This article was originally shared December 2019.
“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” (John 4:35)
These are the words of Jesus to His disciples immediately following His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. It is His call for the disciples—and now us—to join Him in laboring for the harvest of God’s kingdom here on earth.
This section of scripture is what was at the center of our theme “Living Water” this past summer at Camp Saint Christopher. As we worked through these verses, we discovered how truly broken we are while also encountering our Savior, Jesus, who is intentional about coming in contact with us to establish a relationship that leads to freedom, healing, and eternal life. Jesus tells the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
While this summer, like those that preceded it, was full of all the fun and excitement that come with a week spent at camp, it was the reality of this Gospel truth that defined the experience of so many of our campers this summer. The movement of the Holy Spirit was palpable at every moment.
Through worship and teaching, authentic relationships developed between campers and their staff members; small group and prayer time or simply hearing the words of scripture, campers again and again were transformed when they encountered Jesus and chose to drink of the Living Water He offers all of us.
There were two moments that stand out from this past summer. The first was witnessing nearly 100 campers give their lives to Christ in a single evening in response to hearing how much Jesus loves them. Another is a phone conversation I had with a parent whose son expressed that he would like to be baptized. Upon sharing that exciting news, his mother shared with me that they are non-believers, but her other son had come to camp earlier in the summer and, to her surprise, he too had become a follower of Jesus while at camp and had spent the rest of the summer sharing the Gospel with his friends and family – A disciple who is already making disciples. Wow! Praise the Lord!
These are just two of a myriad of stories of baptisms, healings, forgiveness, and new life that occurred this past summer. In a ministry where campers come and go every week, you do not always get to see the fruit of the harvest. However, the harvest was abundant this summer, and the Lord was gracious enough to allow us to witness much fruit being produced for His Kingdom in a single season.
It is not unique to this past summer or summer camp in general to experience the power of the Holy Spirit moving in such a transformative way. The Lord is alive and offers Living Water to all who thirst. The fields are indeed “white for harvest,” and for that we say, “Praise the Lord!”
As we prepare for next summer, we rejoice in what the Lord has already done and will continue to do through Camp Saint Christopher. You can visit us at www.stchristopher.org and browse the Camp Saint Christopher tab for more information about summer camp. Our early registration period will run from 9:00 am on January 13 to 5:00 pm on January 25. General registration for all campers will begin at 9:00 am on January 31. If you have any questions about registration, you can also reach us by email at summercamp@stchristopher.org or by phone at (843) 768-1337.
By Justin Johnson, Director of Summer Camp, St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center
