UYC 2026: Follow Me

We had 940 campers and 950 staff members take part in our preteen and teen camps this summer in the United States as we walked through the steps of following God and discipleship. We even had campers travel from Canada, Australia, Spain, England and the Netherlands. I encourage you to ask the teens and preteens in your congregations about their camp experience. Ask them about what they learned and enjoyed at camp. It is a great conversation starter and a wonderful way to engage with our youth.

I want to thank all of our staff who volunteer their time, energy and passion to help make our program a success. It is truly a team effort, and we are so thankful for their support and sacrifice. I also want to thank those who give financially to our camp program. Camp is not cheap, and we appreciate those who see its value and help in this way. Our amazing camp directors spend hundreds of hours each year in preparation for camp.

There are many benefits to our camp program, but one is the relationships that are built each year. Our main focus is to help the campers grow in their relationship with God. Each day is built with that idea woven throughout—from Christian living and Bible class to memory verses, campfire stories and dorm parent discussions that encourage and help the campers respond to God and follow Him.

We also focus on building relationships between the campers and staff. These are meaningful bonds that will go beyond camp, that will be there to support, encourage and help for many years to come. Camp creates an environment where youth spend significant time with each other, but also with young adults, older adults and ministry.

The relationships that are built through discussions, question-and-answer sessions, dorm parent time, shared meals and activities are extremely meaningful and are one of the reasons our program is so valuable. Camp connects our generations through shared experiences, fun and deep spiritual discussions. It creates a true family environment.

What I value most when coming home from camp each year are the new relationships I’ve established. It’s very encouraging when I see campers at a Feast site or at camp the next year and they come up to say hi, give me a hug and begin a conversation with me—or years later when they reach out to ask about baptism counseling or send an invitation to their wedding. Those relationships are why we keep coming back, and they are so meaningful not only to them, but also to me. They know there are adults who care about them, and are there to help and encourage them along their walk with God.

We pour ourselves into this program because it is worth it. It shows the campers that God’s way works, that God is calling them, and that He loves them and wants a relationship with them. This year’s theme of “Follow Me” was especially impactful. We shared five statements from Christ to His disciples that served as our daily themes: “Hear My Voice,” “Come to Me,” “Learn from Me,” “Love Me” and “You Follow Me.”

On the first day, we discussed hearing God’s voice in the midst of all the noise and chaos of life. We reminded them that God’s voice is there, but sometimes we have to put all the distractions away, remove the noise and listen. The more we listen, the easier it becomes to recognize His voice among all the other voices competing for our attention. (Memory verse: John 10:27)

We then discussed His desire for us to come to Him. His voice is supposed to draw us to Him so that He can help us, protect us and lead us to the Father. We discussed the relationship of disciples to their teacher often throughout the week, but also talked about the relationship of a shepherd and His sheep. God tells us that as we come to Him, He will give us rest, peace and help with the burdens of life. (Memory verse: Matthew 11:28)

From there, we talked about how we are to learn from Him. Just as the disciples spent time with Christ to learn from Him and become like Him, that is God’s calling for us as well. We are drawn to Him so that we can become like Him—learning to live, think and treat people as He did. A disciple is to become like his Master so that he can live as He lived, but also share and pass on His message. (Memory verse: Matthew 11:29)

Those first three days culminated in the deeper topic of how we love Him. We have to love God and His way, and that love is demonstrated through our actions and obedience, as well as through building a deep, personal relationship with God. (Memory verse: John 14:23-24)

We concluded the week with Christ’s words, “You follow Me,” which He spoke to Peter after His resurrection. When Peter wondered what was going to happen to John, Jesus reminded him to focus on what he had been called to do. He told Peter to focus on what had been asked of him, rather than on everything and everyone else. Following God requires that we fix our eyes on Him. (Memory verse: John 21:21-22)

We hear, come, learn, love and follow. It’s really that simple, and yet we know it is difficult. So we shared this message of hope with the campers, and we built relationships with them to help them along the way. That is what our camp program is all about: pointing them to God and being there to help, guide, support, love and encourage them as we show them God’s plan and love.

Our 2026 U.S. camp season will conclude with Winter Camp in December, and preparations are already underway for our 2027 season, with our annual camp directors’ meeting taking place in November. We also have many international camps that take place throughout the year. Thank you again for your support of this very important program.