Summer camp for children and youth

Summer camp for children and youth

By Pavila Baptist church of Liepaja

Work of Pavila Baptist church of Liepaja started in 1890. Every Sunday approximately 170 people is attending our church. A large part of our church is the older generation, less - the middle generation, but lately more and more people from the younger generation - youth and children are starting to attend the church as well.

We have two pastors  – Martins Balodis and Toms Bermaks.  

Our church has different ministries: Sunday school, teenagers and youth, women's ministry, male ministry, chorus, worship teams, small groups, Bible school, missions, sports, etc.

Our worships services have become more nowadays worship form instead of traditional way of doing Sunday worship services.

Pavila church also participates in projects competitions organized by Liepaja City Council and several times has received the support from the City for the church activities.

Church is located in the very center of Liepaja, near the seaside park. The city is located by the coast of the Baltic Sea. Liepaja is the third largest city in Latvia and the tenth largest in the Baltic States. Liepaja is located between Baltic Sea and Liepaja Lake by interconnecting Trade channel. Liepaja is the city of culture and sports. It is known for its wind and sea amber. The city, after official data (year 2014), has 71.125 people. Port of Liepaja is one of the largest Latvian ports, which also gives many work places for people.

Church outreach/mission goals and strategy are:

Youth

Youth event “Restart” is happening every Friday at 7pm, in the church premises, from the age of 13-18. There we study the Bible, praise and worship, have movie nights, games, discussions, etc.

Youth event “Fusion” is happening every Wednesday at 7pm, also in the church premises, from the age of 13-20. “Fusion” is a musical lesson’s for amateurs, where they can play and learn instruments and also sing, of their own choice, and sing in common choir all together Christian and also non-Christian songs. This project is done in collaboration with the youth association "Josiah Venture".

During these weekly activities, we pray, worship, have Bible studies, topical discussions, Christian and also non-Christian movies, we try to tell youth about Jesus and how important it is to know Him. Most of the young people do not come from the church, but from the outside, which gives us an excellent opportunity to proclaim the gospel.  Also “Fusion” evenings are a great opportunity through music and relationships with youth to proclaim the gospel, because about 80% of the youth who visits the "Fusion" evenings are not Christians. So every evening we share one Bible scripture and try to give them a little insight into what is the true God.

Sunday school

Sunday school at the age of 1-7 takes place on Sunday during the service, and the age of 8-12 takes place on Saturdays at 11:00am.

“Summer Bible School” (day camp) takes place for one week in June. The camp invites children at the age of 6-12. Some of them are children of non-Christian families.

In Sunday school classes for children they are taught the Word of God in a way they understand - through pictures, illustrations or stories. Sunday school takes place on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is for children aged 7-12 years, because it gives them the opportunity to engage in a Sunday worship service and also serve as usher or collective collection services. But on Sunday during the service, Sunday school is for children up to 7 years of age, where children have the opportunity to hear Bible stories in a way the understand, while parents can be at church service.

PROJECT

Summer camp for children and youth

Our city has a lot of youth, but few are those who have heard of gospel and who are interested in involvement in the church.

By implementing this project, we would be able to address non-Christian youth and established relationships with them. They would be involved in church activities, like youth events, that would promote their interest in God.

Implementation of the project to continue ongoing youth evening activities in mid-summer, that would encourage youth for a summer camp, which would be sporting, that would enable to reach out to those, who are close to sport, as well as to musical lessons for those who love music, such as choir. At the end of the camp, it is planned to have a “Talent show”, with something that the campers want to show that they do or what they have learned at camp, do some group performance that they have learned in camp (dancing, choir, drama, etc.), so that everyone would be able to enter the show and off course they could do individually performances as well, if they want too. It would be shown for their parents or friends that would come to pick the campers up from camp and in that way reach and get to know the parents and advertise the camp to camper’s friends for the next year.

Camp should be a variety of art and handicraft lessons that have to be clarified, and we would also like the guest team to suggest some ideas to make this camp into something that has never been in Latvia before. And, of course, integrated English language classes or activities that attract those, who would like to better learn and / or improve their English language skills, communicating and being in one camp with the guest team.

During the camp we do not want to hide the fact, that we are Christians, where the morning and / or evening meetings would bring the Gospel to young people through the current topics and discussions. We, of course, would also like that the guest team would identify their ideas and recommendations on how to make this camp into something fantastic and something that will remain in youth memory for a long time.

The project aims to infidel youth evangelization (addressing), involving them in church activities. Addressing youth in Liepaja by building relationships with them, they are given the opportunity to hear about God, to know and experience God. Through all the activities described in the preceding paragraph, these young people will be given the opportunity to meet local Christians, guests from the United States, to hear the message of God and His great mercy toward us.

1)Youth enters the church life in current events.

2)Youth has been given the opportunity to hear about God.

3)Build mutual contact with youth who do not yet go to church.

Tasks, stages, steps that have to be taken in order to realize this project

1)Team building

2)Budgeting

3)Find a place where the camp

4)Advertising

5)The visiting team reception

6)The camp planning and putted together ideas of the both team

7)Camp itself

8)Camp Evaluation

9)The relationship and contacts with campers after camp

Planned, desired time for implementing this

Summer, the best time for us would be - the end of July / beginning of August

The resources church planned to use in implementing this project

From our congregation there will be involved at least 10 people.
Co-finance local leaders charges. Our congregation will help local camp leaders and our church youth leaders, and other church members who would be willing to respond and to engage in this project, to cover their membership fee for the entire camp time.
Help pay for camp participation fee for those campers who, for various reasons, haven’t got enough financial resources.
From the church to be invited numbers of volunteers (5-10), who would be willing to get involved in the organization of the camp.
During the organization of camp, the church will provide foreign guests accommodation in the church premises.
Congregation have the necessary equipment (sports equipment, musical and computer equipment, musical instruments, etc.)

Roles/tasks of collaboration partner team

There will be 10 - 20 people people on collaboration team necessary for implementing this project.

Participation in the organization of the camp together with our church members and camp leaders in the planning of joint activities and engaging camp management, evangelize and establishing relationships with local youth, which in turn does not include campground finding, food and other practical issues, but only the questions, which are related to the conduct of the camp, activities, lessons and also after the camp contact methods practices and recommendations on how to do better and more efficient.

Expected budget for the project

• Rent of camp site - 2000-4000 EUR

• Catering - from EUR 50-100/per person for 10 days. The total cost depends on the total number of people.

• Materials that will be needed for the camp - EUR 500 - (various handicraft materials, missing sports equipment, missing music equipment, and other, yet unknown, depending on what kind of activities guest team can put ahead and where new equipment is needed)

• Vehicle expenses - depending on the location of the camp (the estimated cost - 100EUR)

 

Toms Bermaks – project organizer, church preacher/youth leader; tbermax@gmail.com; +37120195003

Elizabete Balode –project organizer, youth leader; +37127740818

 

Adress of Pavila  Baptist church of Liepaja

Kuršu iela 19, Liepaja, LV-3401, Latvia + 37127766311

kanceleja@paviladraudze.lv;  www.pavilniekiem.lv; www.paviladraudze.lv