5/21/2015

In the summer 1978, the top grossing movie was Jaws 2 and Heaven Can Wait and the top selling album (that's right album), which sparked the disco dance fever crave, by the way, was Saturday Night Fever by the Bee Gees. Not so sure I go into the dance crave, but I will admit that I knew most of the words to "Staying Alive" and sang it note for high pitched note.

 

That summer, I experienced what I would characterize as the best week of my life. About this time that year I was hustling to get the balance of my camp fees paid before forthcoming week long trip out of town. I remember being charged 75.00, though I'm sure now, it was significantly more than that. I paid my 15.00 deposit, and then was allowed to earn the balance through working and serving.
Choosing to go to Windy Gap, a Young Life property located in the mountains of North Carolina was literally the best week of my life. It was a life altering experience where I was introduced, for the first time, to the good news of the Gospel. That week at Windy Gap radically impacted me and a number of my friends. I know this to be true because when I bump into a fellow camper on the streets of Orange Mound or at a Melrose High School reunion meeting, even 37 years later, we reminisce about all the fun we had at camp. From leaving the city of Memphis (for me the first time), to the long bus ride, to meeting new people, to the food, to simply experiencing new things...the whole camping deal left an indelible mark on my life.

Well, here I am, 37 years later, still hustling the balances to go to summer camp, only this time the balances are much larger and we are TAKING 48 kids from Melrose to at least two different camping experiences. The students will pay 25.00 then earn their balances by working/serving 15 hours in the community. This approach allows students to be vested and more engaged in the process.
We need your help! Please consider investing in the lives students involved in RedZone by helping to send them to camp. We have set camp cost at 200.00 per kid, and are asking them to pay at least 25.00. We need to cover the balance. Your gift of 175.00 will help to send at least one kid from Orange Mound to camp. As you might've guessed, 200.00 per camper don't come close to covering our summer camping expenses. The average cost per kid is 435.00. We have encouraged every kid not to sweat the small stuff relative to cost. Money will not be a deterrent to going to camp. We have committed to them that if they desire to go and are willing to work, the funds would not be a problem. That's how much we value the ministry of camping. Help us live up to this promise and perhaps giving a student the experience of lifetime by supporting RedZone's camping ministry.

If you are interested in supporting our summer camping efforts, send a check today to c/o Howard Eddings to 1548 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38104 (payable to MLF for RZ Camp) or click here to donate online. Just remember to include RZ Camp in the comments/memo section.

 

A Heart for Orange Mound

  

 

 

Howard  
RedZone Ministries | 901-725-3105 | [email protected] | http://www.redzonememphis.org 
RedZone Ministries - 1548 Poplar Ave. - Memphis, TN 38104
901-729-2931