COGWA Youth Camps

New Camp a Success

Strong Rock Camp in the beautiful north Georgia woods was a roaring success. This was our first year to use this facility. Camp officially started with Sabbath services in Marietta, Georgia, where blog class instructor Joel Meeker and counselor supervisor Dave Treybig gave split sermons on esprit de corps and service respectively. Sabbath services also included special music performed by Maranda Orrell.

Saturday night the staff arrived at camp and had a safety orientation on the facility. Knowing that the next day would be extremely busy, we determined the housing arrangements and went to bed.

This year we had 88 campers and 47 staff. The campers came from 18 states and the Bahamas. We had four dorms each for the ladies and the guys.  

On Sunday morning we had staff orientation before preparing for the campers to arrive. The excitement grew as the time for our campers to arrive drew close.    

The daily activities were: riflery, archery, softball, swimming, canoeing, blob, speedaway, basketball, blogging, dance and the climbing wall. Our staff did a great job leading the activities and encouraging the campers, and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the daily schedule. Every day began with Christian Living from 9 to 10 a.m., during which the ministers covered various topics relating to the theme: “A Compass for the Future.”  

Evening activities were quite diverse. On Monday night we had a “getting to know you” dance. Tuesday evening featured a traditional basketball game challenge between campers and staff. Wednesday found us laughing and having fun with novelty Olympics. On Thursday we went off-site for an evening of roller skating. Although this activity was a blast for the campers, the next morning several discovered that ankle socks do not work for roller skates and had blisters to care for. On Friday night the guys and girls had separate Bible studies. The ladies had a study on modesty led by Teddi Treybig. The guys had a Q&A coordinated by Bruce Gore. Then on Saturday night we had the final dance.

The facility was very nice, and the staff was encouraging and effective. And most importantly, the campers had a great time learning about God and seeing that His way of life is both valuable and fun. The theme, “A Compass for the Future,” anchored our daily routines and kept us looking to the future. We had a great year at Strong Rock Camp. See you there next year!