I was recently contacted by a youth leader who was considering if his group should make the switch from the summer camp they had been used to and go to MFUGE this summer. I want to share with you my response because I believe in FUGE camps and am excited to be one of their camp pastors again this summer.
Here’s my response:
Great to hear from you! I always love hearing from youth leaders who have something good going but are inquiring if there is something that can be done even better! The next generation of students deserve people who are that intentional.
Every camp I have worked with MFUGE has been incredible. And every week I have served, I always encounter a nervous youth leader who is in the same situation you are in now. The youth group has been accustomed to a certain type of camp which is more recreational based than missional based. In an attempt to stretch the group a little bit, the youth leader wants the students to get a first taste in missions.
I want to be completely honest: I have never once seen a youth leader regret the decision to expose students to missions.
One thing to note:
- MFUGE is a mission camp where you break up and work with different groups.
- XFUGE on MISSION is a mission camp where you can serve together with your church group.
They can both be done at the same site.
I think MFUGE is a great place for your group. Here are my main reasons:
1. Best of Both Worlds.
When you go to MFUGE, you get a quality camp experience and a quality mission experience all wrapped up in the same week. The camp experience is not pushed to the side. The worship is great, the preaching is solid (hopefully, that can be said at the camps I preach at ;)), the Bible studies are thorough, the fellowships are incredibly fun, and the staff is intentional with students. Camp is done well at MFUGE. The mission experience is solid as well. There are different tracks for students to go with different skills. In cities like Charleston where I am preaching this summer, there is so many needs and it is incredible to see the tangible ways which students get to live out their faith.
2. Great Introduction to Missions.
It can be a huge jump for students and adults who are used to a camp experience to jump right into a full-fledged mission week. MFUGE is a great introduction. I will even go further than that, I don’t think this is a “mission camp lite.” This is a great mission trip impacting a city. It just has a staff who is full of Jesus and coffee to keep the camp side going when you get back to camp. On many mission trips, the youth leader has the burden of making sure there are worship services, Bible studies, and fun team-building activities. At MFUGE, all of that is taken care of.<
3. Reproducible Potential.
What I love the most about the sites at MFUGE is I hear so often about youth groups going back home with a greater missional attitude. When they become the hands and the feet of Christ in that community, they often see about the great potential for their group to reproduce what they did once they get back home. The opportunities they experience and the skills they develop provide great momentum for a group to go back home and make a difference in their own community.
Hope that helps! If I can be of any help to you or your group, please let me know. There are many great camps and locations this summer, I will be working 2 weeks in Charleston. If I can answer any questions about that site, please let me know! Praying that God continues to lead you and your group!
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
Travis you should come to my camp and I’ll show you why MFuge is not for everyone. While I do agree, A missions minded camp is important for teens who are further in their journey as Christ followers, that doesn’t include many between the ages of 8-13. A real residential Christian camp, you know a camp with cabins and counselors, should still have a place for younger students or students without the same spiritual means. Many of the students who come to our camp get to see Jesus at work in a adult’s(their counselor) life for the first time. Some come to know Jesus at camp and are challenged to get involved in church discipleship. The staff at our residential Christian Camp is challenged far more than they would be at any centralized Fuge camp. Our staff, and we only hire the best college age staff from Liberty, Southeastern, NGU, ect.., are with these students 24 hours a day 5 and half days a week. The recreational activities are for the purpose of building trust in order to share the Gospel or speak other needed Biblical truths in their lives. They are sharing Jesus with their words, but more importantly with their life. Real community discipleship. They are responsible for their spiritual life that week and their physical life. Once the campers leave the staff gets to experience more work as an act of Worship by cleaning the camp for the next group. I understand why you would recommend MFuge for some SBC students with good solid spiritual rearing, but don’t forget their are also solid residential Camps who get to share Jesus and urge Church discipleship with students who don’t go to church or SBC church, or even churches with the same spiritual means. I do enjoy your posts. This one hit close to home.
Dave Key
NGC 02
Hey Dave, I wasn’t saying FUGE was the only camp, I was simply saying I recommend it. It is a great one for those who are mature and who are older than 12. What camp are you at? I am sure it is great!