Important Updates – WinShape Camps

Reinvent continuously – This is just one piece of Chick-fil-A’s 5-step model of servant leadership created by Mark Miller and Ken Blanchard. It’s one we take very seriously around here at WinShape Camps. We are constantly looking for ways to make our camp experience better, for parents and campers alike! We devote weeks and weeks to brainstorming for the summer-coming up with new activities, themes, games, skills and devotions to ensure your camper has “The Summer of a Lifetime!” But the summer is not the only time of the year we want you and your family to enjoy camp. We desire for every interaction that people have with us to be a positive one-whether that is when you drop your child off at camp for the very first time, or talk to a member of our Customer Care Team on the phone, or visit our website. Our hope is that everything we do would reflect our heart as a ministry and show our commitment to serving people. Out of our desire to serve you better throughout the year and stay connected to your family, we decided to reinvent our blog! Our vision for this new and improved blog is that it would be a resource for you and a year-round connection between WinShape Camps and your family. Our commitment is to consistently provide you with relevant and engaging content that will encourage you, entertain you, inspire you, and keep you in the loop on all things camp related! Some things you can expect to see on the blog are:

Camp Updates-We know you love hearing the latest from the WinShape Nation! Announcements, new skills and activities, behind the scenes looks at summer themes, and much more will be coming your way!
Activity, Craft, and Recipe Ideas-All in the name of FUN!
Spiritual Encouragement-We want to invest in you and your family year round! Look forward to devotionals, testimonies, and resources to help you implement the summer theme all year long!
Guest Blogs-You never know who could show up on the WinShape Camps Blog…You might even have an opportunity to guest blog!

We hope you are just as excited as we are about the new blog! Enjoy!

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Ken Thomas serves as the Senior Director of WinShape Camps. He took a minute to give us a sneak peak into his job and to answer some common questions he gets throughout the year!

“It is always great to see camp families during the non-summer months and talk to them about how the school year is going… and of course their plans for summer camp. Almost all of these conversations involve some discussion about what my job is and what goes on when camp isn’t in session. For example, “your job sure looks like a lot of fun” or “I bet you have an easy job since you only work during the summer months; do you just play games all the time?” Or someone may ask, “what do you do when camp is not in session?-I love those questions and statements for several reasons.

First, I do have a fun job. It is a blast to work with a group of people who are absolutely passionate about doing what God has called them to do through WinShape Camps. We work hard and we have fun while we do it. Work doesn’t have to be boring; it is what you make it. We choose to have a great time together while we prepare for thousands of campers to join us at camp. Part of the WSC Recipe is to make sure that camp is always FUN for campers; why should we not have fun while we get everything ready for the campers? Second, I also have an easy job. It is easy because I serve on a team. If I was responsible to do everything all by myself, camp would not be the awesome experience it is today and my job certainly would not be easy. It takes a team of people, using their God-given gifts, to make WinShape Camps an unbelievable experience for campers. To me, there is nothing more rewarding than working with a group of people who are fully committed to a shared vision and are working together to see that vision come to life. When this happens, everyone’s job is made easier. Finally, there is a lot to do when camp is not in session to make sure we provide the quality experience that campers and parents expect. We are busy with potential summer staff interviews, marketing projects, training our summer staff, developing skills, planning program elements, updating our facilities and equipment, writing theme curriculum, and many other aspects of camp that must happen for camp to operate each summer. While it might appear that we do not have as much to do in during the non-summer months, we actually stay very busy getting ready for “the Summer of a Lifetime.” God is really blessing the ministry of WinShape Camps and we are thankful to be a part of what He is doing in the lives of campers and their parents. It is great to see you throughout the year. You can even drop by our offices and catch us working hard as we prepare for the summers ahead of us.”

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We know camp is great. You know camp is great. We think everyone should know how great camp at WinShape is! Just like Truett Cathy says about the Original Chicken Sandwich, we think once people “try” camp, they’ll love it forever! So this spring we are hitting the road with that message! We are excited to announce the launch of the first ever WinShape Camps Road Crew! This team of four summer staff is setting out on a 12 week adventure to bring the message of WinShape Camps to communities all over the Southeast! The team will host over 50 events that give families everywhere a “taste of camp!” Our team will be putting on events at Chick-fil-A Spirit Nights, mini-camps at churches and schools, Chick-fil-A Connect Races, and much more!

