Pine Cove City: Camper to Counselor
Earlier this summer, GFC once again hosted our Pine Cove City camp and welcomed 310 campers and 70 camp staff. This is one of my favorite weeks of the year because our whole church is filled with the sounds of excitement as campers enjoy activities, endless cheers, and Bible study. They truly experience the love of Jesus as the camp staff pours into them each day.
Personally, this year was even more special than usual. In 2013, we hosted Pine Cove for the first time, and my oldest son, Dylan, had just finished Kindergarten. He was able to attend camp, and that week would truly change his life. I vividly remember him coming home the last day of camp and saying, “Mommy, someday I will be a counselor.” He spent the rest of the summer teaching his younger brothers all the chants and cheers from camp. (It was a very loud summer in our home!)
Dylan was able to attend camp every year, and it became the highlight of his summer. I also will never forget his last week of camp. He knew he would be too old to attend the following summer, and he came home with tears in his eyes, heartbroken that this season was over. I think he spent at least two days in his room, and he resolved to become a counselor someday.
This summer, Dylan was able to fulfill the dream he had when he was six and had the opportunity to work for five weeks with Pine Cove City. His last week was at GFC, and I got to watch him share the love of Jesus with his campers each day. To our family, it was a full-circle moment. My boy prepares to leave for college in just a few days, and I am forever grateful for a church home that has partnered well with our family through all the stages and seasons.
Our mission at GFC is to “Build a Community to Reach a Community,” and I have been blessed to not only be on staff but also to see this mission lived out through my son. As he begins a new season in college, I know that he is taking this truth with him.
– Amanda Brown
