Matt Overton, a high school senior from Gallatin, Tenn., prepared for a summer afternoon of extreme sports at Centrifuge camp in Ridgecrest, N.C. As he checked out the location of his next sports gig, someone yelled his name from the sand volleyball court.
Fuge campers rally around their recreational flags following an afternoon of sports. More than 1,900 students attended Fuge camp June 24-29 at Ridgecrest, N.C.“I just met that guy several hours ago,” Matt explained. “That’s what Centrifuge is all about – becoming friends with like-minded Christians in a matter of hours. It’s awesome.”
While Matt and other Centrifuge participants enjoyed morning Bible studies and afternoon adventure recreation, other campers opted for an XFuge missions track that sent them on local ministry assignments such as painting a children’s home, delivering meals to senior adults and feeding the homeless at a local church.
Jesse Bowling, a member of New Prospect Baptist Church in Hurt, Va., participated in the XFuge on Mission track and spent an afternoon feeding the homeless at First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C.
“As Christians, we are called to go out to the less fortunate,” said Jesse, one of the hundreds of students who chose the missions track. “If we don’t witness, then we don’t have purpose.”
The build-your-own camp experience that offers essentially three camps – Centrifuge, XFuge and XFuge on Mission – at one location is a new model for the student ministry team at LifeWay Christian Resources. The inaugural combo camp launched June 24-29 at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center with a sellout student crowd of 1,900.
The camp featured combined morning and evening performances from Christian band Big Daddy Weave, The Skit Guys, and messages from Tony Merida, associate professor of preaching and dean of chapel at New Orleans Baptist Seminary.
The triple camp prototype brought in the largest group to Ridgecrest in more than a decade, sparking a fitting prelude to the 30th anniversary of Centrifuge slated for summer 2008.
“This is the largest event we have had in 29 years, and I am amazed at how smoothly it has run,” said Joe Palmer, director of LifeWay’s student events, who quickly credited the camp staff for the successful week. “In 1979, when Centrifuge began, we never dreamed that we could fill up the whole camp. Now we’ve taken over the entire Ridgecrest campus.
“To have more than 1,900 kids in one location is a dream come true,” said Palmer, who added that LifeWay’s student ministry team has provided camps this summer for more than 85,000 students.
The growth of Centrifuge within the last five years has been remarkable, said Joe Hicks, LifeWay camp specialist. His ties to Centrifuge began in 1979 as a camper at the introductory camp in Glorieta Conference Center in New Mexico.
“I remember sitting in the back of Spilman Auditorium during a camp five years ago and thinking to myself, ‘It would be incredible to fill every seat in this place.’ When I walked into Spilman for the first camp worship service for this week and saw that there were no empty seats, I knew that this night represented great things to come for Centrifuge.”
Centrifuge offers an intimate small-group approach to Bible study, team-building exercises and interest track times such as photography, jewelry-making and adventure recreation. It is designed for students entering grades seven through college and “is the staple of LifeWay’s camp ministries that allow group leaders to invest in the lives of the campers,” Palmer said.
“For 30 years, Centrifuge has been about relationships, and it has been a successful model,” he said.
XFuge camps focus on the group-teaching approach and add a missions aspect to the camp week. Mission projects include volunteering in children’s homes, ministering at retirement centers and working with homeless shelters. XFuge also features top youth speakers, popular bands and drama teams.
In 2008, LifeWay will offer eight camps featuring simultaneous offerings of Centrifuge, XFuge and XFuge on Mission. Three events will be held at Ridgecrest Conference Center and five at Glorieta Conference Center, near Santa Fe, N.M. The Glorieta camp will also feature MFuge.