All week our team has been in training learning how to pack and unpack their trailer, learning tons of fun games and activities, and preparing for a fast-paced life on the road! Host churches and Chick-fil-A operators have been contacted and everyone is waiting in anticipation for the team to arrive in their community! We would love to introduce you the members of the team (from left to right): untitled

Kirby Wilson has served with camp for 4 years. She served as a Chippewa counselor for two summers, served on our International team in Brazil last summer, and is returning summer 2014 as the Performing Arts and Crafts Leader at WinShape Camps for Girls at Mt. Berry. She is from Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Union University with a degree in Special Education in December of 2013. She fills the role of Logistics Team Member on the Road Crew. Forest Washburn served as an Apache counselor last summer at WinShape Camps for Boys and is returning this summer as a Blaze Counselor in the debut of our One Week Camp for Boys! He is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee and loves the Tennessee Volunteers. Forest will be serving in the role of Events Team Member on the Road Crew. Bianca Mack is a seasoned WinShape Staffer. She has served at both of our girls camps and is returning this summer as a WinShape Camps for Communities staffer. She is a graduate of Kennesaw State University and has a degree in Psychology. She will serve as our Communications Team Member. Callie Holloway is in her fourth year of serving with WinShape Camps for Girls. She has served two years as a Bumbline counselor at our camp in Young Harris, Georgia, one year as the Sports Leader in the same location, and will be the Sports Leader at our camp in Mt. Berry, Georgia. She is a graduate of Young Harris College with a degree in Biology. She will be filling the role of Programming Team Member. We encourage you follow this team on Instagram and Twitter @wscroadcrew to track their journey! We’ll also be posting updates on their whereabouts! Show the team some love and visit them if they come to your area!

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WinShape Camps has seen some exciting changes this past year! The brand new WinShape Camps for Boys One-Week overnight camp has been one of our favorite announcements! This new experience is available during the month of June for boys who have completed grades 1-5. This month we want to draw back the curtain a little and reveal a clearer picture of what camp will look like! Campers and counselors will be split up into two of the three Squads: Blaze Squad and Hydro Squad (select staff members will represent the Quake Squad this summer). The very first night, campers of all ages will participate in a special Induction Ceremony where they will gain membership and learn the secrets of their Squad. Once they are inducted, they will proudly remain a loyal member of their Squad every year they return to camp.

Each Squad will follow the guidance of a Squad Leader throughout the session. Proudly leading the Blaze Squad and donning their red and yellow colors, is Doublé. Doublé has served on staff for 3 summers at WinShape Camps for Boys! WinShape is near to his heart because he was also a camper! He attends Kennesaw State University, where he studies Art Education and loves to play ultimate frisbee with his friends. Valiantly upholding the blue and silver banner of the Hydro Squad is Chuck. Chuck has served for 2 summers at WinShape Camps for Boys and cannot wait to work another summer as the Hydro Squad Leader. Chuck thinks about WinShape often because he attends Berry College, where he studies Biochemistry. He hopes to one day become a Pharmacist.

Now about this time you may be wondering who would name their child Doublé? This is another unique piece of the culture at One-Week camp! Here all of the staffers will go by a camp name. Their names have all been given to them based on a top-secret process. There are other staffers you need to know about before you get to camp too! Yogi is the Program Assistant, when you see him you know you’re going to have fun. He will be leading all of the nighttime events, one of which is the classic WinShape game – Triangulation! Every morning at Hydrate, our daily worship service, you will get to meet up with Tiger, the camp pastor, and Rockstar, the worship leader. Everyone looks forward to Hydrate because you will get a chance to learn about God, hear stories from the Bible, and memorize the Daily Truths that sums up Tiger’s sermons. Leading the summer leadership team will be Professor J. He has been with WinShape Camps for 10 summers and is excited to help create a new camp that has its own culture and traditions. Are you looking forward to learning new skills and doing unique activities? Then the Tracks program might be your favorite part of camp! Every camper will get an opportunity to take part in two Track programs, and they will participate in these Tracks every day. The Tracks offered at camp this summer are the Adventure, Creative, Recreation, Science, and Sports Tracks. This is sure to be a jampacked four days of fun and exciting activities!

We hope you are just as excited about this new venture as we are, we can’t wait to see you this summer! Click here for more information!

-Post by Sean Plunkett, WinShape Camps for Boys Intern

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Oi Oi Oi from Brazil! In the past two weeks, we have launched two teams to serve this spring in Brazil as part of the WinShape Camps International Project. This experience gives college students who have served with WinShape Camps stateside an opportunity to put on camp for children in Brazil! The heartbeat behind this project is to equip churches and volunteers in the country with a program they can use to build relationships with children and families in their communities so that the Gospel may go out in power and love.

Check out the WSC International Blog to learn more and to read the incredible stories of the Lord’s work in Brazil!

WinShape Camps International: Igreja Metodista de Paranoá &emdash;

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Recently we got a chance to catch up with our Road Crew! They have been traveling all over the place hosting great events and getting the word out about WinShape Camps! There’s no doubt they are meeting some incredible people and compiling some awesome stories. Here is just a sneak peak into life on the road!

For all you Dr. Seuss fans out there:

Oh, the Places We Go.

From NC to GA

Hitting up city to city, and

CFA to CFA, loving Jesus

And loving people

That’s what we do

We are the WSC road crew.

We’ve been on the road for about three weeks now, and we are having an absolute blast! We have traveled to five different states and had the pleasure of staying with six different host families. From seeing the beauty in sunrises and sunsets to changing busted tires in the parking lot of an Academy Sports, the Lord has shown us so many things. We have learned that sometimes things might not always look the way that we want them to, but in the end it’s how we loved the people we came into contact with that really counts.

In Murrells Inlet, South Carolina we were hosted by the wonderful Fairchild family. Steve Fairchild is a loving husband and father of three girls. He also happened to be the pastor of LC3 Church, where we were hosting our event. Before he began his ministry, he traveled around the world as a Garth Brooks impersonator. It wasn’t until about three years ago that he felt the Lord calling him to ministry. It was so awesome to hear his story and be reminded that the Lord can change your mission at any point in time; we just have to be willing to go and follow.

“For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” -2 Corinthians 8:12

One of the communities we traveled to was Dublin, Georgia. Previously, all of our events had been held in a church gym so we had to re-evaluate our plan when we pulled up to the Dublin Mall that Thursday evening. As you can imagine, we went into the event not really knowing how it would look because the environment and setup strategy were completely foreign to us. It was incredible to see volunteers from multiple churches come together and help us put on a successful event in the midst of the uncertainties that existed! Through this experience, the Lord enabled us to see how he is using volunteers of different churches for one purpose and for one goal-to spread the good news about Jesus Christ.

In the same respect, the Lord is teaching us how to become each other’s community as we embark on this journey. We are four different individuals who have come together with a passion to reach communities and to tell them about the love of Christ they can experience through camp. We can’t wait to see how the Lord will continue to use us throughout these next nine weeks. To see where we are headed next, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @wscroadcrew! If you are at or near one of our locations, we would love to see you! Upcoming stops: 03/18/2014 – CFA spirit Night @ the Hwy. 54 store in Peachtree City 03/20/2014 – CFA Spirit Night @ the store in Johns Creek 03/22/2014 – CFA Race in Raleigh, NC 03/25/2014 – CFA Spirit Night @ Kedron Village in Peachtree City 03/28/2014 – Berry Half Marathon Expo in Rome, GA 03/29/2014 – CFA Race in Gwinnett, GA

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Have you ever taken ones of those dream trips to somewhere you’ve wanted to go for a long time?

Well, this past Christmas break my family got to experience one of those trips. We were blessed with the opportunity to go to Nairobi, Kenya, for both Christmas and New Year to visit some dear friends. We had been friends since college, and when they left for Kenya on July 1, 2011, we had also been neighbors for twelve years. Over that time we shared a porch, many meals, items from our pantries and refrigerators, tools, babysitters, births, deaths, and lots of life together. At our emotional parting, we promised to go to Africa before they came home from that mission. Our friends also served in the WinShape Foundation (in fact, we all met at camp!) but were called to the mission field in Kenya serve in a ministry called BlueSky.

So, we did it! Soon after school got out for Christmas break, we boarded a plane for Nairobi. We were putting our family Christmas traditions on hold for a year and going to visit

our friends! They had made great plans for us: a safari in the Massai Mara (we saw the Big Five and lots of other cool animals in their beautiful natural habitat), a visit to Hell’s Gate (a famous rock climbing park), a museum (something my wife would love), a giraffe conservancy (we got kissed by a giraffe), and a visit to two retreat places. Those retreats are Brakenhurst and Lukenya. Lukenya is where Camp Blue Sky takes place.

BlueSky is an organization that utilizes experiential learning to build relationships via three main programs: BlueSky Adventures provides team building and leadership activities; Camp BlueSky provides a Christian adventure camp for kids ages 7-18; and BlueSky Youth provides discipleship for groups who work with pre-teens and teens in Nairobi’s multinational community.

Here is the cool part. Not only is the founder of BlueSky a former WinShape Camps staff member, but a majority of their current year round staff are also former WinShape Camps staff members. I had always heard stories from them and others, even former campers who attended one camp but were on staff at the other one, about how Camp BlueSky is similar to WinShape Camps. Now I was getting to see the camp for myself. Even though camp was not in session, I was able to see their cabins, dining hall, ropes course, the sock war field, their council ring area, and where they administered their Little Chief/Comanche test (which they call Lion’s Pride). Is this beginning to sound like WinShape Camps at Mt. Berry? When my daughter and her friend were sharing their WinShape Camps memories and hopes, another missionary kid said, “Hey that sounds a lot like Camp BlueSky!”

As we got in the car to leave their campus, my spirit jumped for joy! You see, I had that same feeling when Truett Cathy, our founder, brought me to WinShape Camps in 1985. Now here I was almost 8,000 miles from home and thirty years later, and I was hearing the message of this camp, and it was so like WinShape’s. Both camps endeavor to encourage others in their faith, character, and relationships while proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ.

This was definitely a life changing trip for me and my family. I continue to be amazed by the way a simple ministry called camp can have such a ripple effect for the Kingdom. This reminds me of a passage in Matthew 28:18-19: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying. All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

May we continue to be faithful to His Calling wherever we go, in our own neighborhood or on another continent!

David “Speedy” Trejo

Director of WinShape Camps for Boys

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The WinShape Camps International Project had another phenomenal spring in Brazil this year. We saw the Lord work in ways that only He could. I would love to share just a small bit of what we experienced.

“Hey, can you come here for a minute?” David asks as I am talking with a camper. “Sure! Just one moment,” I reply. Minutes later after answering questions, signing t-shirts, taking photos and giving hugs, I follow him. David pulls me out of the busiest event of the week- Family Fun Night to show me something. We are standing on an elevated platform probably two and a half feet higher than the rest of the concrete parking lot inside the gated church property. He says three words. “Look at this!” With a gesture of his head pointing toward the scene in front of us, he highlights something beautiful.

The Gospel was just shared with parents during our closing ceremony.

Hot dogs and juice are being served for lanche (snack).

Counselors are signing shirts given to campers with the camp theme.

Campers are proudly introducing their new friends to their families.

Photos are being taken.

The pastor is in conversation with a family.

Local volunteers are talking to parents.

Relationships between the local church and the community are forming.

Smiles are everywhere.

The loud roar of conversation and laughter is pleasing to the ear…

David begins to speak again, but I interrupt. “Could you wait a minute? I need some time to take this in.” This wasn’t the first time this phrase had left my mouth during the last two weeks. Time and time again the Lord so graciously showed us moments like these—moments where

the Lord is using this ministry to conduct life change in communities. When I think He is done showing me His glory for this moment, a woman pulls me aside and starts talking to me in Portuguese. I understand what she is saying, and it is really good! To make sure I completely understand everything, I pull Thais (a Lifeshape team member) to help interpret. Thais confirms everything I have heard. This sweet woman Regina begins telling me that last year was WinShape’s first year working with this church. She tells me a story of a moment etched in her memory that changed her life. About a year ago, she was walking down the street right in front of where we were currently standing. She explains that she heard noises coming from inside the church of children, music and activity. The noise coming from within caused her to stop in front of the gate long enough to see smiling faces full of an inexplicable joy. Regina didn’t attend church but her curiosity was so strong that she chose to come and visit the following Sunday. She goes on to tell me that now, after hearing noises coming from a church building while walking down the street, she has joined the church and serves in the children’s ministry! SHE HERD NOISES and God used those sounds to lead her to the church!!! NOISES! She didn’t know anything apart from what she heard outside on the street that day but God used children’s voices, music, shouting and singing to bring her into the church walls, ushering her into His presence! “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies.” Psalm 8:2

I am in tears and I give her an enormous hug. “Muito obrigada para compartilhando isso comigo!” (Thank you so much for sharing this with me!) To my knowledge, Regina doesn’t know who I am. She has no clue that most of my year is spent building a camp that we pray would further the Kingdom through the local church. She doesn’t know that her story would stick with me and encourage me beyond measure. What she does know, however, is that her hope lies in Jesus Christ—and it began through noises coming from inside a gate where WinShape Camps International Project was taking place. Life change took place in her life beginning with noise… imagine what other things the Lord has done through this ministry. Ask. I’ll be glad to share!

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After almost two years of preparation, we are only a few weeks away from unveiling in full our theme for 2014. I am not sure if words can accurately represent how giddy that makes our team. We cannot wait for all of you to join us on this journey of learning what deep friendship with God and others looks like. Here is a sneak peak of the adventure that you are in for this summer. Trust me- you do not want to miss ANCHORED: ALL HANDS ON DECK.

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It’s crazy to think that our first group of campers will arrive in a few short weeks. This year has certainly flown by. Here at Boys Camp we’ve definitely had a lot of changes and it seemed to be a year of firsts for us.

