Super Summer is a youth evangelism and leadership camp associated with the

Baptist General Convention of Texas The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2009, the BGCT began to also go by the name ...

for youth graduating from 7th grade to 12th grade. The camp is usually held on a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

college/university campus of the campers' states. There are Super Summner camps in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Montana, Missouri, Kansas, Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee.

History

Super Summer of Texas began in 1974 as a training course for Christian young people for personal religious growth and

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

. Started by Dr. George Worrell, the camp begun as a cooperative effort by several Texas churches in Texas. Student groups met for school sessions in church buildings in the

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

area. They were housed in the homes of volunteer church members, and bused to their school locations each day. The students studied until evening, then attended Rainbow Celebration. an evening

worship service A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adorat ...

. As Super Summer spread to other

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

State Conventions, other

Youth Evangelism leaders and speakers became involved. These included Phillip Hunter, Emory Gadd, Barry St. Clair, and Knox Talbert.

Super Summer Texas

Super Summer now include the Evangelism Division of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The students were moved to the

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

campus. Super Summer is now hosted by other Texas Baptist Universities The students stay in dorms, participate in recreational activities. During a week at Super Summer, students spend approximately twenty-four hours in evangelism and discipleship training sessions taught by youth leaders and pastors.

Super Summer Oklahoma

Super Summer Oklahoma is one of the smaller super summer camps. Led by Evan Dare, the camp has an executive staff pastors and youth pastors from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. The camp is hosted at

Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of O ...

(OBU) and consists of three weeks, usually the first three weeks in June, known as Weeks One, Two, and Three. Super Summer Oklahoma is divided by grade based on color schools. Red means the student is going into 8th grade, Blue - 9th, Orange - 10th, Yellow - 11th, Green - 12th, and Silver - Post grad. The camp has a Purple school for students intending to enter

Christian ministry In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

. Students can attend Purple school after finishing Yellow school. The average cost of Super Summer camp to students varies; the students' home churches usually assist with the tuition.

Super Summer Missouri

In the early 1980s, the

Missouri Baptist Convention The Missouri Baptist Convention is the state convention of Southern Baptists in Missouri. Headquartered in Jefferson City, it operates as a network of nearly 1,800 independent Southern Baptist churches, which are divided into eight regions and 60 ...

started hosting Super Summer camps. The Missouri Super Summer sessions have been held at

Southwest Baptist University Southwest Baptist University (SBU) is a private Baptist university in Bolivar, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2019, it had a total enrollment of 3,280 student ...

William Jewell College William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...

and

Hannibal–LaGrange University Hannibal–LaGrange University (HLGU), formerly Hannibal–LaGrange College, is a private Christian university in Hannibal, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. It e ...

. For many summers, Super Summer Missouri culminated with a celebration at the

Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun is an entertainment complex with more than 235 acres located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. Founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman, the park opened in ...

Theme Park in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

that included contemporary

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

artists and speakers In the 1990s the Convention replaced the celebration with a mission trip for students who received the proper training at the Super Summer camp.

Super Summer New York

In 2012 Family Life, a

parachurch Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism. Parachurch organizations seek to come alongside the church and specialize in things that indivi ...

ministry in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, founded Super Summer New York. This has been a cooperative effort of Super Summer Oklahoma and the staff at Family Life. The New York Super Summer camp is held annually at

Houghton College Houghton University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Houghton, New York. Houghton was founded in 1883 by Willard J. Houghton and is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.

References