Gravel crunches under tires, and the sound of the sparse traffic on nearby paved roads fades into the distance. In an increasingly distracted world, where both teens and adults are drawn to the glowing devices in their hands, IBSA Camps continue to be secluded places where God’s creation takes center stage and lives are changed.
“I think a big thing is just the focus,” said Jacob Kimbrough, Camp Manager at Streator. “They really do get to experience the Lord in a way that they don’t experience at home because they’re just so distracted by so many things.”
After just the first four weeks of summer camps season, Streator Baptist camp had already seen over 40 young people make decisions to follow Jesus or rededications, plus numerous teens saying they were being called into full-time Christian service.
Brock Vandever, Camp Manager at Lake Sallateeska near Pinckneyville, knows first-hand the spiritual impact of a week at camp. “Where I was called to be a (IMB) missionary, was at camp.” Now, he dedicates his days to providing the current generation of young Illinois Baptists with the same type of focused spiritual environment that impacted his life.
“Our whole goal for the campground itself is to be a place where we remove the distractions of the world, where they can meet with Jesus.”
The camps, purchased by Illinois Baptists in 1941 (Sallateeska) and 1969 (Streator), provide rural retreats where children and teens come by the hundreds, to experience fun, worship, and discipleship. Dozens leave each year transformed by the message of the gospel, bringing a charge of spiritual vitality into their local churches.
But the life change that happens at the camps isn’t limited to the summer months when youth dominate the properties. The camps host groups from churches year-round and offer pastors and their families the unique opportunity to get away and recharge for a night or two.
“It’s a really great opportunity for pastoral wellness that we get to see them come and take a break,” said Kimbrough. “I’ve heard pastors that are going through a lot… and they’re struggling with how to be good dads and be good pastors… And they get to come for two days and do archery with their kids and go fishing with their kids, and the feedback I get from them is just that I don’t know how I would have been able to do this by myself or do this on my schedule.”
Both camp managers are grateful for the part they get to play in such important ministry that has a statewide reach, affecting youth groups, churches, pastors, and communities.
“There’s not a lot of words you can say to say a true thank you,” said Vandever. “I think we say it by saying, look at the lives changed.”
The 2024 Mission Illinois Offering and Week of Prayer is September 8-15 and this year’s statewide offering goal is $350,000. Find out more at MissionIllinois.org.