Camp Dixie Director Marty Miller explored the challenges and possibilities for beautiful Camp Dixie on Perdido Bay at the March meeting of “Men’s 710,” a light breakfast and speaker fellowship meeting monthly at Zion Lutheran Church in Silverhill. Camp Dixie has both a traditional camping ministry and a retreat ministry as well. “You see, Camp Dixie is an ‘Altar Ministry.’ It is designed to be an out-doors ministry. Camp programing is designed to supplement the parish ministry. It seeks to facilitate relationship-building in the community of Christ,” Miller is quick to point out. A camping ministry “works outside the box,” by challenging young people to grow physically and spiritually. The “Challenge Course” at Camp Dixie, for example, teaches young people that they can do what seems physically impossible. They can grow spiritually in their walk with God through the application of God’s Word in camping activities.
Challenges for children mask the challenges faced by adults these days. Today’s families are overwhelmed with “busyness” in their daily lives. Often “schedules” severely limit “spiritual growing time”--the camping experience offers unique opportunities in this kind of culture. This is why our culture needs to find ways of providing children growing opportunities. Sports programs for kids are, of course, useful for building many healthy attitudes, but they neglect the spiritual component needed to sustain people in the tough times of life. Single-spouse households with time and expense competition along with a variety of other limitations, deny today’s children access to the Christian camp experience.
Such foundational losses translate directly into people failing to be nurtured in faith. Although some Lutheran denominations are adding people to their congregations, two of the larger Lutheran denominations have experienced membership losses of 250,000 in a recent three-year period. From a practical standpoint, this means that the user base for Lutheran camps is shrinking. But, it also means that children are losing faith-nurturing activities in families that are not pursuing the spiritual life. The world needs to know Jesus Christ and the Altar Ministry of Camp Dixie is a resource and blessing potential for our region and for people right here in Lower Alabama.
“We live in a time when everything is driven by economical pressures,” Miller notes. Parents ask, “How can I get the best camping experience and pay the least for it? Should my youngster do a sports camp or a band camp or language camp or a Christian camp or a something-else camp? Every household faces the financial pay-off issue: What is the pay-off for my child and his or her future.”
The program at Camp Dixie grows the faith and confidence of children through challenges. A strong out-of-doors ministry with a focus on beautiful Perdido Bay where the Camp engages campers in an experience of open areas and beach and fellowship. Camp Dixie fosters camper-counselor and camper-church relationships in its ministry. “Growing in our walk with Christ through camping” under girds family values and creates a pay-off value in camping activities.
In times of “tight” dollars after some devastating hurricane years, what can a Christian camp do to build ministry? The Camp Dixie strategy is to build relationships with congregations and people. Director Miller is implementing a regular newsletter concerning new and existing programs at Camp Dixie. With a two-year horizon, there are plans to bring new programs on line involving trips and serving events for individuals and churches and communities. Excitement in setting forth the challenges for our future, will build the Body of Christ, His church, in Lower Alabama.
Director Miller is excited to share information concerning opportunities for service and for campers. He can be reached by phone at (251) 987-1201 or by e-mail at director@campdixieministries.org.
