Summer camps at MC emphasize Christian mission, spiritual growth, community service

Mississippi Christian University is a statewide leader for Christian summer camps.

The serenity of the Mississippi Christian University campus in the days following Spring Commencement transforms into a vibrant hub of energy starting in June when more than 5,000 youths from across the Southeast and their sponsors will turn the Clinton campus into a lively summer campground for athletics and Christian service.

According to Ken Gilliam, MC director of continuing education, summer camps at MC blend skill-building, spiritual growth and community service to leave a lasting impression on participants and the community.

“The MC family allows students and staff to share their campus space and, as a result, forever change countless lives while fulfilling the University’s commitment to the cause of Christ,” Gilliam said.

MC is a statewide leader for Christian camps. MC was the first site to host the Lifeway-sponsored combination camps of Centri-Fuge and Mission-Fuge. The camps host around 3,500 campers from throughout the Southeastern U.S. in three weekly sessions.

“Fuge campers stay on campus for small-group Bible study, team-building recreation, powerful worship and camp-wide fellowships,” Gilliam said. “M-Fuge campers leave campus to participate in various community service ministries at a variety of venues throughout the Metro Jackson area.

He said last summer, about 900 students and adult sponsors participating in M-Fuge camps contributed more than 11,500 hours of service at ministry sites in and around Jackson, including children’s ministry, social services and paint, construction and yard work.

MC’s largest single camp is Super Summer. Sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention, the camp attracts about 1,300 young people, youth pastors, church leaders and other staff members to an environment that promotes spiritual growth and helps to develop student leaders for Mississippi churches.

“We see the best and the brightest from all the Mississippi churches come to Super Summer,” Gilliam said. “Campers attend color-coded schools as they advance through the multi-layered program to develop into Christian leaders of the future.”

Christian camp season will conclude with Go Tell Ministries Camp. Sponsored by Go Tell Ministries, the camp of about 300 to 350 equips students to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission in the 21st Century.

MC also hosts a variety of athletics camps, including soccer, baseball, basketball and volleyball, that are led by MC coaches who emphasize the importance of placing God first in the young participants’ lives. Many of the coaches bring in outside speakers and guests who share their real-world experiences with the campers.

Gilliam said summer camp season brings thousands of prospective students to MC and exposes them to the institution’s vision of being a University known for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ.

“The camps expose these students to Christian teaching on a beautiful campus filled with state-of-the-art facilities,” he said.

“The eternal investment in these young lives will touch untold numbers as they continue to grow in Christian faith and to take the Gospel back to their homes and communities.”