PHOENIX (Christian Newswire)—This summer, 37 Native American children and teens received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior or recommitted their lives to Him at four weeklong camps at Southwest Indian Ministries Center (SIMC) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Out of the 73 children who attended the four camps, 32 received Jesus Christ, and five recommitted their lives. More than 50 counselors and workers, including missionaries, college students, and other volunteers helped to make the camps a success.
“On the last night of camp, the Holy Spirit came down within our midst, and we had our own mini-revival that lasted into the night,” related SIMC’s camp director. “Several kids got saved that night, and everyone was praying. Our hearts were forever changed!”
Two of the camps were for elementary-aged kids—the theme was “Eat the Word”—and they learned ways to grow physically and spiritually, combined with the usual fun camp activities. The remaining two weeks of camp were for teens and included a service emphasis, volunteering as a group at an inner-city ministry in downtown Phoenix.
Other highlights included Chad Johnson, the chaplain for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, as the main speaker at the high school camp.
SIMC plans to host day camps on reservations, where half the population is under the age of 18 in some places. According to missionary Sandy Anderson, “There’s a huge need in Native communities and villages; there’s just not much for the kids to do.”
Kids Camps are held every year during the summer. Other children’s and youth ministries are held throughout the year, and volunteers are always needed. To see a list of current ministry positions, visit the World Gospel Mission Web site.
Originally a boarding school, SIMC is now a ministries center that focuses on sharing the light of Christ with Native Americans from all over Arizona. SIMC is a ministry of World Gospel Mission, a nondenominational missionary-sending agency.
About World Gospel Mission
World Gospel Mission disciples believers to become missions-active Christians. As a nondenominational missionary organization, WGM partners with individuals, small groups, college groups, and churches to intentionally address the physical and spiritual needs of individuals and communities.
