Camping for the glory of God? Absolutely. First Peter 4:11 reminds believers that whatever we do, “in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” This is the mission of the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Campers on Mission (COM), which held its 2004 National Rally at Dothan’s National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds in June.
The six-day rally included a missions craft fair, music and messages from many Alabama Baptists including Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM); Jerry Grandstaff, director of missions for Columbia Baptist Association; and Sammy Gilbreath, SBOM director of evangelism.
COM’s national coordinators, Martha and Wintford Haynes of Cullman, were pleased with this year’s rally turnout of more than 500 attenders representing 35 states and 24 of 28 chapters.
“The Alabama chapter did a great job hosting the rally,” Wintford Haynes said. “We believe this year’s National Campers on Mission rally was one of the best.”
And while the Oklahoma chapter of COM won the COM Honor Chapter award, the Alabama chapter, headed by Glen Whiddon, was runner-up.
COM is open to all Christian campers, including nonBaptists. Chapters organize short-term projects across America and beyond.
Many members are retirees who spend a great deal of their time on the road in campers and motor homes. Younger members use their vacations as opportunities to work with COM, often taking along small children who learn valuable lessons from their parents’ examples.
Jeanette Whiddon, wife of the Alabama chapter leader, explained some of COM’s activities. “Let’s say a person wants to spend the winter in Florida. He can … find a project that would enable him to do this while participating in a worthwhile COM endeavor.”
COM’’s projects are as unique as its members. “Sometimes ladies will coordinate a nursing home ministry to be done alongside a construction project in the area,” Whiddon said.
“COM uses many venues to share the gospel. In fact, Alabama COM will be going to work in Grand Junction, Colo., in just a couple of weeks.”
COM’s national project for 2003 was to build a mission house and conference center in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.
Campers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and Canada participated, spending most of July in Cochrane.
After this year’s rally, the Hayneses headed for Alaska to help with work on the Schrock Road Community Church.
The couple also planned to stop en route in Edmonton to help another congregation with work on educational facilities.
“We’d also planned to route ourselves back through Cochrane,” Wintford Haynes continued.
But when the couple arrived, “Imagine our surprise to find that several people who’d come for last year’s project were there working on another new building.”
Share with others: