3rd ANNUAL SONshine SUMMER BIBLE STUDY CAMP

TRUST - UNITE - TRAIN - FOLLOW - LEAD --- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5!

Agents for good in the service of God.

Boot training in the school of Jeremiah, Jonah, John and Jesus. Shout, sing, cut and paste, run and jump, learn the verse of the day.
Believe it or not, from 7:30 in the morning until noon time, 100 dynamic children guided and helped by about 75 adults and teen aged teachers, leaders and guides take the Bible verses about Trust, Unity, Love, Training effort and other spiritual ideas and put them into their hearts. The church grounds are over-run by waves of orange and blue shirts proclaiming that these are the recruits into Jesus' SONforce special service.

There are cadenced shouts of "I love Jesus, yes, I do; I love Jesus, how 'bout You?"

There are songs and hymns that become a part of the hearts and souls of the "campers". The Arts and Crafts room dedicates a few minutes of each session to encourage the campers to write their prayers for parents and other relatives on a piece of paper that will be offered at the morning Mass of every day.

The campers are children from the first grade through the sixth grade. They are from all parts of Moreno Valley, Riverside and Perris. They are all between 7 and 12 years aold. Well, that's the basic understanding. Actually, some of the children are between 5 and 7 years old, and others are 13 to 15 or more. Those who are between 5 and 7 are accompanied by their mother and we allow them to participate in the activities of the camp. There are other participants in the camp. The adults of the parish are also attracted to the environment. The event attracts a retired doctor who helps to keep children safe in case of untoward events; there are mothers and brothers and sisters who come to help, usually with the introductory question, "Is it too late to volunteer?" We accepted a brother and sister who would work for the five days, one being the substitute for the other!

The St. Christopher SONshine Summer Bible Camp has become a real total community event. Walking around the campus this year was like old times. 60% of the participants are at least in their second year. At least 35% are in their third year. At least 40% of the volunteers are in their third year. The impact of this event is in the reality of the action of Jesus in the St. Christopher community.

This is the initial story of the third annual SONshine Summer Bible Camp event at St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley, CA. Stay tuned for the wrap-up that will hit your computer next week.