As most of you know we’re piloting our very first One-Week Camp here at Mount Berry. With its own unique history, traditions and feel we know that all 144 campers attending this camp will have a blast. This is also the first year that WinShape Camps for Boys has ever reached 1000+ campers. As of this morning Boys Camp has only 1 spot left. Those are definitely some HUGE firsts. Even with all of these awesome things happening around us; new ideas being dreamt up and seeing tasks list coming to life as we purchase supplies and put together events, we still have our hearts and eyes focused on something else. For us it all boils down to one word: FELLOWSHIP.

This summer’s theme is one that we are all very excited about. For me personally I feel like it’s far overdue in being able to share all that the Lord has placed on the Theme Development Team’s heart. The six year-round staff who serves on this team have prayed and toiled over this theme. To see it come to life is like a dream come true. But the excitement doesn’t end there. Speedy, Keenan and the rest of the gang are so pumped for what God has in store for ANCHORED. We can’t wait to see how our One-Week and Two-Week campers learn how fellowship with each other and God are so pivotal in growing our spiritual lives.

Recently, Speedy led our Monday morning devotion and spoke about this summer. He shared all the fun details that I’ve listed above, but what the rest of the WinShape Foundation was able to see was the excitement to know that young men will be hearing and seeing God’s plan of fellowship lived out. That is the heartbeat behind all that we’ve been working on since camp ended on July 26, 2013. We want our campers and staff to walk away being in closer fellowship with each other and with our Heavenly Father.

Thinking about this and what it will look like brought to mind an illustration I once read back in college. In A.W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God, he uses the following image: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”[1] That illustration is exactly what the prayer is for the Boys Camp team. We want our staff and campers to come to WinShape Camps for Boys this summer and be so challenged that they turn to God and his voice so that genuine fellowship with each other is a natural byproduct. We were created with a purpose – FELLOWSHIP. I feel like our first Today’s Truth for summer 2014 sums it all up. Our purpose we will find when deep friendship with God is yours and mine. Please join the Boys Camp team as we pray for this summer’s theme and the campers who will be impacted by it.

[1]A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine. (Camp Hill: Christian Publications, 1993), 90.

Jimmy Simpson serves as the Program Coordinator for WinShape Camps for Boys. This summer, he is heavily involved in the launch of our One Week Camp for Boys at Mount Berry. This is his 10th year serving with WinShape.

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We have moved almost 13 times since John and I got married: from AL to VA to GA, and even overseas to Brazil.

With all these moves, I have realized that going to a new place is never really easy. Being unfamiliar with the place or the people can feel awkward. I have found myself just sitting around feeling lonely and expecting others to reach out to me. And there are have been moments when I just longed to be somewhere else.

But I’ve also found the secret to thriving in a new place is to be willing to reach out to others and discover new friends; to spend time with them. Creating community wherever we found ourselves meant opening our home to others, inviting others into our “world” by sharing our story, looking out for the needs of others, discovering ways to use our talents and giftedness for the benefit of others; basically, creating and enjoying new friendships.

John and I also discovered that no matter where we go, the Lord is always there. In fact, we recognize that more often than not, He has gone before us and prepared places; people and experiences just waiting to be enjoyed. Our God takes pleasure in His care for His children.

At camp, I often remind summer staff and campers that we want this place to become their “home away from home” for the summer. We desire that just thinking of going to summer camp is an exciting thought; but the actual arrival at camp should generate an unexplainable sense of “coming home,” not just to a place but to a community. It’s our community, where we know and are known, we love and are loved, we serve and are served, where we celebrate and mourn together.

Many campers and even some summer staff will come to WinShape Camps this summer for the very first time. My greatest prayer for this summer is that they come to experience their “home away from home” as a place where deep friendships are formed both with God and with others, and that the bond formed from these relationships will result in great changes to how they think, believe, and act. May they never leave WinShape Camps quite the same as when they arrived.

I will never regret choosing to give Christ control of my life – it was the best and most significant decision I have ever made. That relationship has grown through the years . . . but the longer I know and serve Him, the sweeter the relationship seems to grow. And no matter where I am, no matter what I encounter, I know that God is sufficient for my every need. He has promised: I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) And at the same time, He has commanded of me: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

Trudy Cathy White

Director of WinShape Camps for Girls

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WinShape Camps for Boys is proud to announce the construction of our newest building: Deer Run Lodge.

Deer Run Lodge will be the new location for Canteen (a time to enjoy a snack and drink in the evening after our last activity of the day). It is being built next to the Mohawk Mansion and just up the hill from Crooked Arrow Lodge. There will be a large multi-purpose room on the main floor of Deer Run Lodge that can be used for Tribe and Squad meetings and activities. Canteen will be provided behind Deer Run Lodge on the bottom level through three serving windows. Everyone will be able to enjoy refreshments and fellowship with their Tribe/Squad on the patio area and at the amphitheater seating at Crooked Arrow Lodge.

