By Joyell Nevins – CFFM Blogger
Have you heard the good news? It’s JESUS TO THE WORLD! That’s what 70 campers proclaimed at this year’s YES! Youth Excelling Spiritually 2025 camp.
The theme came from 1 Timothy chapter 1, The Passion translation, a letter God through Paul is writing to his young son in the faith.
“Mercy kissed me, even though I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor of believers, and a scorner of what turned out to be true. I was ignorant and didn’t know what I was doing.
I was flooded with such incredible grace, like a river overflowing its banks, until I was full of faith and love for Jesus, the Anointed One!
I can testify that the Word is true and deserves to be received by all, for Jesus Christ came into the world to bring sinners back to life – even me, the worst sinner of all!
Yet, I was captured by grace, so that Jesus Christ could display through me the outpouring of his spirit as a pattern to be seen for all those who would believe in him for eternal life.
Because of this, my praises rise to the King of all the universe who is indestructible, invisible, and full of glory, the only God who is worthy of the highest honors throughout all of time and throughout the eternity of eternities! Amen!” 1 Timothy 1:13-17 TPT
The campers ranged in age from 12-25 and were joined by 30 more “seasoned” staff members. YES! brought people from across the country, literally – from Florida to California to Maine to Alaska; 22 states in all were represented!
Laugh Hard, Pray Hard
The Bible tells us that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” in Nehemiah, and Proverbs mentions multiple times about the importance of a cheerful heart and joyful soul. So, at CFF we love hard, pray hard, and laugh hard, too.
The camp opened with a “Campmaster Challenge” competition that gave swim inflatables and nursery rhymes a re-imagined purpose, among other hilarities. Then, the same leader whose group won that competition shared the gospel message and led campers into salvation and rededication the very next day!
CFF also took over Scene 75 for an afternoon, where campers could play go-karts, go putt-putt golfing, or even ride a drop machine. Even Pastor Tonia got on a go-kart and gave it a “go!”
The youth brought that same energy into the sanctuary when it was time to worship the Lord through music. They would gather near the stage and often line the walls, pouring out their hearts in song, dance, and sometimes tears, too.
Age is Just a Number
One of the values at Christian Family Fellowship (CFF) is that there is no age limit on holy spirit. So, our young people aren’t just here to experience the camp, they are an integral part of the camp itself.
Power groups, the smaller home-fellowship sized groups, were led by people under 30 (with a few exceptions for the young at heart). Teenagers hosted the tables at meals, and some were on the teaching roster as well.
This year, Camp Director and Senior Pastor Tonia Shroyer hosted a special optional meeting during a free play time for anyone interested in serving and leading at the camp next year – and a third of the whole camp showed up!
The group will be meeting throughout the year to learn about the heart of leadership, both on Zoom and in-person at CFF. Those meetings will also include brainstorming and planning for YES! 2026.
Not Afraid to Go Deep
Both the young and adult teachers went deep, sharing personal testimonies, vulnerable moments, and delving into serious but important topics – very little was off the table. Some stood behind a pulpit, some sat barefoot and cross-legged, and some teachers went right into the aisles, but all brought a heart of faith and authenticity.
There was also a panel of four young women, all from some type of blended or non-traditional home situation, speaking with an adult staff member about how they navigated honoring God with their parents and siblings in imperfect settings – something that anyone living in a family would understand!
Throughout the week, there was a lot of truth shared and honest questions asked, but always in a spirit of growth and forgiveness. As teacher Jake Green noted, “Guilt is meant to wake you up; shame is meant to chain you up.”
Another teacher, Casey MacPherson, gave the analogy of how just because grass or mud can get on our shoe and make it dirty, it doesn’t make our shoe dirty.
In the same manner, we are not the bad stuff that has happened to us or that we have done. We are new creations in Christ, designed by God first and foremost.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. “ 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
“For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV
God has many guidelines and directions in this life for His kids, both young and old(er). He created us and He knows how we work best.
But, it all starts with love. As Michael Burrows (and his assistant, daughter Maddie) wrote on the big board at Sunday’s final teaching, what does God say to us first?
“I. Love. You.”
You can watch a portion of the final camp Sunday service and Burrows’s full teaching called, appropriately, “I LOVE YOU.”
If you are between the ages of 12-25 and would like to be a part of the Camp Leadership meetings, contact Sarah Mullens through email at info@cffm.org