Greenfield Camp
What comes to your mind when you think of the May bank holiday weekend? Traffic jams? A trip to the coast? Well, for the last 25 years this weekend has seen hundreds of primary school children under the sound of the gospel at Greenfield Camp near Harrogate.
Many attending are not regular churchgoers; they have only had contact with the gospel in midweek church clubs. Many others have found Greenfield to be the place where they are challenged about their walk with the Lord.
The weekend is packed full of activity. It’s also a time to hear God’s Word and reflect on the messages in the small group discussions that follow each teaching session.
On arrival, the children are shown their accommodation. The whitewashed former pig sties, cowshed and stables make a unique weekend home! After the first teaching session in the marquee the children break into the many different interest groups, including bike maintenance, T-shirt painting, bird watching and survival! The afternoon is spent at a local sports hall; then after another teaching session all gather round the bonfire for the evening entertainment.
Sunday usually includes further teaching times, a Bible treasure hunt, and the annual mystery tour – the only real mystery of which is: ‘Why do we always go to the same place?’! Sunday afternoon includes a missionary session and the camp finishes with a parents’ afternoon and prize giving.
Greenfield now comes under the auspices of Young Life Holidays (formerly, National Young Life Campaign). For the Harrogate and York YL branches, it provides a fantastic opportunity not only to share one’s faith but to train up younger leaders.
The camp’s lasting impact is seen each year. This May the team of 40 helpers included more than 20 who were themselves campers in years gone by, some of whom were converted there. More information from: http://www.greenfieldcamp.co.uk; http://www.younglife.org.uk or email mailto:john@younglife.org.uk
John Green
