Fire danger shuts down Arizona Bible camp (updated)

Here’s an update from Jessica Knapp:

Hey Folks — I have wonderful news.  We have a camp and it is final!!!  Tonight the Board of Ponderosa Christian Camp in Ponderosa NM met and decided to make it possible for us to have camp.  They are going to charge us just their cost for camp and that is much less than many of the other camps we have been in negotiations with.

Extreme fire dangers that prompted the closing of the Coronado National Forest have shut down the Arizona Church of Christ Bible Camp on Mount Graham, church leaders say.

A baptism at Arizona Church of Christ Bible Camp. (File photo provided by Jessica Knapp)

However, Christian teens are not giving up on the possibility of a Bible camp experience this summer, said Jessica Knapp, youth minister of the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ in Tucson, Ariz.
“Camp is a really special time for our kids,” Knapp said. “These mountaintop experiences are often life-changing for the teens we reach.”
Teens have set up a Facebook page in hopes that fellow church members will donate toward alternative camp possibilities:

Southern Arizona Teens would like to go to camp! Our camp on Mt. Graham (the Arizona Church of Christ Bible Camp) has been closed due to the extreme wildfire danger. We have a few camp options, but either we will need to rent vehicles to get all the teens there or rent the facility for more money than we currently have. So I am asking you to take a few minutes and make a $5 donation to camp for us. I am not asking a lot, but if each friend gives a little, we will have enough to make a difference for all of our teens at camp.
Tax deductible donations can be made online at accbc.net or can be sent to the Mountain Ave Church of Christ 2848 N Mountain Ave with a note that it is an ACCBC donation.

The regular camp’s closure has put camp leaders in a double bind, said Travis Moore, youth minister of the Palo Verde Church of Christ in Tucson. That’s because the camp will lose revenue from renting the facility to outside groups.
“We depend upon groups like the Boy Scouts and other organizations to help us cover the costs of maintaining our own camp,” Moore said. “This is definitely going to put a strain on our camp budget.”

• Feedback
  We can’t thank the Ponderosa Church of Christ enough for what they’re doing for our teens. Thank you from the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ members and office staff!

  Jody Nowak

  June, 16 2011