Summer Missions Adventure | 5 Week Photo Essay

Summer camp, for most of us as children, was the highlight of our year and some things never change. The Summer Missions Adventure (SMA) was started in 2002 and is unlike your ordinary "summer camp".
This camp stands apart from others in that the children spend eight weeks in preparation for a one week mission's trip. "The kids have a great time, but the point of the camp is for them to grow in their relationship with God."

The heart and soul behind SMA is Beth McCoun. Beth's desire is for children who have grown up in christian homes to realized how blessed they are, and to understand that they are blessed to be a blessing to the world. Thus the motto of her program- "Blessed to be a blessing."
Throughout the weeks of training, the kids have a good bit of homework involving daily devotionals, prayer, and memory work, as they strive towards learning a gospel presentation. Encouraged to work and grow together as a team, each meeting during boot camp includes a fun team-building challenge, worship, and a deeper study of the gospel. As intense as their weeks of boot camp are, it all builds into what is seen as the grand finale... project week!

Project week is spent partly at The Camp at Sunshine Farm in Shelby County, AL, while the rest of the week is spent around Birmingham visiting different daycares and sharing their gospel presentation. Involving skits and bible lessons, the presentation lasts about 15 minutes. Jesus is the focus. Everything that is done that week, from telling others about The Good News to singing His praises on the bus, point towards who He is.

In the afternoon, the SMA kids either spend time in recreation around the camp, journaling, or discussing and praising God for what they perceived Him do that day. They call it setting up stones of remembrance. Children come back summer after summer looking forward with great expectation to being a part of Summer Missions Adventure.

Beth McCoun is the director of Summer Missions Adventure (SMA). 

Beth says, "SMA is designed for children who want to work to develop their relationship with God, and have a desire to share their faith with others."

The children participating in SMA go through an eight week training program. They practice sharing their faith and learn a gospel presentation in prepartion for project week.

Project week is similar to a missions trip. The kids stay at a camp together, and visit daycares around Birmingham sharing Jesus.

The kids will tell you that time on the bus is an absolute blast! They spend a good portion of their week traveling to six different daycares.

At each daycare the SMA kids read bible stories to the children.

They share the gospel through skits, bible verses, and lessons that they learned during their weeks of training.

After their presentation, they make bracelets with the children. Each bead symbolizes an aspect of the gospel.

Project week is not all work! They spend their afternoon at camp in recreation and playing together as a team.

Later in the afternoon, the children journal what God taught them that day.

Each night is closed in worship, praising the Lord for what He has done for them, and what He will continue to do.