By Tammy Sharp, Regional Reporter
PELICAN – The Holy Spirit did some serious work at Clara Springs Baptist Encampment this summer, according to Camp Manager Bubba Mills and counsellors who attended sessions with their church groups.
Mills said he habitually leads his staff through an in-depth Bible study during the summer.
“This summer I was really praying about what we were going to do,” he said, which led him to Jerry Rankin’s A Challenge to Great Commission Obedience, a collection of 40 commissioning sermons by the president emeritus of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
“Now that I look back I realize every week they were reading four sermons telling them to do what God told them to do, no matter what,” said Mills of his staff. “It was the repetitive voice of God telling us over and over and over that we can do more, that we’re not doing enough, that we need to go.”
The result was that intentional evangelism infused the camp, even among those who had no idea of what was going on behind the scenes.
Mills said his young adult staffers came out of their shells to share the gospel and several recommitted their lives to Christ through baptism. With a little over 200 salvations recorded from the summer and some reports still pending, Mills said the impact has been remarkable.
Ami Small and a camper from Boys Camp share a hug after they are each baptized following Boys Camp at Clara Springs Baptist Encampment.
“During Boys Camp, counsellor Amiel Small befriended two brothers attending camp with First Baptist Natchitoches. After the younger brother accepted Christ, Small encouraged him to be baptized. The older boy said while he’d accepted Christ the year before, they didn’t attend church regularly and he’d never been baptized either.
Mills was reluctant, at first, to perform the baptisms, he said. “I never want to take away the spark that can light a fire in a church.” But he prayed and then met the boys’ dad at camp’s closing ceremony.
“I grab the dad by the arm, and tell him about his sons, that they really need to be in a church,” said Mills. “They need to follow up in baptism. And the dad starts pouring out his heart, saying he does the best he can and that their mom hates them and won’t talk to them.”
“I told him ‘They found the Lord. You’re doing a great job as a father,’” said Mills.
“No one has ever told me that,” the father said.
It was then that Mills knew what to do, he said, and he directed Small to gather the staff for the baptisms. Within minutes, the boys, the father, First Baptist Natchitoches campers and counsellors, a few parents and camp staff gathered at the kiddie pool behind the worship center. The two boys were baptized, but then Mills looked over to see that Small was crying.
“What could I do for God if I gave him more?” the counsellor asked, stepping into the water.
Then a very shy boy from First Baptist Natchitoches stepped forward. “Sir, I need to do something,” he said.
His shocked counsellor said “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting baptized,” he said.
Then another said, “Sir, I need to accept Jesus in my heart and be baptized,” and his parents, standing nearby, burst into tears.
Brothers led to Christ at Boys Camp at Clara Springs Baptist Encampment are baptized.
As Mills began to close, a little voice said “Wait sir!” and another child from First Baptist Natchitoches stepped forward. “This is something God is telling me to do. I need to be a man. I accepted Christ at Vacation Bible School last year, and He’s telling me to get baptized.”
“That was the igniter for the whole summer,” said Mills. “At each camp it got stronger and stronger.”
“It was most definitely the Holy Spirit,” said Julie Bell, of First Baptist Hornbeck who attended Girls Camp the following week. She, too, saw a mighty movement of God in her cabin, with all 19 girls expressing faith in Christ, and at least one following up with baptism at a second impromptu baptism service at the end of the week.
“I wasn’t aware at the time that Bubba and Mandi had been doing the Bible study and were pursuing evangelism so intentionally,” she said. “But I felt very strongly that I needed to be on purpose and to make sure each girl in Bobcat Cabin had an opportunity to come to know Christ.”
