A summer of evangelism and equipping through Super Summer

“Over the years that I’ve attended Super Summer, I can honestly say that I will never experience something else on earth that is as close to heaven,” Molly Choate, a student from Wildwood Baptist Church in Village Mills, said. “This is the one place where I found myself truly overwhelmed with peace, joy and serenity.”

Choate was one of 1,075 students and volunteers who participated in Super Summer this year. Super Summer is designed for students entering the 8th grade through students about to begin their freshman year of college. First started in 1974, this year Super Summer hosted four sessions across three different Baptist university campuses. Over 148,000 students have participated in the camp since its inception.

This year, there was one profession of faith, 14 rededications, 15 calls to ministry and 74 other faith-based decisions.

Super Summer is a unique summer camp experience. Unlike other youth summer programs that take place across Texas each summer, Super Summer is geared towards students who have already accepted the Lord. It is designed to encourage students to better know and share the gospel.

“When they’re here, they’re immersed in learning the importance of sharing their faith and not being intimidated,” Kevin Towery, assistant director of School Staff at Super Summer Session 1, explained. “They’re equipped when they leave Super Summer, and they’re not afraid to share the gospel.”

Every year, Super Summer focuses on equipping students to know and share the gospel. This year, the camp honed in on the theme of “One Thing.” Students reflected on understanding and articulating their life before Christ, what He did in their life and then sharing that with others.

In the Orange School, the group for students entering 10th grade, Assistant Dean Brianne Dean helped students understand reconciliation and how to articulate it to others. She explained to students that it is only through Jesus that humans can be reconciled to God.

“It’s not through what we do, because we can never do enough,” she said. “The only hope we have, the only way we can receive the reconciliation we need is through Jesus.”

“The whole point of Super Summer is evangelism– to know and share the gospel,” Dean told the students. “So we spent the first days focusing on knowing the gospel, and now that you know; it’s your responsibility to share.”

In addition to the sessions, each school broke into teams to discuss the application of what they learned in the students’ lives. Teams gave students the chance to talk about their own spiritual growth and struggles in a more intimate setting.

For graduating high school seniors, Super Summer gives students an important opportunity to solidify their faith and practice boldness before going to college.

“The whole idea of Super Summer is to evangelize and to prepare you for that next step. And whether you’re in your hometown or somewhere else, even your college campus, it prepares you to share the gospel and really dive into your testimony and also listen to others,” Allie Towery, a senior from Allen’s Point Baptist Church, said. “So once you learn the truths of evangelism you can go out and take it wherever you go.”

To learn more about Super Summer, visit supersummer.com.