister at First Baptist Church Wisner; Joe Handy, youth minister at First Baptist Crowville; Joe Ashley, youth minister at Cook Baptist Ruston and Josh Peoples, youth minister at Mangham Baptist Church.
“I’ve done Fuge camps and a number of others, but I prefer working this one,” said Aultman, who is working his 45th camp. “The reason I’m involved is I believe this is the best camp around. And I’ve seen plenty to know.”
Perhaps the biggest reason for the camp’s success was the 82 volunteers who worked the camp.
“I can’t say enough about the volunteers,” Hale said. “Hands down it is the best group we have ever worked with. Many had to take leaps of faith in order to do this. We asked them to commit for not one, but two weeks.
“So many college students had to rearrange their summer schedules so they could be here,” Hale said. “It was a wonderful group of committed Christians, who did a phenomenal job.”
Hackler served as camp pastor for the first week while Allen Jackson, professor of youth ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and founder and director of Youth Ministry Institute, served for the second week.
“It was simply a special experience for me. I started going to Cross Camp when I was in the seventh grade, and here 15 years later I am the camp pastor,” Hackler said. “I can’t remember a time when I was more focused on the message.”
The band that performed worship at Cross Camp also proved to be special for the staff, especially Hackler. The Jeff Johnson band is from Dallas, Texas and this was their first year at Cross Camp.
“They were simply phenomenal,” Hackler said. “The kids loved him and were really into the band, and he had a couple of songs – Beauty of the Cross and Ruin Me – that really touched everyone.”
Now that this year’s camp has concluded, the staff will huddle and evaluate every aspect of Cross Camp.
“We pretty much stay in evaluation mode,” Hale said. “We give each camper a detailed survey that deals with everything from the Cross Camp staff to the campus to Bible study. We get feedback every day and at the end of each week.”
“You might say we never get out of evaluation mode,” Aultman said. “We are really too tough on ourselves, especially this time. Things went so well that I told everyone we needed to get out of evaluation mode, and get into praise mode because the Lord has definitely been at work here, and at every place we’ve been.”
If a church is interested in bringing their student ministry to Cross Camp in 2010, they can find out more information about the camp at www.crosscamp.org or search for it on Facebook: “CROSS CAMP”