FAITH-FILLED FUN: Camp WinShape returns to Crossway Church

Published 4:00 am Sunday, May 29, 2022

A popular summer program is returning to Crossway Church on U.S. 61 South.

Camp WinShape, which is sponsored by Chick-fil-A, returns to the church after a two-year layoff because of COVID-19. The camp will run from June 6-10 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $224 per camper and Jessica Gain, children’s ministry associate at Crossway, said registration will be accepted until the start of the camp. She said more than 100 children have already signed up for the camp.

“This is our first year back since 2019,” Gain said. “All camps were canceled in 2020, and in 2021 they brought it back, but it was largely restricted and we just felt that it was not going to be the best it could be. So, we brought it back this year for completed kindergarten to completed 8th grade.

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“If you’re older than that — completed 9th grade to 99 — then you can come to volunteer,” she added.

Gain said the camp will feature a variety of programs for the children, adding that when children register, they will be able to select from different areas of interest and will also be assigned to an age-appropriate team.

“There’s tons of activities they can sign up for,” she said. “It’s an intense week of all things kids love.”

Gain said children will be able to participate in their selected areas of interest, but will also do activities with their team, like Bible study, worship service and activities, like relay races, where they compete against other teams.

She said the church campus will be used for the different activities.

“We’re all excited and the excitement has gone through the staff and our church family and the kids we’ve seen; it has been awesome,” Gain said.

Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy established WinShape in 1985 as a way to challenge young people physically and spiritually. The first camp was an overnight camp at Berry College in Rome, Ga.

In 2008, the program was expanded to include weeklong day and overnight camps serving communities across the U.S. with WinShape camps in more than 100 communities across the country and a camp in Costa Rica and Brazil. In 2020, the program went to a virtual format offering programs for children through the Internet.

According to its website, WinShape Camps’ mission is to glorify God by creating experiences that transform campers and families with the message of Jesus Christ.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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