Gary, Matthew, Lester, and I started throwing around the idea of starting the SMBC College Week last spring. We discussed it with the Board of Directors and got the approval to proceed with it this summer. This may seem like a minor switch, but it’s been much, much more than that for me. You see, I’m a recovering control freak. I don’t mind change as long as it’s well planned and controlled. The new College Week we’re planning makes my head feel all higgledy-piggledy. (In case you’re not familiar with that phrase, it means out-of-control thoughts leading to sleepless nights…and you should read more Winnie the Pooh…) For eleven years we’ve been perfecting the Intermediate Week with successive waves of 4-8th graders. I’ve gotten into a comfortable pattern, pretty much knowing what has to be done and when it needs to be finished. Now we’ve thrown all that out the window to start something from scratch. It’s not just a new adventure for our camp. We’ve not run across anyone that runs a full week of camp focused on college-age folks. Therefore, we don’t have anyone to steal ideas from. Some of my best ideas have been stolen from others. I’m not even sure I’m capable of generating ideas of my own. What if our plans turn out to be dumb and college kids think we’re just stupid? What if no one shows up for the week of camp? What if everyone shows up for the week of camp?!? Can you see what my mind has been doing to me?
So, why in the world are we doing this? In all honesty, because I feel like God is calling us to this adventure. We’ve prayed about it for over a year, asking God to lead us where He wants to go and make His will obvious to us. During that time, it’s become increasingly apparent that God is shoving us toward an age group that is being “under served” and sometimes outright ignored by our churches. He’s softening our hearts to an age group that sees a lot of folks drift away from Him. I see lots of opportunity for God to display His work in ways I’ve never experienced. That’s exciting. I mean I literally get goosebumps sometimes when I think about it. That’s what keeps me going. That’s what gets me through the sleepless times when I don’t know the answers. It’s because I serve a God that has all the answers and promises to do more that I can even hope to imagine (Eph 3:20). That’s something I want to be part of. I hope you will too.
