Camp Planned At Heritage Congregational

A summer day camp program sponsored by Spokane Youth for Christ and hosted by Heritage Congregational Church, 1801 E. 29th, will be up and running on June 16. The camp will be open to all children in grades 1-8.

The Spokane chapter of Youth for Christ has a very simple goal.

“Our goal is to present Christ to youth and introduce them to a local church,” says Monica Parmley, director of Positive Activities for Awesome Kids (PAAK). PAAK is an after-school program sponsored by Youth for Christ that runs during the school year at Bemiss Elementary.

The way the staff accomplishes its goal is through friendship ministries, says Parmley. They let the youth know that there is always a place where they can go and be loved unconditionally, and staff members develop relationships with the youth rather than just evangelizing.

The group does not say, “Hi, my name is so and so and do you know Jesus,” says Parmley.

Rather, the staff provides an example to the youth in hopes that they will follow it.

This is the second year for the summer camp program and the first year it is being held at Heritage Congregational. The church had the space, and Youth for Christ needed space, and things just came together, says Joe Clarke, pastor of Heritage Congregational.

The primary reason for hosting the camp is to perform a service to the community, says Clarke, but church members also wanted to make the church more visible. The traffic barrier at 29th and Pittsburg limits access to the church from the south.

“We want the community to start seeing the church,” says Clarke.

The summer camp will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, June 16 through Aug. 22. Hours will be from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The camp will include art lessons, field trips, indoor and outdoor games, Christian videos and movies, and Bible story times.

Registration is $25, which includes a T-shirt. Limited scholarships are available.

For registration information, call Youth for Christ at 448-1887.

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