Did you like the new Powerade stations outside the WinShape Centre last year? Then you are going to be excited to hear that we are adding two additional Powerade stations at Deer Run Lodge for you to access during Canteen!

This new building will also be equipped with a kitchen, washing machines and dryers. When camp is not in season, Deer Run Lodge will utilized by WinShape Wilderness to host groups and other events. WinShape Staff will have a dedication of the building on May 19th, which means it will be ready for you to enjoy when you arrive on Spectacular Starting Sunday.

We are excited for all of you to arrive in a few short weeks so camp can officially start!

Sean Plunkett

WinShape Camps for Boys Intern

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WinShape Camps for Communities began in Summer 2008. In its inaugural year 3,000 campers attended in 25 cities. And just 6 short years later we are now anticipating over 20,000 campers to attend in 72 cities. Would you believe that over 50,000 Chick-fil-A sandwiches will be served across the country this summer to families who attend Chick-fil-A Friday Family Fun Day!?! What an incredible journey this has been!

Put simply: WinShape Camps for Communities is an unprecedented day camp experience that brings churches and organizations together to impact communities with the message of Jesus Christ. Completed 1st-6th graders will take part in their absolute best week ever. Local churches will come alongside of Chick-fil-A and other local organizations to make this a true community-wide effort. And in the end we believe that families will be refreshed by the good news of Jesus Christ.

It’s not too late to sign up! For more information on registering your camper please visit www.winshapecamps.org.

Gabe Norris

Director of WinShape Camps for Communities.

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Nine days, thirteen speakers, five hundred staffers and one awesome camp theme makes for an amazing beginning for the summer of a lifetime. Staff Training officially began last Wednesday, with summer staffers flying and driving in from all over the country. Staffers were welcomed by their leadership teams, and ever since that night we’ve hit the ground running.

Our full time staff have been praying and preparing for Staff Training all year long, and they created this time to be one that physically, mentally, and spiritually equips these staffers to be ready for the exciting and challenging summer that’s yet to come. Upon arrival the staff gave up their cell phones and computers in order to “Disconnect to Connect,” a term we like to use that embodies our commitment to put aside all distractions in order to truly invest in one another so that we can be ready to invest our campers.

For weeks these staffers have been pouring over this year’s Anchored curriculum, and this week has allowed them to get together with their teammates in order to help each other best prepare for how they are going to present the Daily Truths that go along with our Anchored theme. Our camp pastors have been in preaching labs practicing their messages. Our bands have been waking up early and staying up late putting the finishing touches on their songs for worship. Our skill leaders have been planning out their weeks and strategizing on how to make their skills the best these campers have ever experienced. Our rec directors have been drawing out field diagrams for Ultimate Rec!, Triangulation and Sock War.

Here at WinShape we believe that events are the means to relationships, and strong relationships that are founded in the Father are our goal. This week has been full of all different types of events that have allowed these staffers to bond in unbelievable ways even in such a short period of time. Morning Zumba and CrossFit classes were great warmups for the Connect 5K race on Memorial Day. Team Building on Janie Bird Square gave staffers the chance to strategize and problem solve together. Late night hangouts like Karaoke in the gym, belly flop contests at the pool, laser tag around the campus, and dodgeball in the Hub, gave staffers a chance to relax and have fun together. Some of the best bonding moments though have been those walks to and from the Hub, and those late night study sessions where staffers really open up to each other and learn about not only one another’s passions for camp but their passion for serving the Lord. These nine days have been exhilarating, and these staffers are the best that WinShape camps has ever had. They have been poured into this week, and now they are ready to pour out into your campers. We can’t wait for what is surely to be the Summer of a Lifetime! See you soon!

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.1 John 1:3

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The Camp Store team for WinShape Camps has been planning ALL year for our new 2014, Camp Store items! We are more than excited to give you a sneak peak of our Camp store product. Who’s excited to start shopping??

Boys Camp will be selling the NEW BoBo tee for $18.00. It’s a DRI-FIT tee that will come in sizes youth small-adult XL.

Girls Camp will also be selling the NEW BoBo tee for $18.00. This is a Comfort Colors, watermelon tee with a front pocket that has the WinShape logo. This tee will come in sizes youth small-adult XL.

The camp store is so EXCITED about the newest camp store item….The BUFF!!!! The BUFF is $5.oo and perfect for Sock Wars, Council Ring and Ultimate Rec. You can wear this item 16 different ways! Say what?? That’s right 16!!! The buff comes in all tribe, club, and squad colors.

