2020 Falls Creek youth camp will proceed
Falls Creek Youth
Camp season, a popular summer staple for hundreds of young people, will likely be held this year.
However, leaders with Oklahoma Baptists said the youth camp won't begin its regular camp schedule on June 1 because of concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The youth camp has been held each summer since 1917 at what is now known as the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center near Davis. Nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains, the faith-based encampment owned and operated by Oklahoma Baptists offers a bevy of activities and a nightly evening worship service in an enclosed tabernacle.
Leaders with the conference center recently said the tentatively delayed start date is June 28.
At that time, the youth camp season will begin in eight sessions of what leaders described as a condensed “splitweek” format. They said groups that have previously been scheduled to attend a week-long session at the camp would instead participate in a three-night, four-day formatted session — Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning.
In a news story in the Baptist Messenger, Oklahoma Baptists official newspaper, the Rev. Hance Dilbeck said a final decision about the possible new camp schedule will be announced on or before May 18. Dilbeck, Oklahoma Baptists executive director-treasurer, said churches will be notified by that date if prolonged COVID-19-related factors make-a-authorities,” Dilbeck said in the Baptist Messenger. “After a lengthy period of time of prayer and reflection, as well as conversation with numerous ministry leaders, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our early summer camp plans and work toward a later, more condensed summer schedule.”
In an online “Frequently Asked Questions” segment, Oklahoma Baptist leaders said time constraints related to the start of school in August and other scheduled camps have kept them from offering the full eight sessions of youth camp with the delayed start. They said the adjusted schedule will provide an opportunity for every church to participate in camp this summer.
Meanwhile, Dilbeck said Oklahoma Baptists have responded well to the news of the changing format.
“The spiritual and physical well-being of our campers is our priority. These adjusted plans are designed for the safety of our campers and to maximize the number of young people who can have an opportunity to hear the Gospel,” he said in the Baptist Messenger.
Todd Sanders, Falls Creek program director, said the split schedule will still allow for the preaching, teaching, music and camp activities that students and their adult sponsor enjoy each year. He said Falls Creek leaders were thankful to student ministry leaders and groups for their help in making the major shift.
For more information about camp, to see a revised camp schedule, churches may go to oklahomabaptists.org/ fallscreek.