FBCO youth adventure, study Bible in New Mexico mountains

Teens from the First Baptist Church of Olney enjoyed six days of study and fun in the mountains of New Mexico, practicing how to live Jesus Christ’s teachings as they travel through a world of upheaval and distraction, Youth Pastor Chris Cavitt said.

The 26 teens attended church camp in Glorieta, New Mexico at the base of the Sangre de Christo Mountains at Glorieta Adventure Camps. The camp encourages groups to connect with God in the natural world and offers outdoor activities such as rock climbing, waterfront activities, and mountain biking, as well as facilities for study and discussion.

“This year had a lot of teaching on who Jesus is and how students should live as his followers in a world of social media, school, political upheaval, violence, and culture wars,” Mr. Cavitt said. “Our students took a lot of notes and asked a lot of great questions. Now we challenge them to live it out. God is at work in this generation and we’re excited to be a small part of it.”

Ninth-grader Morgan Simmons said she learned about living a gospel-centered life that “incorporates gospel-centered conversations into our school and community.”

“What helped me the most was they gave us a lot of different strategies to share the gospel effectively for different age groups,” Ms. Simmons said. “It was tips and tricks to share the gospel and not make it complicated.”

The teens attended a morning worship service and chose a recreational activity or a breakout session, then had lunch followed by another breakout session or recreational activity, she said. Evenings featured theme nights such as ‘Silent 70s Disco’ when student donned headphones and danced and sang to music on one of three different channels, or ‘Color War’ in which they dressed in white and threw colored powder at each other, she said.

The students funded their trip from July 13-18 by selling Chick-Fil-A lunches, and through contributions.

Mr. Cavitt thanked the community for supporting the student ministry through the Chick Fil A fundraisers and giving. “We were able to give every student a significant discount on registration, rent a desperately needed passenger van, and [offer scholarships to] multiple students,” he said.

One of the daily breakouts featured Zoom calls with IMB missionaries in the field. Students were able to hear their stories, learn about their gospel work and ask them questions.

“The message of camp isn’t all that different from what is taught during church every week. We hear preaching from the same book, sing many of the same songs, and play some of the same games. My students might put it this way: doing it all in a room of 1,600 other teens just ‘hits different’,” Mr. Cavitt said.

“For many, camp is an escape and a time to be reminded of who God says they are and be encouraged to live for his glory.”