Written by: Micah McCurry | First Baptist Church | Dwight, IL | Assistant Director

Today, we’re taking a look back… Way back. Thirty-two years. That’s how long Man Camp has been impacting young men for Christ. But before we look at all God has done, let’s zoom out for a moment and see how much the world has changed in these last 32 years.

Let’s go back to 1994. Take a minute to remember what the world looked like back then, when Man Camp was just beginning. In 1994, Bill Clinton was in his first term as president of the United States. The internet was still a newborn. Yahoo had just been founded. Amazon was still a twinkle in Jeff Bezos’ eye.

On the radio, the original Lion King soundtrack was topping the charts. We had Full House, Family Matters, and Walker, Texas Ranger on television. Arthur and Wishbone were just getting started over on PBS. If you were a kid, you might have had a Tamagotchi on your backpack, a Super Nintendo at home, and a Nerf blaster in hand. Things were different. Things have changed.

But some things, the important things, haven’t. Since 1994, Man Camp has stood as a constant, a beacon, a battle station committed to calling young men to something higher, something holier, something real. What started as a burden in the heart of a few godly men has become a movement, a ministry, a mission field tucked away in the middle of the Midwest.

In those early days, it was just a few men with a vision. They wanted to reach boys at a crossroads in life, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, even if those young men didn’t know it yet.

Now, three decades later, we’ve seen the fruit. We’ve seen pastors, missionaries, evangelists, assistant pastors, godly laymen, and faithful fathers all around the world who trace part of their story back to a week spent at Man Camp. Through the preaching, coaching, camaraderie, and even the competition, we’ve seen God do what only God can do. Young men have made decisions, surrendered to preach, and accepted Christ. We’ve seen altars filled with young men with tears dripping from their faces. Lifelong friendships have begun, and God has worked, not just once or twice, but year after year, soul after soul.

Some men who helped shape this ministry have since stepped over into glory. Their race is run, but their fingerprints remain on every game, every chapel service, every soul saved, every life changed. Men like Ted Huston, Phil Sanney, James Spencer, Jeff Farnham, Wendell Runion, and many more. Their legacy reminds us that this camp has never been about flash; it’s been about faithfulness.

And as the years have gone by, the call hasn’t softened. It’s only grown stronger. This world isn’t getting easier for young men to navigate. The distractions are louder. The temptations are closer. The stakes are higher.

We need a generation of young men who don’t just show up for a week but for a lifetime. We need men who commit to purity, purpose, preaching, and prayer, not halfway, not sometimes, but all the time. We need coaches, staff, men, and churches who will stay in the fight even when it gets hard, even when it means late nights, early mornings, hard conversations, and heavy hearts.

Why? Because it’s worth it. Because the labor is not in vain. Because there’s another Timothy who’ll be suiting up for the first time this year, who’s watching and wondering, “Is this thing really real?”

Let’s show him it is.

So, to every man reading: Thank you. Thank you for investing. Thank you for praying. Thank you for showing up year after year. The world may not notice, but Heaven does. And I believe with all my heart the best days of Man Camp are still ahead.

To every young man who has come to camp or is planning to come this year for the 32nd year of football camp: Thank you as well. We’re not just looking back, we’re looking forward.

Here’s my encouragement to you, coach, staff member, camper, or just someone who loves what this camp stands for: Stay committed. Committed to the work, committed to the truth, committed to the Gospel because, as 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us, “your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me today, and more than that, thank you for being a part of this ongoing story of what God is doing through Man Camp.

God willing, we’re just getting started.