Church planting youth camp prepared to engage students

W

hile the state’s first-ever church planting youth camp, Plant It Alabama, is an exciting new ministry venture for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions’ (SBOM) office of associational missions and church planting, for lead strategist Lamar Duke it’s so much more than a camp; it’s the legacy of a dear friend. 

Keith Loomis, an associate in SBOM’s office of collegiate and student ministries who passed away in Nov. 2014 after a five-year battle with cancer, and Duke had a conversation a few months prior to Loomis’ death about the impact of PowerPlant on Duke’s church planting work in Pennsylvania. PowerPlant is a ministry of LifeWay Student Ministry that seeks to engage students in church planting and evangelism. 

Duke’s sentiments moved Loomis because one day Loomis and a friend sketched an idea on a restaurant napkin that eventually became PowerPlant. From that day on “the Lord would not allow me to get this idea out of my mind,” Duke said, seeking to make a similar program in Alabama. The result is Plant It Alabama.  

“My goal is to change the culture in Alabama to see church planting as a viable option for evangelism,” Duke said. 

Designed for 13–18 year olds, the camp will be held July 12–17 at Romar Beach Baptist Church, Orange Beach. All students will be taught how to share their faith, learn the basics of church planting and spend time working alongside church planters in activities such as prayer walking, distributing flyers and conducting Bible clubs. 

Each night will conclude with a worship service on the beach led by Annel Robayna, Hispanic church planter in Baldwin Baptist Association, and Ralph Rimmer, pastor of Bridgewater Community Church, Spanish Fort. 

“It is my prayer that God will call some of these young men to be our planters and many of the young men and women [to] become deacons, Woman’s Missionary Union leaders and missions team members in our Alabama Baptist churches,” Duke said. 

The deadline to register for the pilot program is May 15 and space is limited.

For more information, contact Duke at lduke@alsbom.org. To register, visit alsbom.org/plantitalabama.