Summer camp: a launchpad for discipleship

Hi-b.a. (an abbreviation of “High-School Born Againers”) has been in Japan creating spaces for high school students to gather and get connected to God and each other since 1951. One special place we have seen this happen is at hi-b.a. camp. Some students hear about Jesus for the first time, some take steps in their faith, some make decisions to be baptized, and others commit their lives to ministry and mission. These are all works of the Holy Spirit, but camp seems to be a special place where God puts people in the right state for this work to happen.

In my own discipleship ministry, I have seen the power of camp over and over. Many of my deepest relationships with Japanese students have started at camp. One of our new missionaries was lamenting how hard it was to start and build relationships with Japanese students, and I told them, “Just wait for camp. That’s where it happens.” And it does! I could give you a whole list of students I got to engage with in a significant spiritual way from this last summer alone.

Personal connection

I had a student in my cabin who was a third-year high school student and baseball player who had just retired from his club. He was getting ready for university, and even though it was summer break, he told me he was studying ten hours a day for the entrance exams. We talked here and there the first couple of days. Then one afternoon while the rest of our cabin napped, we talked for over an hour. We talked about sports, school, and his new spirituality. Hearing about the pressure he felt to study like he did, I lamented the fact that he was being sacrificed on the altar of cultural achievement. Why was he being encouraged more in his work for the sake of university entrance success than for growth in his faith? I exhorted him to seek first the kingdom of God. What good would it be to get into a good university and yet lose his soul? He listened, and we spent much of the rest of camp together. We played loads of sports, I taught him how to play tennis, and we left camp with a deep connection. We have continued to be in contact since, and I continue to encourage him in faith as well as his studies.

Intentional spaces for all students

It is not just Japanese students who come to camp. When hi-b.a. came to Japan over 70 years ago, the missionaries asked them to start programs for their children as well. This was the start of the international branch of hi-b.a. that I have been involved in since I came to Japan. Our international ministry is unique in that we seek to create a space specifically for TCKs (third culture kids) that is all about them, including international hi-b.a. camp every summer.

This year at international camp, we had four students place their faith in Jesus for the first time! They came from missionary families, so they knew all the answers and the gospel message, but they had never made their own profession of faith in Jesus. Since then, I’ve heard one of these students testify saying he experienced the love of God for the first time at camp and finally could taste and see that the Lord is good. I regularly see this start at camp, and then we get to walk with students in this faith journey until they graduate into the next chapter.

Continuing discipleship after camp

However, camp cannot be the only touchpoint if we want to make disciples who follow Jesus for a lifetime. This is where the weekly hi-b.a. clubs come in. In partnership with the local church, we strive to create safe places where high school students can experience Bible teaching, sharing, praying, and worship with their peers. These spaces also connect them to people who can disciple them and help them move from where they are to where God wants them to be.

Discipleship takes time, presence, commitment, and attention. However, it is really hard to get this with high school students because they are so busy and simply because they’re high school students. But we get all of these things in abundance at camp. We are together for a few days and get heaps of time for relationship, sharing, and teaching. In this environment, they experience the benefits of these activities. For some students, this might be the first time they’ve gathered with other Christians their age in this way. This makes camp a key launchpad for spiritual growth by connecting students to spiritual communities that will help them grow beyond camp. This is also key for helping them see the need for spiritual community throughout life, which happens most clearly in the local church.

As we gear up for a new season of ministry with the start of the fall, we are excited to fan the flame that was lit at camp. May it burn bright for the glory of God and so that many might come and taste and see.

Soli Deo Gloria! Glory to God alone!

Photo submitted by author