Extreme Makeover: Life Edition

Teen Camp 2005 is here and gone. It was truly an incredible week of ministry with the teens of the Maine District NYI. Special thanks to Wayne Nelson of Kansas City, and the Summer Ministry Team "His Own" from Eastern Nazarene College. Also, many thanks to the counselors and staff folk who gave of their time to minister to these teens.

Our theme for the week was "Extreme Makeover: Life Edition." In the morning chapels, Wayne worked through Romans 12:1-2 as translated in The Message. In the evening, he shared stories and parables, most from his own personal experience. These stories served as a tool to help connect the students to the Infinite Personal God.

For me, the highlight of the week was the testimony service on Friday night. We had tried to institute this service over the last several years, with little success. In the past, the service quickly fell either into lengthy life stories, or pat-each-other-on-the-back sessions. This year, Wayne helped us with the service by guiding us through a series of specific questions, ranging from "who did God bring this week that blessed you?" to "How will you be different when you return home?" Between each set of questions, we were led in a worship chorus by the ENC Team that had been with us all week.

My hope is that next year we will have many more students be able to join us for Teen Camp. We are looking at moving from the first week of August, so that we don't compete with SoulFest.

Grace and Peace,

PastorJon