SUMMER MINISTRY READY TO LAUNCH - One Hope Canada

“In a few weeks we will launch our 89th summer of ministry and we need your help to make it happen.”

From June to September, over 20,000 children and youth will spend a week at one of our 42 camp ministries. They will hear the Gospel presented clearly and will experience the difference this good news makes in how people treat each other. Over half the campers do not know what the Bible is, who Jesus is, or what God has done for them.

Why is this so important to you and me? Because, this young generation, more than any in Canadian history, needs to know and experience true and lasting hope.  We are convinced that camp ministry is the most effective way for them to do exactly that. We say this because of campers like Vanessa.

If there is something I am good at, it’s being “me.” The problem is, you might consider me a bit unconventional. For as long as I can remember, I was the weird kid in school and spent the better part of elementary school being picked on—an outcast.  

One year, a new girl befriended me and when summer came, she invited me to Dorion Bible Camp.

I was thrown off at first, since I wasn’t from a Christian family. We didn’t even own a Bible! Unfortunately, this friend had to switch to a different camp week at the last minute and I went to Dorion alone.

Much to my surprise, I made so many friends and fit in so well. It was okay to be weird at camp. In fact, it was encouraged!

On the second last day of camp, it clicked: God loves me. He loves “me.” He made me quirky. He brought me to Dorion to experience a place where I could truly be myself. He sent His Son to die for ME.

I gave my life to Christ that night. (I spent the next 10 years serving at camp, where I could be myself.) While still a teenager, I found a church in Thunder Bay where I could be myself and grow in my faith. I met my husband at Dorion; he loves me for me, quirkiness and all. Even though I  wasn’t raised in a Christian family, I was determined to get to church on Sundays and determined to work at camp, summer after summer.

That’s what happens when you experience God’s love, when you find a place where you belong. I am so grateful God brought me to Dorion Bible Camp to encounter His unconditional love.

 

Vanessa’s story is just one of thousands we’ve seen and heard over the years—stories that happen in camps across the nation.

Vanessa’s story is only possible because of you. It is only by your support that our camps can keep costs low, making a week at camp accessible to families like Vanessa’s. When you help fund the support costs of camp ministry, crucial services are covered: 24/7 incident and emergency support from our Ministry Resource Centre; more than 300,000 kilometers of travel for our field support team, and hands-on coaching, mentoring, and support to frontline missionaries. You make this all possible. Will you prayerfully consider a special gift to make this summer of ministry possible? With your help, we will continue to faithfully proclaim the Gospel to a new generation of Canadians.  What a gift to give Canada on its 150th birthday! Thank you for your faithfulness, generosity and, most of all, your love for the Gospel. Click here to make a donation.  
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