This hoodie sweatshirt is a MUST have! It will be sold at both boys and girls camp for $25.00 and comes in sizes youth small-adult XL.

This year at our day camp locations we will have DriFit Village Shirts! These DriFits will be available in Ocean, Safari, and Alpine, and they are $18.

The Camp Store will be open at all opening and closing sessions for girls and boys camps and open at the end of every day at our day camp locations. So come see us and get your camp store products!

Sara Jones

Customer Care Specialist

WinShape Camps

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Session One’s Starting Sunday was nothing short of Spectacular! Packed and ready, cars lined up on Stretch Road at Mount Berry’s mountain campus hours before the gates opened. Our Young Harris girls arrived early to the Enchanted Valley, and they eagerly awaited start of the best week ever. At noon the Summer of a Lifetime officially began at both of our campuses, and from there the fun began!

These thousands of campers, parents and siblings came prepared when they arrived! Days leading up to camp were used to create and execute the perfect plan to turn their vehicles into one-of-a-kind creations. Cars came Sunday decorated as spotted Chick-Fil-A cows, underwater masterpieces and as Indian Hideouts (complete with four wheel drive). These Raving Fans knew that it was either WinShape or Bust!, and with that they set the bar high for our summer-long Raving Fan Parking Lot competition. That free family beach trip is still on the line!

Boys camp families enjoyed popcorn and shaved ice during registration while our girls camp families were helping their daughters make that top bunk just perfect for what could be their fourth or fifth summer at camp. Campers met their cabin mates, bonded with their counselors, and said bye to mom and dad as they got ready to join their clubs/tribes/squads for their first official team trainings!

At training campers got to hear a little bit more about their leaders (some even revealed their Indian names). Games followed these introductions and extreme fun ensued. 3D Kickball anyone!? Boys camp ate dinner under the stars while our Mount Berry girls enjoyed their meal at Chow Hall. After dinner all camps went to their first of many nightly sessions where they began learning about what it truly means to be Anchored in Christ. Overall, it was another Spectacular Sunday for the WinShape books. Excitement is in the air, and these next weeks are sure to be amazing!

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We read your applications, we interviewed every one of you, we assigned your teams and we met with your leadership. This summer has been on our hearts long before it began, and we prayed that God was going to send us amazing staffers to carry out our mission! You all are awesome, talented, creative, driven, funny, and sincere leaders that have a gift for sharing the Good News. You’ve blown us away with your performance this summer. We’ve been blessed beyond belief by all of you, and we want to say thank you for joining the WinShape family!

Thank you for your dedication to studying and preparing your hearts for this summer.

Thank you for your passion for this ministry.

For bringing the energy 24/7.

For all the crazy costume changes.

For your super human strength.

For your constant encouragement.

For daily danceoffs.

For being great team players.

For taking pies to the face like champs.

For keeping our tradition strong.

For remembering you’re never too old to have fun.

And most importantly, thank you for your passion for spreading the Gospel.

You’ve made a great impact this summer. Never forget that. Keep going that second mile. We love yall!

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Our offices invite you to celebrate this summer’s milestones as we take a look back at our 2014 WinShape Camps season.

This summer was our largest camp season as more than 22,400 campers attended WinShape Camps at Mount Berry and Young Harris, GA, and in communities across the country. We had the privilege to meet many of you as more than 88,000 families attended our Chick-fil-A Friday Family Fun Days.

WinShape Camps for Boys had a great summer with 869 campers at Mount Berry. We piloted our WinShape Camps for Boys One-Week this summer with 144 campers for a total of 1,013 campers at our Mount Berry campus. We had so much fun leading these young men, and we look forward to next year as the Boys One-Week camp expands to the Truett-McConnell College campus in Cleveland, GA.

WinShape Camps for Girls at Mount Berry had nearly 70 more campers this year than in 2013 with 1,112 girls attending the two-week camp. The WinShape Camps for Girls at Young Harris, a one-week camp, nearly doubled in size from last year with 1,363 campers attending in 2014.

WinShape Camps for Communities had eight teams traveling to 13 different states for nine weeks this summer. With all 72 camp communities, we had nearly 19,000 campers attend our day camps this summer alone. Next year we will expand further to 81 cities as we add another team to our summer staff.

These numbers are certainly fun to look over, but the most inspiring numbers we can provide are the life-changing decisions made this summer. All camps combined, 1,132 children declared Jesus Christ as their Savior for the first time this summer. An additional 3,170 children acknowledged that a rededication of their life or wanted to talk further about their salvation. Praise God for the marvelous work He has done!

