The bus ride up the mountain to Camp Ben Lippen always feels like crossing an invisible line, leaving behind lockers and bell schedules for a week of intentional relationship building. By day, students throw themselves into the activities of camp: sprinting through group competitions, screaming as they conquer the high jump, tearing across the track in go-karts, and jumping for volleyball spikes in the lake. Cabins buzz late into the night, not just with laughter but with real conversations, as students process what they heard hours earlier in the Gathering, where Chad Burnett (a Ben Lippen School alum) preached the gospel with a confidence that made it feel urgent and personal.

Each morning at Camp Ben Lippen, five faculty and staff members participated in "Real Life" - a time of intentionally sharing their testimony - inviting students to know them beyond their roles in the classroom. By the end of camp, each of the five had confessed the same miracle: that the Lord, through Jesus, had redeemed them. Their lives had been lost, hopeless, and chaotic, and every story landed in the same place: God’s amazing grace. Then, twelve more faculty members lined up backstage and walked out holding cardboard signs, each one naming who they used to be before flipping it around to reveal who they are in Christ. In that moment, it was unmistakably clear why Camp Ben Lippen matters: not the go-karts, not the lake, but the authentic relationships and spiritual growth that happen only when the gospel is opened and the Holy Spirit is at work. Thanks be to God for the way that He worked in the hearts and lives of the students, faculty, and staff during Camp Ben Lippen!  We look forward to seeing the Lord’s continued work as we reenter the classroom and throughout the school year.