As a youth minister, both part-time and full-time over the years, I think I used “the outdoors” in my ministry possibly more than most youth ministers in the 1960’s to the 80’s.
First, for all ages, the highlight of every year was my summer camps and the ones I designed myself were, I thought, better than the associational and state-sponsored camps! 🙂 And secondly, I included Royal Ambassadors and GAs as the major channels for mission action and mission education and they both included the outdoors for activities a lot, especially the boys in RAs where camping & hiking was a regular part of the program! Plus in Miami I got to work a little bit with the Boy Scouts along with my Boy Scout summer in 1962. What few photos I have in my photo galleries from those days vividly show how the outdoors was central . . .
- And there were many more events without photos to share like the 1974 Jr. High Camp I did from Second Baptist Memphis at Fall Creek Falls State Park and then later at the same TN State Park with the 1980 & 82 Youth Camps from Belmont Heights Church of Nashville and well, I just didn’t always get photos back then! And I regret that now! 🙂
- 1972 Mexico-South Texas RA Trip as National Pioneer RA Director.
- 1970 Mexico-South Texas RA Trip as National Pioneer RA Director.
- 1967-69 – Hillcrest Church Dallas, 7 Outdoor Event Galleries
- 1965-67 – Miami Springs, Florida in my first tropical paradise!
- Camping in the Everglades over the two years
- 1966 Ridgecrest & AT Trail Hike
- 1962 Summer – Chaplain/Leader at Boy Scout Camp Quapaw
- Woodbadge Training at end of summer
- Leading a Hike of Shiloh Natl. Military Park web page
- Leading a Hike of the DeSoto Trail
- Camp Chaplain & Senior Patrol Leader Trainer, Camp Quapaw
- Camp Yocona, Mississippi – BSA official leader training for Camp Quapaw Staff at the beginning of summer
- 1960-61 as a student at Ouachita Baptist College I was the volunteer youth minister of the little Third Street Baptist Church and remember having a great outdoor retreat for youth one Saturday (no overnight) and some good hikes with the RAs. No pix.
And the “feature photo” at the top is me cooking breakfast while camping out with the youth group from Miami at Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center near Black Mountain, North Carolina before our AT hike. I had a similar experience camping at Glorieta Baptist Conference Center 1968 with youth from Hillcrest Church, Dallas.
¡Pura Vida!
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