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BETHEL LAUNCHES SUMMER BIBLE CAMP TO HELP STUDENTS GROW

Change doesn’t happen overnight. The old saying holds true more often than not, so to change an entire community, you have to focus not just on those who hold the power now, but those younger generations who will look to sustain and continue that change into the future. To that end, Bethel Counseling Services is taking a new approach to helping young people grow both spiritually and academically. Starting this summer, Bethel launched a new Vacation Bible Camp to give kids both the support they need to develop intellectually and the spiritual base to prepare them for the rest of their lives. “It’s basically an enrichment camp,” says Tyree Armstrong, director of the camp. “It’s a camp that involves education all the way around.”

ENRICHING LIVES Campers met every Saturday night in August to receive both academic and

While many of the students in attendance have a parent who has utilized Bethel’s addiction recovery services, Armstrong says the camp is much more than drug preven- tion. He says it’s about expanding their worldview and laying the foundation for a better life. “I don’t see it as a prevention asset, I see it as an opportunity for them to be exposed to more than they’re being exposed to at home,” Armstrong says. “To be able to reach them and to show them that there is life beyond their circumstances.”

spiritual guidance, receiving tutoring help along with a number of faith-based and recreational activities. The camp was designed for students ages seven to 15, and features programming centered around topics like debate, musical theatre, art, and scripture. The camp culminated in a talent show for students to demonstrate what they learned, and staff also provided students with backpacks and other necessities before the start of the new school year.

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