Across the continent, Seventh-day Adventist churches and schools are proclaiming the Gospel through events and Bible studies — many made possible by Pentecost 2025, a North American Division (NAD) initiative intended to mobilize church members for evangelism this year through start-up funds, resources, and training. Pastors, elders, principals, and teachers are not the only local church leaders involved in this widespread evangelistic push though.
Numerous summer camp directors and counselors have also plunged into Pentecost 2025, utilizing nearly 5,700 sets of sleekly designed, highly relevant children’s lessons: the Discovery Mountain Expedition Bible Guides. Created by the Voice of Prophecy (VOP), these studies feature a compelling continuous story set in Discovery Mountain Camp, a fictional summer camp familiar to fans of VOP’s popular Bible-based audio drama, Discovery Mountain.
The Pentecost 2025 planning committee did not originally intend to include summer camps in their initiative, said Rick Remmers, assistant to the president at the NAD. Plans shifted when camps expressed interest in joining. Leadership chose to supply them with Bible studies.
The NAD’s Youth and Young Adult Ministries Department already had Momentum, a Bible study series for teens. But, the NAD didn’t have a resource geared toward the majority of summer camp attendees, junior-aged children. That changed when Remmers spoke with Alex Rodriguez, an associate speaker and the evangelism director for VOP. The media ministry is one of Pentecost 2025’s official partners.
Rodriguez recommended the Expedition Bible Guides — 14 lessons that not only introduce readers to key doctrines of the Adventist Church but also immerse them in the world of Discovery Mountain, which releases fresh spiritual content each week, and reaches hundreds of thousands of young listeners around the globe.
“The Expedition Bible Guides are more than just lessons,” said Rodriguez.
“They’re supported by the Discovery Mountain holistic universe, and with them, we have the opportunity to provide a support system especially for campers who are not Adventist, and will not be returning home to Adventist churches or schools.
“Discovery Mountain could become their ‘family,’ ” said Rodriguez, “and we hope that the things they learn in these guides and through Discovery Mountain programming will continue sparking a flame in their hearts until the day that the Lord gives them an opportunity to take their place in the army of God. These Bible guides are the only guides I know of that can offer this larger system of belonging.”
When the NAD announced their offer to supply camps with children’s Bible studies, orders poured in. More than 30 camps — multiple from the Southern Union — requested Expedition Bible Guide sets, often by the hundreds. With their appealing graphics and solid biblical context, these guides will enable camps to easily infuse their activities with spiritual content, said Remmers. He’s also excited to see how these guides will equip counselors.
“A really neat aspect of this camp Bible study initiative is that the people who will be doing most of the teaching will be Adventist young adults, collegiates, and older high school students,” said Remmers. “Being a camp counselor already challenges them in a lot of ways; giving Bible studies will keep nudging them forward spiritually — and it becomes easy when you have a guide like Expedition, which walks you through the process.”
Jean Boonstra, Discovery Mountain’s executive director and a VOP associate speaker, further described how these guides perfectly fit the camp environment.
“The Expedition Bible Guides are a wonderful resource for small group study or one-on-one baptismal studies, and the boxed set comes with clear instructions for leaders and students,” said Boonstra. “Each guide begins with a summer camp story — so the context will be meaningful for campers — and that story ends with a cliffhanger so the student will want to read more. I hope campers grow with God this summer by using these studies.”
Tracy Woods, director of youth and young adult ministries at VOP, expects each camp to utilize the Expedition Bible Guides in a way that blends with their unique operations. Some will use the guides during cabin devotional times, others in Bible study sessions, and still others during rest periods and before bedtime.
“There is one thing that all of our 60-plus Adventist camps do well with,” said Woods, “and that is sending campers home with rich spiritual experiences and lifelong memories.”
Elizabeth Rodriguez, youth assistant director for the Gulf States Conference, explained that Camp Alamisco in Dadeville, Alabama, found itself in need of Bible studies last year, but her team didn’t know which ones to choose. When they learned about the Expedition Bible Guides, they were thrilled — especially due to the lessons’ unique design and content.
“The Expedition guides are the perfect fit for our camp environment,” said Rodriguez. “They speak the language of our campers — visually, spiritually, and personally.”
She added that her Camp Alamisco team decided to join this Bible study initiative because they aim to never miss an opportunity to share the Gospel in meaningful ways. The camp’s ultimate goal is to lead each camper toward making a decision for Christ.
“We’re grateful for ministries like the Voice of Prophecy that provide tools for evangelism in the camp setting, where personal conversations are happening every second,” said Rodriguez. “The Expedition Bible Guides are more than just a tool. They’re an answer to prayer.”
Shelina Bonjour, Kentucky-Tennessee Conference youth director for club ministries and youth director for Indian Creek Camp in Liberty, Tennessee, expressed a similar sentiment about her camp’s plans to use the Expedition Bible Guides.
“At Indian Creek, we’re not just planting seeds — we’re sending campers home with tools in hand to keep growing,” said Bonjour. “Every camper who asks for Bible studies this summer will leave equipped to dive in, dig deep, and keep building a stronger walk with Jesus.”
Several camps plan to send the guides home with campers. That way, any child who wants to continue studying the Bible will have a resource to read while waiting for additional study arrangements to be made with their local Adventist church.
Southern Union | July 2025
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