[July 01, 2011] Johnsonville sports camp provides summer outlet for kids Tweet Jun 28, 2011 (The Weekly Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- JOHNSONVILLE, S.C. -- For most kids, the summer months consist of living one day to the next with no particular plan. This summer, Crossover Church in Johnsonville is looking to change that, with its first iteration of Sports Camp, something the church hopes will become a local tradition. The Sports Camp was created to give children an option to sitting indoors all day, along with a variation on the traditional Vacation Bible School routine. Crossover Church, which has only been around for 18 months, and Missy Timmons, the outreach director at the church, think the camp will provide an element that children wouldn't get at normal Vacation Bible School services. "In lieu of the traditional Vacation Bible School, we decided to do a sports camp to teach the kids about sportsmanship and how Jesus would have them to participate in sports," Timmons said. "It allows them to be more energetic, more athletic. They're teaching them skills that they can use. They're tapping into their talents." The goal of the camp is to mold children into better citizens, under the guise of fun and learning the basics of some common sports. The camp sought to teach children the basics of sports, such as baseball, softball, kickball, basketball, football and cheerleading, which would not have been possible without the help of a group of young volunteers that helped in the children's sports education. "We're still teaching them the Gospel, and we're sharing with them professional athletes who give their success as a Christ-follower, and I think that gives them a role model to look up to," Timmons said. While the camp was never created in search of critical acclaim, the attendees from the camp provided nothing but rave reviews, Timmons said. But the evidence of the success of the camp lies not with the children, but the volunteers who continuously sought to help the camp. "It's totally run by our youth. They're the coaches, they're the huddle group leaders, they're doing the refreshments," she said. "They're great role models for these younger children to look up to." The assistance from the volunteers doesn't stop at home plate or the end zone, as many of the volunteers have served through testimonials and the reading of Bible stories. The camp was not created with just the attendees of Crossover Church or kids that were already well initiated with sports in mind, as the idea was to bring in as many people from across the area as possible. "Especially in a small town, there's not a lot for kids to do during the summer time," Timmons said. "This gives them a fun forum where they can come and participate and know what's going on. The youth have been really good about being patient and teaching them different things." To see more of The Weekly Observer or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www2.scnow.com/community/observer/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Weekly Observer, Hemingway, S.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]