Lurecrest Stories

Camp Lurecrest is the most beautiful place that I have ever witnessed on earth. I have seen quite beautiful places around the globe and yet the beauty of Camp Lurecrest is more profound. You can walk around and see that it is old and sooner or later things need to be repaired. It is dusty, quiet, some pretty views of mountain ridges, and to any first time visitor it may seem like an ordinary camp ground but there is still more beauty at Camp Lurecrest than anywhere I have ever been.

This is because of Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses camp like a warm blanket. His message of grace and love soaks the hearts of the people who walk the grounds. Christ died so that we may be set free. My freedom from sin has nothing to do with what I can or cannot do, what I have or have not done, or what I should or should not do. It has everything to do with what Christ has done and now I will live my life with love and gratitude because He first loved me. This is the truth of the gospel and is what makes Camp Lurecrest so beautiful because it is the center source of everything that takes place there.

Some people may think a child is too young to understand what kind of commitment they are making when they come to know Jesus Christ as their savior at a summer camp but I can personally testify that they can. I grew up in a Christian home and when I was ten years old I went to Lurecrest as a camper. I remember the moment I let Christ reign in my heart for the first time. I was standing down at the chapel one night and it brought tears to my eyes because something happened inside me and I could tell. I went back every summer after that where I continually grew more and more in love with Jesus every time. I eventually went on staff which only made my foundation more solid in Christ not only because we get to share the love of God to the kids that come up for a week of camp but also because we live in an environment where the gospel of grace is breathed into our lives at every moment of the day.

We live in such a selfish society in today’s world where everything is about individuals and community does not exist anymore. Camp brings a breath of peaceful fresh air to the soul because community exists there more than any place I know. As the body of Christ, we are called to be in communion with one another which is the essence of true church. I consider Camp Lurecrest to be more of my home church than any other church I have been a part of because we are a community of believers that together grow more in love with Christ Jesus which is so beautiful yet so hard to find in today’s society.

To Him be the glory forever and ever AMEN!

Caroline Belk