ⓒ 2015 WATV

In excitement of the New Year, Winter Student Camp 2015 was held by the Church of God throughout Korea. In time for vacation of the middle and high school students, the student camp is held twice (winter and summer) a year. In winter camp, in particular, the students who will enter the middle school participate and so it has much fresher atmosphere. (The new academic year begins in March in Korea.) At the orientation, student group activities are introduced to the fresh members. After that, recreation is followed to break the ice between juniors and seniors, which helps the freshmen get accustomed to the student group. This year, too, the camp was alive by the participation of freshmen.

The student camp programs consisted of Bible study, character education, work-study, and volunteer services. The Bible study was the time to console the hearts of the students who were exhausted by their hard study at school. The pastoral staff and guidance teachers led them to strengthen their faith and to become the salt and light of the world as faithful believers through the systematic education on the Bible.

The character education was to guide sensitive emotions of teenagers to the right path and suggest solutions to their problems. For this education, lecturers from public offices or all walks of life were invited, apart from the education led by the church. In the character education the students’ parents too participated to form a bond of sympathy between parents and students. As many accidents occur these days, fire fighting safety education too was carried out extensively. The students raised their awareness of safety, learning how to cope with accidents and disasters—cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] and the use of fire extinguisher.

The program that students, who have great vigor, liked most was the work-study because they could participate in it with their friends. The work-study consisted of diverse activities to foster their emotional development such as cooking contest, athletic meet, and paper or clay arts to raise their creative powers. And through visits to historic sites, museums, and observatories, they could learn with five senses what they had studied with textbooks. Lastly, volunteer service was also an instructive program. Students shared God’s love with their neighbors through their good deeds such as street cleanup, visiting nursing home, and coal briquette delivery.

In this winter camp, students planned schedules and programs by themselves. They took the lead particularly in the Bible seminar, the Bible discussion, and the truth presentation before their families and friends. They presented the truth on the basis of the Bible, which they had learned at the Bible seminar and the Bible discussion during the camp, and displayed their hidden talents through a play and singing, presenting their families and friends with big smiles and inspiration. In winter when we are likely to shrink from the cold, the students spent busier days than any other times thanks to the student camp. After spending the winter warm with good memories, the students are now filled with new strength and are preparing for their new term.

ⓒ 2015 WATV