Baylor Commissions 500-plus Students to Serve in Summer Camps
Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
Follow Lori on Twitter at @LoriBaylorU
Follow Baylor Media Communications on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
WACO, Texas (May 2, 2018) – Praying that students’ lights will shine bright as they embody the University’s enduring spirit of service, Baylor University commissioned 500-plus Baylor students who are headed out this summer as camp counselors during an inaugural ceremony May 1 in Barfield Drawing Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center. The commissioning ceremony officially marked the University’s commitment to supporting and praying for all students, camp partners and the young people who will attend these summer camps.
“The ceremony served as an official send-off as we celebrated Baylor students serving at summer camps across the country. This is a unique act of service to others that our students have been providing for decades,” said Matt Burchett, Ph.D., director of student activities. “At Baylor, we believe that we are a place where Lights Shine Bright, and we pray that our students embody this mission of service and sacrifice at the camps and anywhere they might venture this summer.”
Among the special guests was former camp counselor and Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., who spent summers at various camps, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes camps. She and First Gent Brad Livingstone have attended Kanakuk’s family camp, served as sponsors for the Kids Across America camp with Calvary Baptist Church in Waco and worked as camp counselors for Kanakuk. She also served as a counselor for three years at Soaring Hawk Camp, a former athletic camp now known as Camp Barnabas, which provides unique Christian camping experiences to people with special needs and chronic illnesses.
Fourteen summer camps were represented at the ceremony, including Kanakuk, a Christian summer camp in Missouri that has served more than 450,000 young people since 1926, and Pine Cove, a gospel-centered Christian camp founded in 1967 with locations in Texas and South Carolina. Baylor graduate Reed Livesay, B.B.A. (Accounting) ’96, president and CEO of Pine Cove, attended the ceremony, saying he has “never been prouder of Baylor University” than he was that night.
“It was truly remarkable to see numerous educators there, including President Livingstone, taking time to pray over and encourage a group of young men and women who are about to embark on a summer of giving their lives away. Baylor University – valuing what matters most,” Livesay said.
Students also shared in celebrating President Livingstone’s birthday with rousing renditions of “Happy Birthday,” set to each camp’s version of the tune.
Several staff and faculty worked together to plan the Camp Commissioning, including:
- Matt Burchett, Ph.D., director of student activities
- Dale Connally, Ph.D., professor and assistant chair of health and human performance
- Kelli McMahan, Ph.D., clinical associate professor, health and human performance
- Kristen Richardson, director of pastoral care and associate chaplain
- Kim Scott, Ph.D., director of campus recreation
- Ross Tarpley, a second-year theology student at Truett Seminary
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.