Nothing Else Matters: Outdoor School and Bible Camp

MOUNTAIN PINE, ARK. – The Arkansas-Louisiana Conference Outdoor School, May 1-4, 2023, included Jr. High Bible Camp. The theme of the camp was “Jesus—Nothing Else Matters,” and the focus text was Philippians 3:8, “Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ.” (CEV).

We had 80 students, along with 50 chaperones, teachers and guest speakers. Our guest speakers for fifth and sixth grades were Ben Roy and Debra Rivera. During their worship talks, they used science experiments and animals to teach about the days of creation. The guest speaker for seventh through tenth grades was Chris Bailey. He spoke about what God revealed to Paul, through Christ, that made him willing to do what he talked about in Philippians 3:8. The brief devotional thoughts reminded students that they must choose Jesus daily for themselves.

The fifth and sixth grades were divided into four groups that went through eight different STEAM-related classes. Students were taught about the water cycle (Tina Miller), art (Mary Womack), physical education (Cole Hagele), engineering (Joyce Fortner), dissecting (Joyce Fortner), First Aid (Crystal Beierle) and a class with Ben Roy. They also saw some exotic animals which were brought by Debra Rivera.

The seventh through tenth grades were also divided into four groups that rotated through four Bible-related classes and four activities provided by Camp Yorktown Bay (CYB) staff. These classes were titled End Time Events (Tara Bailey), Sanctuary (Chris Bailey), Parables of Jesus (Fernando Villegas), Iconic Biblical Artifacts (Marcos Cruz Arellano) and Animal Tracking (Renee Otts). The CYB staff assisted with the pamper pole and giant swing, and the State Park staff gave a tour of the lake on their barge.

During free time, students swam in the lake, played soccer and basketball, shopped at the camp store, played chess or other card games or just relaxed. We would like to thank the CYB staff for hosting this year’s Outdoor School/Bible Camp. We would like to thank all the teachers and parent chaperones that took time to assist in making camp a success. We couldn’t have done it without all of you! Twelve students asked for Bible studies to prepare for baptism. We pray that after Outdoor School/Bible Camp, each student realizes that without Jesus, “nothing else matters.”

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By Tim Kripps

Education Superintendent