For years, Anderson University has opened its campus and hosted various camps during the summer. While the university’s leadership enjoyed playing host, it felt as though there was an opportunity for something more.
At the same time, Wayfarer, a Spartanburg-based ministry, had three speakers who traveled to 25 or more camps each summer, but these speakers longed to design a full camp experience together.
Little did Anderson University or Wayfarer know that their separate desires were in line with each other or that these desires would come together to create Wayfarer Camp at Anderson University, a four-day camp for middle- and high-school students that launches at the university June 19-22, 2009.
“We could not be more pleased that Wayfarer has chosen to work with us to create a new Christian youth camp on our campus,” Anderson University president Evans Whitaker said. “Wayfarer’s passion of bringing young people to meaningful intersections with Christ is also our passion. We look forward to seeing what God will do through this exciting new partnership.”
Anderson first discovered Wayfarer when Chad Norris, one of Wayfarer’s co-founders, spoke at a campus chapel service in early 2008. Based on that experience, the university asked Wayfarer to create a three-session chapel series for students in September 2008.
During the planning for that event, Bob Cline, vice president for Christian Life at Anderson, asked the Wayfarer team if it had ever considered putting on a camp. That’s when both teams discovered their parallel goals to create a different kind of camp experience.
“We have long dreamed of offering a summer camp that is a bit different from the usual, but still focused on bringing young people and Jesus Christ together for a life-changing encounter,” Cline said. “This partnership with Wayfarer is a dream come true for Anderson University. Wayfarer is a great team of committed people who are innovative, relevant, and excited about reaching young people for Christ.”
Wayfarer Camp at Anderson University will be a camp that focuses on spiritual development and teaching, and it will also have both recreation and mission components. All three of Wayfarer’s speakers – Norris, Dave Rhodes, and Chris Brooks – will be part of the camp teaching team, and David Walker will lead worship.
For Anderson University, Wayfarer is a chance to do two important things. First, the university gets to use its campus to spiritually minister to hundreds of middle- and high-school students. The camp also gives the university a chance to introduce itself to hundreds of potential future students.
Anderson hopes to host 750 students and adult leaders for the first Wayfarer Camp at Anderson University. Church leaders can register by calling 877-929-2453 or by visiting www.wayfarercamp.com.