Camp McCall is a good representation of what heaven will be like; it is multicultural. The afternoon I arrived at the camp, a thunderstorm forced the campers to seek indoor activities. I went to the covered basketball court, where I watched boys of three different ethnicities play basketball. I also noticed the staffers interacting with them, working hard at forming relationships with the boys. I began to talk to a few of the boys.
Satterwhite Chapel at Camp McCallThree of them came from United Baptist Church, and all three were Hispanic. The first boy I talked with was Oscar. It was his first time at the camp. He liked the activities, including basketball. While I talked with Oscar, his friend Alejandro sat down on the floor next to him. It was his fourth trip to McCall. He, too, enjoyed the activities, but he said he also liked learning about God. Our little group soon expanded with the addition of Martin. It was the first time Martin had been to the camp, and he thought that it was cool.
When the rain abated, I walked up the hill to the activities building, where another large group of boys had gathered. The staffers were playing several different games with the boys. Some were playing corn hole, while others played ping pong and a modified form of racketball. I noticed one of the boys standing by the wall taking a break. His name was Ethan. It was his third year at camp. He had come with his dad to one of the Lad camps the previous year. He said that he “just loved being up here and liked learning more about God.”
I also had the opportunity to talk to some of the staffers while we waited out the weather. Rudder, who was working at McCall for a third year, said that for some of the boys this would be the only time the entire year they would hear the gospel. While the boys had come with church groups, not all of them were active in church. Some were visiting the camp because a friend had invited them.
According to camp director Eddie Pettit, many of the boys attending camp that week were on scholarship, which was the only way they were able to be there and hear the gospel.
Later that day, I talked with Pomp, a fourth-year staffer who had been attending camp since he was in the first grade. He said he “loves [Camp McCall] for its lasting staff relationships and its ministry to boys and men.” He went on to say that he loved “being able to work at a place where we get the opportunity to model godly manhood.” I asked him why he had become a staffer at McCall. Without hesitation, he replied that his dad had encouraged him to pursue it.
That evening, we gathered outside the chapel before the worship service began. Behind us was Satterwhite Chapel, a building dedicated to the worship of God. Before us, in the distance, rose the mountains, a sight that inspired awe for the God who created them. Thus, we prepared for corporate worship in the cathedral of nature. Again, this experience brought home to me the fact that this might be the only worship experience some of these boys would have all year.
The chapel service was centered around the proclamation of the gospel. We were reminded of the reality that there are many who have not heard of Jesus Christ. We were also told of our need for Jesus to save us. Perhaps the thing that impressed me most was hearing the 42 staffers who formed the choir sing boldly about their Savior. Even in song, they were modeling for the boys what it meant to be godly men.
The chapel services are designed to complement what is done in the cabins. As Pettit explained, the camp pastors all understand that the professions of faith at the camp are not solely a result of the preaching in chapel. Indeed, most of the evangelism work that takes place at McCall happens in the cabins and during other activities as the staffers interact with the campers. This is relational evangelism at work.
The structure of the week-long camps is much like that prescribed in Deuteronomy 6:5-7: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (ESV). At every turn, the gospel was being taught and modeled before the campers by the staffers.
Boys who spend a week of their summer at Camp McCall will hear the gospel. They will be challenged to surrender their lives to follow Christ. They will have an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. – SCBC