Online Bible Studies 2021
Continuing Past the Camp-High
Camp and MIA Caravan are fun and exciting for our staff and campers, but we believe that true development and spiritual growth happen in the daily investment in the Word and in our relationship with God. Many of us have heard the term or have personally experienced a “camp-high” and it is no different here in Romania. We know that camp is a time for our counselors and campers to be surrounded by the Gospel and it is a valuable and impactful experience. However, throughout the other 10-11 months of the year, we want to get these young people involved in continuing their spiritual walk. The way we do this is through our online Bible studies.
Hear our staff and counselors share their experiences from the online Bible studies during the last year and plans for the future.
A year and a half ago, our online Bible studies were a solution to continue to serve and meet our students God has placed in our care when we were unable to travel or hold events. However, as time went on, we saw the value of these studies during a pandemic or not. Our counselors got the chance to teach, lead, and train their friends. In addition, all the counselors and participants were in the Word every day to complete the weekly work between meetings. Therefore, we believe that this is one of the best ways for our students to grow in their spiritual walk.
New Online Bible Studies
For the last month, we have been preparing our counselors to lead these studies. We hosted a training weekend in the mountains and our staff has been meeting individually with each counselor to train them how to lead in their specific role. Additionally, we have sent personal letters to all the participants from the summer to invite them to join a Bible study and a team of dedicated counselors has called every camper to see if they would like to be a part of them.
We already have 200+ signed up for these studies which begin next week. The youth who are 12 and older will be studying the life of Joseph and we are so excited for them to find encouragement from this incredible story. Likewise, our children under 12 will be going through a study book called Lord What is Your Name studying the various names of God throughout scripture and how they reflect God’s character.
How You Can Help
PRAYER
We rely on you and your partnership to continue to do this work God has called us to. Firstly, our counselors need your prayers as they teach, train, and lead these groups. They are learning how to do these things as our staff trains them and we have full faith in them as they minister to their peers. Many of us know from experience how nerve-racking it can be to lead a Bible study. Pray for them to have boldness and wisdom as they lead courageously.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Secondly, these studies are a big expense as we will be sending study books and participant booklets. The study book outlines the study of the life of Joseph and is a workbook for them to complete each week between meetings. In addition, the participant booklets are ones our team created that serve as a guide for their counselors to walk them through as they teach them how to have a quiet time, share the Gospel, and share their testimonies. These books cost money to purchase, the booklets cost money to print, and in the end, they all cost a large amount to mail to each participant and leader of the studies. Again, we do not charge our participants anything to receive these books to ensure that anyone who wants to participate has no barriers. We need your help in supporting the costs of these online studies.
