50 Teens, Adults Put Their Faith Into Action

Faith. Fun. Friends. Service.

These four things encapsulated what 38 middle schoolers, 8 high school counselors, and 10 adult volunteers experienced last week during Camp Apostles. During the entire week, the teens learned that being a missionary disciple means participating in the mission of Jesus. The first day of camp included a retreat where teens could dove into the retreat’s theme, You are the light of the world. They focused on how God called each one of them to be a spiritual light to their Church, their families, their friends and their school. There were a series of talks given by adult volunteers and high school counselors that broke down the theme and connected it to other topics such as unity in mission and the church as one body. The retreat day helped teens understand that we are fundamentally “Called to Christ” before all else.

 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, that focused on being “Called to Service.” The campers divided into groups and traveled to a service site for the large portion of the day. These service sites included Sunrise of Alexandria, the St. Martin de Porres Senior Center, Culpepper Gardens and Habitat for Humanity. In the afternoon, the teens returned to Camp Apostles’ home-base at St. Mary’s School for snacks, games and small group time. Thursday focused on being “Called to Community” with a fun rafting trip to Harpers Ferry followed by the closing ceremony and a pizza dinner with their families. High school counselor Riley Smith shared how the camp was a great opportunity to develop friendships with the middle schoolers and help them come closer to Christ and the Church.