Grub Camp 2010

Over the last 20 years I have been taking students up to Indian Henry Campground on the Clackamas River, to take part in what has affectionately become known as Grub Camp. Today I returned from yet another great time on the river.

There is nothing quite like getting a bunch of guys away from their usual settings and routines to spend some quality time together. We laugh, we play, we have great conversations, and so much more.

I loved the words of one parent after her son returned home, "He came home desperately stinky and filthy and just happy as all get out. Thanks Pastor Brian!" Love it!

We have two slogans for Grub Camp. They go up as boys and return home men, and What happens at Grub Camp stays at Grub Camp!

Due to the the second slogan, I can't tell you everything we do, but this year's video should give you a pretty good idea.



Read more Grub Camp experiences here, here and here.

Guy Time

For the better part of 20 years I have been taking middle school boys camping at Indian Henry Campground on the North Clackamas River. We call it Grub Camp. A time to get away and just be guys. No girls, no showers, not really even any manners. Good times! I even did a Grub Camp Reunion a couple of years back with some guys I took some 15 years earlier. Read about that incredible weekend here.

We tell guys that they go as boys and come back men. Kind of a rite of passage if you will. We fish, we swim, we jump off high rocks and logs into the icy cold river, we sit around the fire, and for the more gullible among us, we even go on snipe hunts. This last weekend we did it again!

What a great weekend it was. We did all of the above and loved every minute of it. This year was extra special as we also had the opportunity to baptize one of our students in the icy cold river. Always exciting to see a new and changed life!

90 Years of Journey

I along with 5 other guys spent the weekend camping. It was a return to the past yet also celebration of the future. Fifteen years ago we camped together, I as their youth pastor and they as my students. This last weekend we returned to the very same site for a return of Grub Camp.

We indulged in many of the same activities that we enjoyed many years ago, catching crawdads, eating crazy things like "garbage eggs", playing with fire; you know...good guy stuff! The highlight of the weekend though was hearing the stories of life. Each of us shared our last 15 years, thus 90 years of journey.

The stories were incredible. They were filled with joys, trials, heartache, tragedy, and triumph. There is no better story than real life. What made all these stories so great is that they all intersected with God's story. Some later than others, yet they all did.

What an awesome priviledge to have been a part of each of their stories and to see how God has worked deeply in each life over the years. Truly a demonstration of the truth of Philippians 1:6, that "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

We plan to return next year to celebrate even further all that God has continued to do and to enjoy the relationships that He has blessed us with.

Check out the slide show of the weekend that Adriel put together.



To view or download a higher quality sequence click here.

Grub Camp Reunion

For the better part of 20 years I have been taking middle school and high school boys camping at Indian Henry Campground on the North Clackamas River. We call it Grub Camp. A time to get away and just be guys. No girls, no showers, not really even any manners. Good times!

We tell guys that they go as boys and come back men. Kind of a rite of passage if you will. We fish, we swim, we jump off high rocks and logs into the icy cold river, we sit around the fire, and for the more gullible among us, we even go on snipe hunts.

Well this weekend I do it all again, but not with middle school or high school students but with grown men, men that were once boys in my ministry. It was 15 years ago that we went to Grub Camp together. This weekend we're going back, back to relive the fun, and relive the memories.

One of the most rewarding aspects of youth ministry is witnessing what God has done and is doing in the lives of students after they graduate out of our ministry. I love when students come back and share the things God is doing in their lives. This is just such an occasion.

There is a principle that says, your never reap in the same season that you sow. There is a lot of truth to that. In youth ministry the fruit of ministry is not always immediately seen, but it is often seen in later years. I look forward to sharing our lives with one another this weekend, and praising God for the things He has done and continues to do.