H7 Story: RYM High School Camp Recap
In early July, about 40 of our high-school students at First Christian Church loaded up and traveled all the way down to Panama City Beach, Florida, for Reformed Youth Ministries (RYM) summer camp. Centered around the theme "Further Along," the week paired plenty of sunny beach downtime with rich, biblically rooted teaching on sanctification—helping our students understand how God grows us day by day.
The teaching made a real impression. Our students engaged deeply with the sessions, walking away with a much clearer grasp of sanctification and expressing specific, personal ways they want to keep growing now that they’re back home. Our very own Travis Chapman taught one of the electives, which our students enjoyed greatly!
As the new Student Director, the trip was an incredible opportunity to connect with the students on a deeper level—spending quality time chatting with students, building relationships, and getting to know the unique heart of our youth group. I was so encouraged by the culture Travis has built for our youth group at FCC!
Thanks so much to all those who made it possible! Thank you for placing your trust in us to bring your kids all the way down to Florida. We don't take that trust for granted! We also could not do this without our wonderful volunteer team, who poured so much energy into making the week safe, smooth, and fun. And our students represented our church so well. Their engagement, heart, and energy truly outshined every other group there!
The teaching made a real impression. Our students engaged deeply with the sessions, walking away with a much clearer grasp of sanctification and expressing specific, personal ways they want to keep growing now that they’re back home. Our very own Travis Chapman taught one of the electives, which our students enjoyed greatly!
As the new Student Director, the trip was an incredible opportunity to connect with the students on a deeper level—spending quality time chatting with students, building relationships, and getting to know the unique heart of our youth group. I was so encouraged by the culture Travis has built for our youth group at FCC!
Thanks so much to all those who made it possible! Thank you for placing your trust in us to bring your kids all the way down to Florida. We don't take that trust for granted! We also could not do this without our wonderful volunteer team, who poured so much energy into making the week safe, smooth, and fun. And our students represented our church so well. Their engagement, heart, and energy truly outshined every other group there!
Also, a completely random, fun item to add to this story:
On the way home from Florida, the group drove through Dothan, Alabama, where Rick Mearns ’ 92-year-old father lives and was celebrating his birthday. His dad has been in poor health for several years. The entire group stopped by Rick’s parents’ home and sang for his dad through the window. As you can see from the pictures, he was very surprised that a bunch of students would take the time out to sing him Happy Birthday. Rick said, “It will also be one of my favorite memories of being a Small Group Leader with 180! My dad said that 5-minute stop was one of the best things that he saw all year!”
On the way home from Florida, the group drove through Dothan, Alabama, where Rick Mearns ’ 92-year-old father lives and was celebrating his birthday. His dad has been in poor health for several years. The entire group stopped by Rick’s parents’ home and sang for his dad through the window. As you can see from the pictures, he was very surprised that a bunch of students would take the time out to sing him Happy Birthday. Rick said, “It will also be one of my favorite memories of being a Small Group Leader with 180! My dad said that 5-minute stop was one of the best things that he saw all year!”
Here are just a few reflections from the trip from those who were in attendance:
“One big way I saw God working at RYM was bringing our group together as a whole. It was very encouraging to see fellow students growing and leading in vulnerability and to see a desire, as a group, to serve God.” – Student Kendall Baughman
“The in depth sessions like apologetics, grief and suffering were very helpful. I really liked how RYM did the separate classes because there are things that aren’t covered in most sermons that are important to a strong Christian life. This opportunity also allowed me to meet people outside of my group and hear other views and insight into the difficult topics.” – Student Gideon Hodge
"As a leader on the trip, one of the things that stood out the most to me was seeing the attention the students gave to the speakers of the breakout sessions. I was also impressed with the spiritual maturity level of the questions and answers they had during large group time.” – Leader Rick Mearns
“One big way I saw God working at RYM was bringing our group together as a whole. It was very encouraging to see fellow students growing and leading in vulnerability and to see a desire, as a group, to serve God.” – Student Kendall Baughman
“The in depth sessions like apologetics, grief and suffering were very helpful. I really liked how RYM did the separate classes because there are things that aren’t covered in most sermons that are important to a strong Christian life. This opportunity also allowed me to meet people outside of my group and hear other views and insight into the difficult topics.” – Student Gideon Hodge
"As a leader on the trip, one of the things that stood out the most to me was seeing the attention the students gave to the speakers of the breakout sessions. I was also impressed with the spiritual maturity level of the questions and answers they had during large group time.” – Leader Rick Mearns