I want to tell you about Camp Joy & invite you to prayerfully consider joining us next year.
MY FRIEND ANTHONY
I met Anthony when I first began attending Camp Joy in the summer of 1995.
Anthony has cerebral palsy. It’s severe. He's mentally quite sharp, but he has very little control over his limbs, except a little bit of movement with his head & his right arm. He needs help to do everything & now has a feeding tube to make getting him the nutrients he needs easier. He has significant difficulty speaking, such that conversations with him are slow & hard.
But he’s a legend at Camp Joy.
While I met Anthony in the summer of 1995, several years later I had the opportunity be paired up with him for a week at Camp Joy.
I was Anthony’s “special friend” for the week.
That means, I was assigned to him for the week—to be with him, to care for his physical needs, & to help him benefit from all camp’s activities.
It was a deeply challenging week. It confronted my own selfishness in a way like I have never experienced, to spend an entire week serving him.
But it was—without exaggeration—a life-changing week.
Perhaps, more than anything else, I was struck by how happy Anthony was & is. Though he has so many challenges, has little physical control of his body, & is dependent on others to help him do nearly everything, he is incredibly joyful & happy. So many of these things I assumed made for a happy life were things Anthony was without.
I was gutted. I was changed.
For this reason, it was a tremendous joy to introduce my family to Anthony last year—nearly twenty years after that week!
CAMP Joy
Camp Joy is a camp for mentally & physically handicapped that started in 1980. It now includes camps in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, & Virginia.
The name joy fits—Jesus comes first, then Others, & lastly You.
This year, I (Walt) have been invited to be the minister at Camp Joy (NC) on the following dates: Session III—July 1-7.
If you are interested in serving as a counselor alongside my family & me, here are the requirements:
Minimum age is 15yrs by camp time.
Statement of Christian Faith
2 Personal References
1 Pastor Reference
You can apply online here.
INTEREST MEETING
If you would like to learn more about Camp Joy or would like to consider attending this summer, join us for the upcoming Interest Meeting.
Sunday, April 30
9:30am
We hope you will considering attending.