Fostering faith in the next generation of Jewish believers in Jesus has long been a priority for our ministry. Youth & Family Ministry programs like Camp Gilgal are just one way we do this, and Camp Gilgal’s most recent East Coast Winter Camp was one for the books!

Twenty campers joined us in frosty northern Pennsylvania for an exciting retreat weekend this February. We celebrated Shabbat and havdalah (closing ritual at the end of Shabbat to start a new week), studied God’s Word, played games, and enjoyed the great outdoors. It was a blast for both the campers and staff and was also a time of rich spiritual engagement.

On the last morning of camp, the Bible teaching centered on Psalm 19 about how God reveals himself through his creation and his Word. The campers were given time to go off on their own to pray and ponder the lesson. During this time, Jeremiah* (age 16) asked one of our staff, New York branch intern Lila Carcelo, why she believes in God. After Lila shared her answer, Jeremiah explained that a few years earlier he worked alongside a lot of adults. He saw how their lives were when they didn’t follow God and that he realized back then that a life without God was a life without hope.

Another camper, Josh,* came from a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) background. His family left the Haredi community when he was a toddler and had recently connected with Jews for Jesus. He had been following Yeshua for a couple of years, but listening in on Lila and Jeremiah’s conversation stirred something in him. Josh and 12 other campers raised their hands to rededicate their lives to the Lord that day. Praise God!

Please pray for the seeds that were sown in these young lives and for God to move in even more ways at Camp Gilgal this summer!

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.