Serving these last three years at Camp Siloam has been nothing short of amazing. My first encounter with Camp was back in 2007. My home church had given me the opportunity to serve as the summer children’s intern, and one of my main responsibilities was bringing kids to camp.
Upon arrival, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As we made our way down to our bunkhouse, I was greeted by a building without air conditioning, just screened windows, a screen door, army surplus cots, and an old swamp cooler in the back whose purpose I’m still not entirely sure of. But how quickly my perspective changed. Everything that week revolved around the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. You couldn’t escape it and watching lives change among the students I brought is something I will always cherish.
Over the next several years, I made summer camp a central priority in the ministries I served. I knew that if I could get a lost kid to camp, there was a great chance they would meet Jesus, and if I could get a saved kid to camp, God would draw them deeper into His purpose for their life.
Camp looks a little different today than it did my first time here. Every bunkhouse is now climate-controlled, and those old army cots are long gone. The Lord blessed us with a new dining hall in 2018 that can feed more than 900 guests a day during the summer, and a new bunkhouse that opened in 2021. Each year we strive to improve our facilities and programming so we can serve our guests even better than before.
What hasn’t changed is Camp Siloam’s unwavering commitment to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all that we do. For more than 102 years, Camp Siloam has been lifting high the name of Jesus. This past summer, we had the privilege of serving 7,292 campers, the largest summer since 1999. Of those campers, over 500 students professed Jesus as Savior and Lord, and 96 began discerning a call to ministry or missions.
While numbers help us measure impact, it’s important to remember that each one represents a person, a life, and a story. As Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, every person is God’s workmanship, created for good works He has prepared in advance.
In recent weeks, I’ve heard story after story of how the Lord used Camp Siloam to change lives. One young man was saved at camp this summer. When he went home, he told his parents what God had done, and soon after, both he and his father were baptized. A week later, his mother was saved and baptized too. One moment at camp led to an entire family being transformed by the Gospel.
Another woman shared how God called her to missions at Camp Siloam in 1973. She and her husband went on to serve with the International Mission Board for over 35 years. One call at camp led to a global impact.
It’s rare for me to go somewhere and talk about Camp Siloam without someone sharing their own story of how this ministry impacted their life. We never grow tired of hearing how God continues to use Camp Siloam to expand His Kingdom.
Would you join us in praying for this ministry, that God would keep calling men, women, boys, and girls to salvation, and that each one would live out His purpose for their life?
Registration for Summer 2026 opens Nov. 3. Visit campsiloam.com to register.