Southern Tidings Southern Tidings
  • STORIES
    • Vantage Point
    • AdventHealth
    • AdventHealth University
    • Carolina Conference
    • Florida Conference
    • Georgia-Cumberland Conference
    • Gulf States Conference
    • Hispanic
    • Kentucky-Tennessee Conference
    • Oakwood University
    • South Atlantic Conference
    • South Central Conference
    • Southeastern Conference
    • Southern Adventist University
    • Southern Union
  • PRINT VERSIONS
    • 2025
    • 2024
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 2009
    • 2008
    • 2007
    • 2006
  • CONTACT
    • Submit Content
  • ADVERTISE
    • Display Ads
    • Classified Ads
Southern Tidings Southern Tidings
  • STORIES
    • Vantage Point
    • AdventHealth
    • AdventHealth University
    • Carolina Conference
    • Florida Conference
    • Georgia-Cumberland Conference
    • Gulf States Conference
    • Hispanic
    • Kentucky-Tennessee Conference
    • Oakwood University
    • South Atlantic Conference
    • South Central Conference
    • Southeastern Conference
    • Southern Adventist University
    • Southern Union
  • PRINT VERSIONS
    • 2025
    • 2024
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 2009
    • 2008
    • 2007
    • 2006
  • CONTACT
    • Submit Content
  • ADVERTISE
    • Display Ads
    • Classified Ads
Oct 01

Summer Camp Points Campers to Jesus

Alexis Dewey

Anaya Parker assists a junior camper during the closing nighttime program of Junior II Camp. Campers regularly say they love camp so much because of the staff who show them love and point them to Jesus.

Lizzie Peguero Peña

Alicia Anderson (left) and Matt Dormus are only two of the 110 staff who showed Jesus to campers this year at Cohutta Springs youth camp. All week, camp staff get to show campers what it means to love and give grace like Jesus does.

Lizzie Perguero Peña

Jonathan Montes, Cohutta Springs summer camp director and Georgia-Cumberland Conference youth director, baptizes Michael Geraghty during family camp. There were weekly baptisms at camp this year, resulting in 14 baptisms. Additionally during camp, there were 312 decisions for baptism and 400 decisions to continue walking with Jesus.

Ronnie Campbell-Stewart

Cohutta Springs Youth Camp (CSYC) is a place some people refer to as “Heaven on Earth.” It is a place where children are allowed to be the person God has created them to be, without any judgment or ridicule. Expressing that a place feels like “Heaven on Earth,” is describing that it feels pleasantly unreal. So, why do people say that CSYC feels “pleasantly unreal?”

CSYC opened in the summer of 1980, and the number of staff and campers has increased over time as the camp has grown. The camp has an array of things to offer its campers. It has activities like archery, basketball, horsemanship, wakeboarding, mountain biking, and more. However, there is something that Adventist camps have to offer that you cannot always find on your average summer vacation. Adventist camps offer an experience that allows you to see God in a different light. They allow campers to see what a relationship with Christ can truly look like.

Cohutta Springs Youth Camp has a Vespers every Friday night. During Vespers, the staff put on a play about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The staff are given the opportunity all week to show the campers what it means to love and give grace as Jesus did, and then, on Friday night, the campers get to see a reenactment of the greatest act of grace.

At the end of their week, the campers fill out an evaluation to anonymously express how their week went. Every summer, in recent years, campers tend to write that the staff at Cohutta are one of the biggest reasons that they felt a connection with Christ that week. Campers often say they enjoy camp so much, and a large part of that is the staff who show them love and point them to Jesus. Oh, and the water slide is fun, too.

This year was a big year for the CSYC staff to witness to their campers, with massive impact. There were 461 campers who made decisions to follow Christ, along with 312 decisions for baptism, 400 decisions to continue to walk with Jesus, four staff baptized, and 10 campers baptized. The unique highlight about this summer at CSYC is someone was baptized every week of camp! Adventist summer camps are winning hearts for the Kingdom every week of their summers.

One question on the survey that the staff added this year and were especially fond of, was asking if the camper wanted to continue to follow Christ. Normally, the questions are geared toward children who are not currently following Christ, but the staff wanted to add a question for those who already follow Jesus and want to continue that journey. “It is important to not only provide an opportunity for young people to make a decision for Christ, it is equally important to reaffirm those who have been baptized and reinforce their decision,” said Jonathan Montes, summer camp director.

Camp is a unique experience for everyone who attends, both campers and staff. Camp can change an individual’s life if they open their heart to it. The Holy Spirit is working through the camps to reach the new generation. Continue to pray that campers seek Christ after their summer experience.

Georgia-Cumberland | October 2023

  • Feature, Georgia-Cumberland, Georgia-Cumberland Feature
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

Comments are closed.

Recent Articles

  • South Central Conference Launches Innovative STEAM Camp for Students
  • Honoring Legacy: Celebrating Black History at New Jerusalem Church
  • Hispanic Camp Meeting Celebrates Unity, Growth
  • Weekend to Remember: A Lifeline for Pastoral Marriages
  • Southern Partners with GNTC for Adult Learning

The Southern Tidings is the official publication of the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • SUBMIT A STORY

Recent Posts

  • South Central Conference Launches Innovative STEAM Camp for Students
  • Honoring Legacy: Celebrating Black History at New Jerusalem Church
  • Hispanic Camp Meeting Celebrates Unity, Growth
  • Weekend to Remember: A Lifeline for Pastoral Marriages

Southern Tidings

P.O. Box 923868
Peachtree Corners, GA 30010-3868
770.408.1800
© SOUTHERN UNION CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS