River Valley Family,

If you have children or grandchildren between the ages of Pre-k 4 through completed 12th grade, we have a summer camp designed for them. I can’t encourage River Valley summer camps enough.

We have created these camps for many years and will continue to do so. These camps provide an amazing opportunity for our kids to have an incredible, focused time with the Lord!

There are many great things about our camps. Each camp has biblical worship and teaching. Our kids will have a ton of fun with the games and recreation. They are able to get really creative. It serves as a great week to remove normal life distractions and be immersed in a Godly atmosphere. I can go on and on about the benefits of camp and how this is so important for your children.

I want to share a personal testimony of what camps have meant in my life. I can look back on my childhood and clearly remember how kids camp and student camp were markers for my faith in Jesus. Those camp weeks were so intentionally focused with the Lord that I was able to learn about Him and hear from Him in a fresh way. At the time, I may not have been able to express how much transformation was happening BUT I can look back and see how each summer was a significant connection point to deepening my relationship with Jesus AND the calling He has on my life.

Now, as a dad, I can see the same significance for my 3 boys. For example, my oldest son, Kress, surrendered his life to Jesus after summer camps last year. He became a Christian and then was baptized soon after, at the river.

What I love about Kress’ story is that it matches what Cody preached about a couple of Sundays ago. Cody talked to us (in preparation for Easter) about how it statistically takes someone hearing the gospel 20 times before they surrender their life to Jesus. Somebody has to be the first to share the gospel with them, someone else gets to be the 6th person, someone else the 14th person, and someone gets the special opportunity to be number 20 and see them come to salvation. All 20 people were equally significant in this process of sharing the gospel.

For Kress, there were years of him coming to church every Sunday, serve team leaders in Children’s Ministry teaching and encouraging him, him sitting with us in “Big Church” hearing Cody teach and singing as the Worship Team led, him going to camp every summer, family and friends praying for him, family dinners talking about Jesus, praying together before bedtime, talking about Christianity in our day to day “teachable moments,” and so on. There were numerous times of him hearing the gospel and seeing it actively lived out by others before he decided to follow Jesus.

Summer Camp was a HUGE part of that process. It was “number 20” for him.

As that happened, it was such a blessing for my wife and I to be able to text friends to tell them thank you. Ashlee and I were able to encourage them that they played an equally important part of him receiving the gospel because of the years they spent praying for him, serving every Sunday morning in Children’s Ministry, serving as a summer camp leader, etc.

Summer Camp is a vital part of what we do as a church to share the gospel with our kids and students. All of you who serve are a vital part of sharing the gospel with our kids and students. 

You want your kids and grandkids to be part of this. Some of you know that you need to serve at these camps because Jesus has been talking to you about that. Whatever the case may be for you…don’t miss out on the blessing!