Responding to Love
October has always been a busy month at South Mountain. In fact, it can be downright dizzying at times. We had over 1,000 guests on camp through our various school programs, weekend retreats, and events. During this time, I had twelve meetings, six speaking engagements, and eight events to attend.
If that sounds like too much for one person, you’re right. We have a great staff team here that works hard to bring it all together, including a new program director. Mikel Collins is now overseeing school programs, ropes course activities, and hosting retreat groups. Taking these things off my plate has enabled me to be more effective as executive director.
One teacher expressed some concern when she arrived with her class and discovered that I would no longer be teaching the school programs. “Tyler will be disappointed,” she said. “He came to summer camp here and was really looking forward to seeing Steve.”
When my wife, Jen, shared this with me, I took a break from grant writing to visit the students. They were at the cafeteria for lunch when I arrived. Tyler came running up and hugged me before I even saw him. We talked for just a few minutes; then he returned to his table.
Now, I want you to think about something. Tyler is nine years old. He entire life spans about 3,500 days. Over the years, he has spent just 18 of those days at South Mountain Christian Camp. I have had no more than five or six brief conversations with Tyler in his life. Yet, when he saw me, his immediate reaction was to run to me and embrace me. Why?
The answer is two-fold. First, it’s an indicator of the power of camp. His experiences here have been impactful and memorable. The second, even greater factor, is the love of God. When Tyler is at camp, the love of God is poured out on him every minute of every day. He senses it, and he responds to it.
This is why giving matters—because young lives, like Tyler’s, are being affected. Like so many others, Tyler came to camp on scholarship because he didn’t have the money to pay his camp fees. He experienced the love of God through the hard work of our staff and the generosity of our supporters. So, when Tyler hugged me, he was hugging all of us.
If you'd like to partner with us through giving, you can mail a check to South Mountain Christian Camp, PO Box 9, Bostic NC 28018, or use the Donate button below.
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