79er's camp is a great chance for your 7th-9th grader to have a blast at camp. With great lessons and small group time your camper will leave knowing more about Christ when they arrived. Campers will also go outside their comfort zone with the chance to go on the zipline, giant swing, climbing tower, have fun swimming, playing camp games, and so much more. Campers, you won’t want to miss this!
Camp Specific Info
Theme: WILDERNESS — The Journey of the Heart
Key Verses: Psalm 63
David writes Psalm 63 while in the wilderness of Judah—a dry, lonely, difficult place. That matters because middle school students often feel like they’re living in an emotional wilderness too:
trying to fit in
feeling overlooked
questioning identity
carrying anxiety
searching for purpose
hiding struggles
Each day of camp connects a wilderness story from Scripture back to the truth of Psalm 63:
God does some of His deepest work in dry places often know as the wilderness.
Each Bible story becomes a picture of what it looks like to thirst for God, trust Him, encounter Him, wrestle with Him, and ultimately carry His presence back into everyday life.
Our goal for the week is to grow deeper in our faith together, build community, enjoy Butler Springs beautiful campus, and make memories that are sure to last a lifetime.
This week will be full of games, activities, lessons, worship, music, parties, laughter and memory making moments. Plus a safe place to make friends and belong within a community. We are looking forward to all of these things and so much more.
Spirit Days
Monday: Patriotic day- Wear your red-white-blue themed clothes this day
Tuesday: Super fan Day- Have a favorite player? Rep your favorite team or school. Wear a jersey or t-shirt, or socks and show some team pride— this is your day!!
Wednesday: Dad Day- What to wear: Jean shorts (jorts), oversized graphic t-shirts tucked into shorts, lawn-mowing sneakers, tube socks pulled high, fanny packs, and sunglasses.
Thursday: Camo Day- What to wear: Camouflage shirts, camo pants, cargo shorts, military-style jackets, bucket hats, or green and tan.
Friday: Butler Springs Day- Wear your new camp shirt or favorite old camp shirt
Geoff Lawson is the dean for 79er's Camp. He serves as the Middle School Minister and Next Gen Team Leader at First Christian Church in Springfield, OH. He has been in ministry for over 20 years and nearly all of those involve leading summer camp. The whole team is excited to meet your camper and are thankful you are entrusting your son or daughter to them. All the 79er's faculty are looking forward to investing not only time and energy into their lives, but are ready to teach the Gospel as well.
A note from Geoff:
I know there are probably several questions you have leading up to our week. Many times, those are focused housing. Will my child be in the same dorm as their friends or other people from church? They answer is yes but we can’t promise this 100% percent of the time. Please be patient and flexible. If you have any concerns or questions, please let me know. One thing I do ask is that once assigned a dorm, please do not move to another dorm without approval from the Dean or Full time Camp Staff.
Another question is; Will my child be in a group with their friends. The answer is yes, part of creating groups is asking them to link up with 1 or 2 friends. We cannot promise they will know every person in their group but try to give them at least one familiar face.
Lastly, Friday moves very fast as check out is now at 2pm. Please make note that you must check your son or daughter out from the gym. We have a specific process and we ask you to follow this plan. If you have any other questions, please let me know!
I believe God is already at work in the hearts of the students who will be with us this week. Camp will be here in quick few weeks. Would you pray for our campers and those who will be serving throughout the week?
I also wanted to let you know that our 2026 camp shirt will be the 2026 Butler Springs Camp shirt. Each registered student will receive one at the end of the week.
If you have any questions or need to communicate with me at any point, please send me an email to geoffrey@fcclife.me
Check out the camp packing list to see what we recommend you bring (and not bring). Make sure you bring a reusable waterbottle!