Mississippi College Hosts 2011 Super Summer Camp

Parker Luckey, Emily Alston and Mississippi College staff member Van Jones, all members of Countrywoods Baptist Church, enjoy luch at the MC cafeteria during Super Summer 2011

Call it a super-sized 2011 Super Summer Camp at Mississippi College.

As temperatures soared to the 100-degree mark in mid-July, a record number of campers visited the Clinton campus for a week of praise music, sports, and meals in the cafeteria and quiet time to seek God.

At the Christian university, about 1,160 campers came from Baptist churches across the Magnolia State and from as far away as Paducah, Kentucky. About 960 Super Summer campers visited last July.

“This is the largest number we’ve ever had,” said Ken Gilliam, the Mississippi College continuing education director who keeps tabs on the campers each year. The first Super Summer camp sponsored by the Mississippi Baptist Convention was held at MC in 1987.

Super Summer campers packed MC residence halls, and created long lines in the cafeteria each day.

With water bottles in their backpacks, nobody seemed to mind the sizzling summer sun in Central Mississippi at the Baptist leadership camp that wraps up July 15^th.

“These five summers have really changed my life,” said Terry High graduate Emily Alston, who will be a Mississippi College freshman this fall. “It has taught me how to be a leader and not to focus on myself.”

Alston was among eight youth leaders from Countrywoods Baptist Church in Byram making the most of their five Super Summer days.

With hundreds of students enjoying the pieces of chicken, tuna fish sandwiches and chocolate pudding, lunch got interesting in the B.C. Rogers Student Center. Despite all the noise Wednesday afternoon, Van Jones, Mississippi College’s network support manager, was happy to sit down with the Byram church delegation for a nice meal and some fellowship time.

“These are kids I’ve seen grow up in the church. They’ve grown as Christians and are really strong leaders in our church,” Jones said. He’s served as a leader on a number of church youth trips over the years.

Campers flocking to MC came from big congregations like Calvary Baptist Church in Tupelo and First Baptist Church Biloxi along with much smaller ones like Star Baptist Church in the Star community in Rankin County.

The students are arranged into teams during the week, whether their colors are red, blue, purple, orange, lime, green, or shades in-between. Purple team members have been MC campers for five years and get to participate in community service projects.

Anna Chrestman, 17, a member of West Heights Baptist Church in Pontotoc, was returning for her fourth Super Summer. “I liked the worship the best,” she says. “Everyone is so in sync with God.”

A high school senior, Anna says she’s planning to become a Mississippi College student next summer.

Handing out MC brochures or serving giant chocolate chip cookies, university admissions staffers always do their best to welcome Super Summer campers and encourage them to become MC Choctaws.

But the camp is really about building leadership skills for Christian youth.

“They are students who will be leaders on college campuses and help us in the ministry, in organizations like the Baptist Student Union,” says Gary Davison of Clinton.

Both camp workers, Davison, and his wife, Michelle, are Baptist Student Union leaders at Hinds Community College. Super Summer, he said, is heavily focused on discipleship. “Those who come are eager and willing to learn,” said the 38-year-old Northwestern State (La.) University graduate. “They will have a good solid foundation when they come to college.”

The theme of the week- “I follow” is printed on the students’ T-shirts that appear all over the Clinton campus.

Taking part in his second Super Summer, Josh Rusche, 16, a junior at Magee High School, is impressed with what’s taking place again at Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College this July. “It blows us away every night,” said the member of First Baptist Church Magee. “It’s awesome to be here.”

A member of Magee High’s powerlifting team, and left tackle on the football team, Josh joins hundreds of Mississippi College campers drawing their strength from Jesus Christ.

For more information on Super Summer, contact youth ministry consultant Ken Hall at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board at 1.800.748.1651 at extension 286 or khall@mbcb.org. or MC continuing education director Ken Gilliam at 601.925.3264.