Our staff had a blast leading your campers in skills, team times, tribes, clubs, and worship this summer. Thank you for believing in WinShape Camps and for entrusting us with your children. We will see you in 2015!

Your teammate in Christ,

Ken Thomas

Senior Director WinShape Camps

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At WinShape Camps, we are committed to serving our campers and their families through every aspect of camp; and this includes our camp theme. By the time campers show up for camp one summer, we are already well on our way to planning the ultimate camp experience for the next summer!

As this preparation unfolds, we have a team that meets regularly and pays special attention to our camp theme and everything related to it. This team is made up of staff members from all of our camp programs. As we plan for each summer’s theme, we first seek the Lord for our ultimate leadership. We ask His guidance as we seek to select a theme that will be relevant, powerful, and engaging. We then do everything we can to follow His leading and to craft a theme that will meet our campers and their families where they are. We identify and discuss issues, circumstances, and challenges that our campers and their families are facing. As we have all been praying for our campers and for God’s guidance, we share the burdens on our hearts. We also share research we have done and specific real-life examples we have seen regarding these burdens.

This process has always focused us into a specific direction—meeting a specific need. Last year, we were all burdened by the sense of isolation that is so prevalent, even in such a supposedly “connected” society; so our theme centered on true fellowship, deep friendship with God and others. For next summer, the one word that summarizes the issue we find it is necessary to face is: hopelessness. And what better way to combat hopelessness than by exploring the sure, strong, and definitive hope we have in Christ? For Summer 2015, our theme is Hope: More than meets the eye.

Once our theme is set, we also get to create a world in which to explore it, a motif. While we can’t spoil the surprise and tell you everything before next summer, we can tell you that we will be entering the world of a theme park; but not your typical theme park. As we explore this unique park, we will learn that living a life of hope means realizing that there is more than meets the eye. While some things may seem hopeless on the surface, true hope—the hope we find in Christ—leads us to see with the eyes of our hearts and to trust that we can look beyond the temporary to what is eternal. Here’s a sneak peak:

What is seen is temporary . . .

Sometimes, trouble seems to be hiding around every corner. Life can make us feel like we’re on an endless roller coaster where the next “fall” is just around the curve; and we rarely see it coming before we’re on a freefall. We can feel as though we’re just going in circles and never getting anywhere; much like being on a carousel ride that never stops. When we live life based only on what we can see, life can seem hopeless. But, what if there were more than meets the eye? What if we could see beyond the moment? We can. There is a way to see beyond all the hurt, disappointment, and seemingly hopeless situations in life. But that world can’t be seen with our eyes; it can only be seen with our hearts. The “eyes” of our hearts can see past our problems into the world of hope.

Hope is very much about perspective—the way you choose to see life. You can choose to define your life by circumstances you see. Or, you can choose to “see” life through the eyes of your heart—through the message of hope offered by Christ. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

No matter what circumstances we face, we can live each day of our lives filled with an expectant, positive outlook if we allow Jesus to open the eyes of our hearts to see the world from His perspective. What is unseen is eternal.

We look forward to seeing you next summer!

Dawn Sherill-Porter
WinShape Camps Theme Team Facilitator

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575. The number of summer staff WinShape Camps anticipates hiring for summer 2015. We believe a lot of what makes WinShape Camps the summer of a lifetime is the summer staff who invest in the thousands of campers each year. So we are on mission every fall to recruit the best of the best college students in America to be WinShape Camps summer staff!

One of the ways we recruit applicants is through our Road Crew, which is a team of four previous summer staff who hit the road visiting campuses all over the Southeast to share about opportunities to serve. You may recognize members of our Road Crew if you were at camp this summer! Road crew 1

Road Crew brings CAMP to a different CAMPUS every day throughout our recruiting season. They pull onto a campus with a trailer full of things that make camp what it is — like Spikeball, music, giveaways, and snow cones! They find a high trafficked area on a college campus like a quad or green space and then set up all the fun. Then comes the best part — talking to college students about what WinShape Camps is and why they should apply to serve next summer! Road Crew gets a chance to share their personal WinShape story and then share about the many programs and positions we hire for every year.

We’re not only looking for team time leaders and counselors…but we’re also looking for camp pastors, worship leaders & musicians, actors, photographers, video producers, and more! The values of WinShape Camps like excellence, integrity, and servant leadership is instilled within our staff so our desire is to find college students who have like-minded values and want to serve our campers all summer long!

Road Crew will be on a total of 31 college campuses this fall so lookout for the WinShape Camps trailer on the road in a city near you! Follow the Road Crew’s journey on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat: @wscroadcrew!

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