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“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

In quietness and confidence shall

be your strength.” – GodIsaiah 30:15

“It’s my home away from home.” That is how 17-year-old Devon describes summer camp. Since the age of 9, camp has been a place where he can get away from the stresses of life in the city and release everything over to God.

He still remembers his first time coming to camp. He wasn’t even sure that he wanted to come, but as he stepped off the bus he made an immediate connection with the camp director, Vinny. Devon has been coming back ever since.

Summer Camp: A Safe HavenBy Michelle Wenden, Teen Haven Staff

Now eight years later, he is helping other first-time campers feel at home by serving as a cabin supervisor. Devon loves being in this leadership role, as it gives him the chance to encourage other young people during times when they feel like giving up.

Once while working with a kid who was having behavioral issues, Devon learned that the boy had been abused while in foster care, an experience that Devon could relate with having come out of an

abusive foster family situation himself. Devon allowed his life to be an example of hope to this boy by using his testimony to say, “If I can change as a result of Christ, so can you.”

For 50 years, Teen Haven has been introducing teens in our cities to a loving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. As part of Water Street Ministries, Teen Haven helps take our message of changing lives to the next generation.

Special Edition

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The average American child spends 7.5 hours per day with electronic media but only 4 minutes each day playing outside and 3.5 minutes each week in conversation with their parents.

Wow! My head spins when I think of the reality facing our kids today. Even more so when I think about the reality facing the kids growing up in our cities, where single parent homes and poverty are even more prevalent than in other communities.

Our camp ministry stands in distinct contrast to what the world is constantly feeding our children: A week for teens to unplug from the chaotic noise of our media-saturated society and the busy city streets. A week for teens to

be immersed in the beauty of creation and learning about the creator who truly loves them. It’s no wonder that so many of our Teen Haven youth point to our camp as having a major impact on their life and faith.

All kids deserve the chance to have the life changing experience of summer camp. But for most of the teens that Teen Haven connects with in the cities of Philadelphia, Lancaster and York, camp would be an impossible dream. Most camps are inaccessible and unaffordable to low-income families. That’s why our camp is so special. Through our Sponsor a Camper program, hundreds of kids are able to have a life-changing week at summer camp for

whatever amount their family can pay. With help from our faithful friends–like you, we expect to host 400 campers this summer, most of whom would never have the chance to attend camp without your help!

References:

US Center for Disease Control (2013) A Growing Problem. Available from www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/problem.html

Kaiser Family Foundation (2010) Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18- Year-Olds. Available from www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf

Cal State University, Northridge (2007) Television & Health. Available from www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

Why Camp Matters for Teens in Our CitiesBy Jack Crowley, Executive Director, Teen Haven

422 campers in a summer. 118 decisions for Christin a summer.

For teens in our cities, summer camp is often inaccessible.

Scale: 1 Graphic = Approximately 10 Campers

99percent

of our campers need a scholarship to attend camp.

Cabins at our camp.

For Chris Jackson, Teen Haven’s camp holds meaning far beyond a few happy childhood memories. He acknowledges how camp and its staff helped form him into the man, and spiritual man, he is today.

Chris’s first experience with Teen Haven was during a week of summer camp where he opened up his heart to Christ at age nine. His faith continued to be developed as a teen when he stepped into leadership roles. As Chris

prepared for marriage to another Teen Haven alumnus, they decided it was only fitting for them to get married at camp since that is where they met. Camp later became their home when Chris accepted a position managing the kitchen. Chris now works closely with the teen kitchen staff as he mentors and disciples them in their faith. God is using him, through Teen Haven, to reach the next generation for the Lord.

Salvation, Discipling and Preparation for ManhoodBy Michelle Wenden, Teen Haven Staff

What developed out of a brainstorming session between Vinny Mikusow, Teen Haven’s Camp Director, and Calvary Baptist Church of York turned into a church deciding to stay local. When they heard about needs in their own backyard, the church decided to do a domestic missions trip rather than their usual overseas missions trip.

In September, 25 Calvary Baptist volunteers started the largest volunteer project ever at Teen Haven’s camp, totaling over $45,000 donated in labor,

parts and materials. Each of the nine projects—from replacing an 800-ft stretch of water line to repairing stair rails—had a team leader to organize the details and acquire the supplies, which were all donated through the volunteers’ own contacts. The group finished the work this Spring by trimming trees throughout our 50-acre property.

We are so thankful to launch this summer camp season with a safer, better-maintained property for our campers. Thank you, Calvary Baptist!

Staying LocalBy Joan Zercher, Volunteer

Volunteers replace a water line at our camp.

A week of our overnight summer camp is $340, a cost that 99% of our campers – teens in our cities – could never afford. Thanks to faithful friends, 50 campers have been sponsored for a week of summer camp. That means about 350 campers are still waiting to be sponsored.

We’re inviting you to help. With a gift to Water Street Ministries today, you can help provide the experience of

a lifetime for teens in our cities. More importantly, you can help give a teen the opportunity to learn about a loving relationship with Jesus.

TO MAke A gifT :

• Use the enclosed reply card• Visit wsm.org/donate

& designate “Sponsor A Camper ”• Or call Sue at (717) 358-2031

Help Send us to Camp By Jack Crowley, Executive Director, Teen Haven

210 South Prince Street • PO Box 7267 • Lancaster, PA 17604 • Direct 717.393.7709 • Contact@wsm.org • WaterStreetMinistries.org