Since 1987, SummerSalt has served as the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s high-energy summer camp designed, per the www.summersalt.org website, to grasp and captivate the next generation with the Gospel. This summer, the five weeks of Summersalt and two weeks of Kidsalt are estimated to reach almost 3,700 campers with the gospel.

This year’s theme will be The Estate, and the worship drama as well as supporting Bible Studies will come from the Pastoral Epistles – 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus – where Paul addresses those with pastoral oversight of churches, discussing Christian living, doctrine, and leadership.

“We recognize that there are several generations of Christians that do things institutionally,” said Steve Rohrlack, director of the state convention staff’s Generations Group, which manages Summersalt and Kidsalt. “For many, the church is a building and conversations of the church are not so much the ecclesia of the New Testament anymore. Church for many is just a peer group. What we want to do is stimulate thinking about the New Testament church and our calling to be missional and evangelistic.”

Rohrlack said he and the 25-30 college students who serve as Summersalt staff hope, that by the end of each week, each student leaves with three friends or peers whom they will pray for, serve, and talk with about the gospel.

“We are going to be using Lee Clamp’s Pray, Care, Share (3-2-1) strategy for evangelism,” Rohrlack said. “During the week, we want to guide each student to identify three people for whom they will pray; and then from those three to serve two of them in some tangible and meaningful way; and then have a true relational connection with one for sharing the gospel. Clamp is director of the convention staff’s Evangelism Team and a regular staff preacher at Summersalt.

“This process must begin with young people praying for their friends,” Rohrlack said.

Students will leave Summersalt with a pocket-sized card in a rubber sleeve that fits on their mobile telephone. The card will remind them of their 3-2-1 commitment. The card will also be on the convention Website so churches can download it, add the church’s logo, and print it for others to use.

“Our goal is for camp to be fun, yes, but also a discipleship experience,” Rohrlack said. “We want young people to leave Summersalt or Kidsalt and go into their personal mission field.”

The planning and preparation that goes into Summersalt is one of the reasons Lexington Baptist’s Stephen McNeill has long been a Summersalt champion. McNeill served as minister of students at First Baptist North Spartanburg before coming to Lexington Baptist as the associate pastor for Next Generations. This summer, Lexington Baptist’s Middle School students will attend Summersalt.

“When I was at First North, I looked at a lot of summer camp options,” McNeill said. “I settled on Summersalt because it gave, and gives, me an opportunity to go as a leader and spend time with students. I don’t have to worry about programming because it’s excellent. The staff does such a great job, and that lets me focus on relationships and hanging out with my students.” McNeill said the church is administering its own summer camp experience for its high school students.

Summersalt 2017 has a full enrollment for the first four weeks of the summer. The fifth and final week of July 3-7 remains open for registration. Kidsalt, a camp experience for children completing grades three through five, will follow Summersalt with two weeks of camp in July. Kidsalt is modeled after the Summersalt experience.

Besides Clamp, other preachers at this year’s Summersalt camp will be David Sons, Next Generation pastor of Lake Murray Baptist Church, in Lexington, and Jody Jennings of the North Greenville University Baptist Student Union. Summersalt includes daily worship, small groups, church group devotions, and free time for recreation at White Oak Conference Center.