06/26/2024
The beautiful and encouraging words below were written by Kai Peetz, who grew up attending Templed Hills and is a current Camp Team member and director of our Youth Camp. We hope you'll join us at our 100-Year Celebration Camp next week as we celebrate that God has been faithfully present on our hallowed grounds for the last 100 years.
.........
On a recent Sunday morning during worship, the band began to sing the song “Same God” by Elevation Worship. It’s a beautiful song that highlights the faithfulness of God across time. As I closed my eyes and just listened through the bridge and chorus, it stirred my heart to camp. Templed Hills has been around for 100 years. How amazing is God’s faithfulness. It has survived fire, flood, economic crashes, pandemics and more. The bridge (listed below) flips back and forth between then and now and God just reminded me whether you were a kid then or are a kid now, it’s the same God. The same God that shows up to camp faithfully every year. The same God through the last 100 years will be at camp for the next 100 years and beyond.
You heard Your children then, You hear Your children now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You answered prayers back then and You will answer now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were providing then, You are providing now
You are the same God (You are the same), You are the same God
You moved in power then, God, move in power now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were a healer then, You are a healer now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were a Savior then, You are a Savior now
You are the same God, You are the same God
It was a powerful reminder that through the last 100 years God has been the same. Students, campers, and volunteers all have had experiences at camp. Radical, life changing experiences. It’s why we love camp and want it to exist. Camp has impacted our lives across the years. God is the same God. How beautiful and powerful a statement. As we look to move toward the next 100 years, I wonder how we can empower the people who will come after us. There’s so many things I love about camp and want to protect.
Change is hard and I know it comes, but at the end of the day it’s going to be the same God that gets praised in those hills, in that Chapel, around that campfire, no matter the changes. The same God is with us now as he was then and will continue to be. Hebrews 13:8 says “Christ is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.” Despite the inevitable changes camp will undergo over the next one hundred years, we can have peace knowing it’s the same God. The chorus (listed below) paints the picture of the need for God and how we can stand on His faithfulness.
O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now, yes
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I'm standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
O God, my God, I need You (I need You, Lord)
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now, yeah
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I'm standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
The song stirred excitement in me for the past, present, and future of camp. I know we can stand on his faithfulness and be a part of influencing the next 100 years of camp. We can leave a legacy at this one hundred year celebration of empowerment, generosity and most importantly a love for God.
.........
Get registered at https://www.templedhillscamp.org/100yearcelebration