Camp Au Sable: One Week, Lifelong Impact

Camp Au Sable's ministry began in 1947 when 840 acres of woods with a 100-acre private lake was purchased by the Michigan Conference for $30,000.

Work on the camp started immediately, and in 1948 the dining hall and two cabins were constructed. In 1949, the first summer camp was held on the beautiful grounds. Since then, Camp Au Sable has hosted thousands of campers over seven decades.  

This summer, Camp Au Sable held seven weeks of programming—four weeks of kids' camps and three weeks of family camps. David Glenn, who serves as camp director, reports that family camps hosted 729 people across three weeks, and over four weeks, 636 children from various backgrounds and walks of life attended a week of kids' camp. Kids' camp is divided into four age divisions: Adventurer, Junior, Tween, and Teen.  

Each week, kids made decisions for Jesus, with an average of about 70 decisions for baptism per week, shares Glenn. Some campers have been raised in Adventist homes, other campers are non-Adventist, and their connection with Camp Au Sable comes through attending church with a grandparent or other family member, or by attending an Adventist school. Some of them have been sponsored by the local church to come to camp for a week, Glenn says.   

It takes a lot of hands to run such a large operation with so many campers. Camp Au Sable offers many activities for its campers, including ceramics, wakeboarding, swimming, horseback riding, rock wall climbing, tubing, hiking, science classes with Dr. Atkins, and much more. And, of course, everyone has to eat!  Counselors, kitchen staff, lifeguards, janitors, and more all work together to ensure that camp runs effectively and is a positive experience for campers.  

Even though staff are busy with differing tasks, however, "all of them share the same focus," says Glenn. Every staff member is focused on leading kids to Christ. The results of that focus are reflected in the number of decisions campers made this summer.  

Camp is especially impactful on non-Adventist kids. "We have stories from pastors talking about how the church sponsors the child, the kid will come home, tell their parents and the family will begin interacting with the local Seventh-day Adventist church," shares Glenn. A week at summer camp can powerfully impact a child, so much so that the family is open to other church events.  

"I've also heard stories," Glenn says, "about a child coming to kids’ camp, and then the next year, the whole family will come to family camp." One child's experience can influence the whole family to attend spiritual events.  

Camp Au Sable, while effective in reaching children and families, is not alone in its ministry. "The ministry at camp," Glenn says, "is very much connected with the ministry of the conference and what each local church is doing." Camp's ministry is effective because it works alongside churches and schools to reach young people and families.  

"We don't often get to see the complete picture at camp," shares Glenn, "nor do pastors or teachers teaching non-Adventist students, but God is doing a work in all of these spaces, and we are just continuing each other's ministries."  

Many children make decisions for Jesus at camp. Glenn believes that the atmosphere of camp is a large factor in why. Not only is Camp Au Sable beautiful, with Lake Shellenbarger sparkling in the sun and miles of quiet paths carpeted with pine needles under a lush forest, but Camp Au Sable "provides an opportunity to step away from the distractions that people normally face in day to day life," Glenn says. "They aren't bombarded with cell phone use and social media distractions—it's a time where they can focus and be out in nature."  

"Nature," Glenn continues," has a way of pointing us to God." Camp Au Sable has been dedicated to God, dedicated to mission, and its entire focus is to lead children to Jesus.  

Of course, there is also the influence of church and Adventist schools that are "connected" to camp's ministry. When people come to Au Sable, Glenn explains, "they aren't separate events." Camp Au Sable can be a "peak or mountain top, a culmination of [the influence of church or school]… for some kids, it just culminates at camp," Glenn says. "Then they can take [that foundation] back with them and continue their walk with Jesus when they go home."  

Camp Au Sable's staff are dedicated to improving their ministry. In-between summer camps, year-round staff focus on the mission, which, "is pretty clear," says Glenn, "to draw people to Jesus." That ministry is effective by "mentoring youth and young adults and showcasing God's second book."  

When children are not at camp, staff prayerfully evaluate and ask, "Lord where do you want us to go? How can we better lead kids to you? How can we more effectively use our sight and the gifts that you've given us?" Glenn shares. Every soul won for Jesus is a victory, and the Lord blesses camp with the opportunity every year to minister to more young souls and lead them to the cross.  

Camp Au Sable continues its plans for fundraising to replace the dining hall and auditorium. If you have been personally impacted by Camp Au Sable's ministry and feel impressed to give monetarily so that more campers can continue to be led to Jesus, please visit misda.org, where more information about this project can be found, as well as instructions on how to donate.