Camp Blue Ridge (Montebello, Va.) directors, Jerrod and Jennifer Gabel, set out with the goal to host 350 attendees within the six weeks of summer and family camp and topped out at 355, even amidst the North American Division and General Conference meetings that took place during the same time. This includes the 155 family campers that attended in one week. This is the biggest number the camp has seen in years. The Gabels credit it to making improvements on site, building relationships and the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the ministry.
To continue promoting growth, a new meeting place has been installed, which will allow two groups to be hosted over the same weekend, something that posed a problem in the past. “Town Hall has been the only structural meeting place for the past few years,” said Jenn. Gabel. “ This limited us in how many groups we could minister to at one time.” The new structure is a large tent that can accommodate around 500 people. Radiant heat from the floor, which is generated by hot water from a gasification boiler, will keep the fully enclosed tent warm enough for groups to meet well into the cool fall months.
“We’ve been working hard to continue the growth of this camp,” both said. “Camp is our passion and year after year, we see how it positively impacts the lives of our campers and staff. We hope to see this growth continue and are thankful for the blessings of this summer.”
