By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer
WINNFIELD – Jeremy Albright, youth minister at First Baptist Church Winnfield, knows the impact summer camp can have on a student’s life.
The Alabama transplant is also acutely aware of the impact the economy has had on families and churches throughout the country, especially in Winn Parish. Therefore, Albright, with the backing of First Winnfield, is financially enabling several churches to take their kids to summer camp – LifeWay’s Centrifuge at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. The camp is July 12-17.
“God has given our church numerous blessings and we want to share those blessings with others,” Albright said. “I am not trying to steal anybody’s kids. As a matter of fact, I have told each church that when we get there we can do things together, but I also want them to take their own students and have a small-group Bible study.
“All we are trying to do is to show we are here to serve the same God,” Albright said. “We want to be the vessel to help our sister churches get their kids to camp.”
The congregation of First Winnfield has embraced the idea wholeheartedly.
The church is paying for a 56-seat charter bus and will take care of the driver’s room and board for the trip. They will also absorb the expense – gas and maintenance – of taking two other smaller buses as well. On top of that, First Winn-field paid $4,000 for all the students.
“When it comes to impacting the life of a student, money should not be an obstacle,” Albright said. “And First Winnfield has been a great example of stepping up financially.”
As a matter of fact, the first 50 students to sign up had $35 knocked off the $290 price tag to “help make it a little more affordable.”
“Right now, we are looking at spending $12,170,” Albright said. “It’s a lot but I know it is a blessing to these other churches, and a way for our church to share the blessings God has bestowed on us.”
First Winnfield, though, has not been satisfied with just this financial offering, many have wanted to do more Albright said.
“The people in this church are so good when it comes to helping out financially. Look, we have had budget cuts and we have had to curtail some things,” Albright said, “but not on this project. The reception from the congregation has just been great. People come up to me daily and ask if all the young people are paid for.
“Through individuals, classrooms, companies, 14 students are fully paid. They want to know if all the kids have spending money or money for food up there and back,” Albright said. “People here have gone over and beyond what I have asked. They have taken this project to heart.”
And so have the students.
“Our students worked the food booth and a dunking booth at the DARE Fair,” Albright said.
“They raised $1,500 at a community-wide garage sale. They also did smaller projects like babysitting for Parent’s Night Out and sold t-shirts to help raise money for camp. We didn’t want to over do our fund raising efforts.”
For those students who benefitted financially, Albright offered them the opportunity to do odd jobs.
“We allowed the students to work off some of the money we received by painting fences, mowing grass, doing odd jobs,” Albright said. “I told the students that people in our church were supporting this, and I wanted them to show me it was just as important to them as well. They did.”
The generosity of First Winnfield means 68 students and 15 chaperones have already signed up to go to Union in mid-July.
“We will have students from First Winnfield, Welcome Home Baptist Church, Crews New Salem, Faith Baptist, Northside Baptist [Montgomery], and first United Methodist Church going with us. I have had a couple of more churches that wanted to go but had already committed to other places, and couldn’t get out of it,” Albright said.
“We have almost reached the capacity of our three buses,” Albright said, “but I would love to take more. We are trying not to take any private vehicles but if I have to I will drive my own.
“I booked and paid the deposit for 60 students, and have had to go back and bump that number up,” Albright said. “That’s a good thing. I’ve been in contact with the camp and they only have 150 spots left. I would love to take 100. I think that would be so awesome.”