Conference camps report
stellar summer season

An all-time record 3,177 children and youth attended one of four conference camps this summer - representing an 11 percent increase over the 2004 summer season, the Camp and Retreat Ministries office announced.

More than half of those campers (1,691) were served with scholarships sponsored by camps, churches, or other groups.

The conference camps include Lookout in Rising Fawn, Ga., Wesley Woods in Townsend, Tenn., Buffalo Mountain in Jonesborough, Tenn., and Dickenson in Fries, Va. The 2005 theme was "In the Footsteps of Jesus."

Of a total 170 summer counselors and staff, more than 30 attend one of the three conference colleges or participate in Wesley Foundations, Director Randy Pasqua said. "Several are preparing to go into ministry. We even had staff members from New Zealand, South Africa,Wales, Germany, and Mexico."

Fifty-two ministers-in-residence served at the camps, Pasqua said. "As you know, statistics don't tell the whole story. We do know that campers, staff, ministers-in-residence, and volunteers came to know God better through life at our camps."

Pasqua also pointed out that 1,476 campers had never attended a Holston Conference camp before."Just as Jesus started with an invitation, sumer camp also began with an invitation, 'Follow me, in the footseps of Jesus.'"

Of the four camps, Wesley Woods experienced the largest attendance increase - up 17.6 pecent from last summer with 1,283 campers this summer.

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