February, 1998. What do you remember? 15-year-old Tara Lipinski skating her way to a Winter Olypmic Gold Medal over favorite Michelle Kwan? Adam Sandler’s The Wedding Singer? Good times, right there. What about Celine Deon’s “My Heart Will Go On”? Man…let’s just stop and sing that one for a minute. “Near…far…wherever you are…”
Okay. I’m back. Sorry. That song gets me every time.
As for me…what do I remember about February of 1998? Easy. The entire course of my life changed.
As an 8th grade boy, I attended a Love, Sex, & Dating camp with Fellowship North at Castle Bluff. On that Sunday morning at camp, I stood up and committed to sexual purity. But even more importantly, I gave my life to Christ. Entire. Course. Of. My. Life. Changed. All from one weekend in February of 1998.
Friends, we’re hoping and praying for that kind of impact here in North Little Rock in February of 2013. We long to see students standing up for Christ and making decisions to and declarations of sexual purity. But even more, we yearn to see the ones that don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior to receive Him into their lives.
So, February 22-23, right here at Fellowship North, we’ll be hosting an LSD camp for Middle School students (6th-8th grade). Normally we head off to the Bluff for these kinds of things. But we’ve been intrigued over the past few years by a camp model that’s been floating around other churches. They’re called DNOW or Discipleship Now weekends. Here’s how they work: students show up at church on a Friday night. They spend the evening together before splitting up into small groups and sleeping over at Host Family’s homes. Saturday, everyone gathers again as a group and spends the entire day diving deep into worship and the Word…with just enough fun and games mixed in that they’ll be absolutely worn out by the time they head home!
24 hours straight with middle schoolers sound crazy? I can assure you…it is. I’m not gonna sugar coat it. But you know what? Back in February of 1998, some leader was crazy enough to spend a weekend with little, 8th grade me. Actually, I was a pretty big 8th grader. Hit my growth spurt young. Probably should’ve played football, now that I think of it. But that’s not the point. The point is that someone sacrificed time and energy to invest in my life. And you know what? Because of that, I now find it my joy, passion, and vocation to create these experiences for others. God is good!
One last thing before I pass on the details. We’re doing something BRAND NEW this year. That Saturday afternoon, from 3-5pm, we’ll be hosting a free seminar for parents. We know it’s not always easy to address Love, Sex, & Dating in the home. We want to equip parents to be able to have real, significant conversations with their kids. We are hoping and praying that the good work that began in February of 2013 will continue for years and years to come!
If you’re a parent that’s interested, let us know and we’ll get in touch with you! If you have a child or know of a student that would be interested in this camp, grab a form at the Connecting Point. Lastly, if you just have a heart for students, please be praying over this weekend with us. We want to see lives changed. May God grant us that.
– Bobby Harrison
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LSDNOW: The Details
Who?
ELEVATE (Middle Schoolers, 6th-8th grade)
What?
Love, Sex, and Dating camp for ELEVATE
When?
Starts: Friday, February 22nd @ 5pm
Ends: Saturday, February 23rd @ 5pm
Where?
Fellowship North Bible Church
A Few More Questions:
How much does it cost?
$25: 3 meals included (dinner Friday night, breakfast & lunch Saturday)
What do students need to bring?
Bible, change of clothes, toiletries, sleeping bag, pillow
What if a student can’t come the whole time?
We really believe there’s value in being ALL-IN on an experience like this. If there’s a minor conflict that gets in the way, please let us know and we’ll see if we can work it out.