Last week, we had the privilege of attending Woodland Lakes Christian Camp with our  4th-6th graders and many others from area churches for a total of 133 campers. Mount Carmel sent 27 adult faculty members to help staff the week.  It was a truly unforgettable experience. An amazing God moment of the week was seeing 14 kids express their desire to get baptized. Out of those, eight were baptized at the camp, while the rest chose to be baptized at their home churches, surrounded by their local community and family.

Our fantastic guest speaker, Nick Zarley, delivered powerful messages that resonated with the kids. After every evening chapel, a practical response action was shared with the kids so they could take action on what they had just heard. 

The camp was packed with exciting activities that kept the kids engaged and active throughout the week. Some of the highlights included:

  • The Giant Swing: An exhilarating experience that gave everyone a rush of adrenaline.
  • The Lake and Pool: Where kids got to play on a bunch of fun inflatable things and swim their hearts out
  • Zipline: Soaring through the trees was a favorite for many campers.
  • Rock Wall: Challenging climbs that built confidence and teamwork.
  • Pedal Carts: Think ‘giant’ tricycles that are fun to race.
  • Mini-Golf: This is WLCC’s newest activity for afternoon rec time.

Every morning, we kicked off the day with the Morning Show, led by the dynamic duo David Rimarski and Roger Bishop. They kept the energy high with fun games, engaging skits, and special appearances from the Hostess Man and Captain Ancharrrrgghh (our guest pirate), who quickly became a camp favorite.

Before bed each night, we ended our day around the campfire. Collin Guernsey led campers with silly camp songs and lots of laughter. Campers were also challenged by hearing the testimonies of some of our junior faculty members about their personal faith journey. 

In the evenings, we continued the fun with a variety of activities:

  • Massive Slip and Slide: Perfect for cooling off and having a blast.
  • Yard Games: Connect 4,  huge Twister mats, bubbles, water balloons, and more.
  • Faculty Hunt: Campers had a great time searching for their leaders and earning points for their camp team. As they searched for faculty, little did they know that some of our faculty were worth negative point values!

We are grateful for the experience and look forward to seeing our young campers’ continued growth and enthusiasm for the Lord!