Celebrate Abilities Weekend Camp 2021
The weekend of July 23rd, 2021, The Banquet Network partnered with the BCMD (Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware) to put on Celebrate Abilities Weekend Camp for children and young adults with disabilities. The camp was hosted at the Skycroft Baptist Convention Center in Middletown, MD. To say it was a blast is an understatement. This was the first time in The Banquet Network and BCMD history that a camp was held for individuals who have disabilities.
For decades, Tom Stolle, Executive Director of The Banquet Network and BCMD Associate Executive Director, dreamed of putting together a camp for children and young adults who have special needs. The Banquet Network’s Coaching and Volunteer Coordinator, Blake Davenport, just so happened to be equipped with many years of experience managing and directing camps for children with disabilities. It wasn’t until January of 2021 that God combined Stolle and Davenport’s dreams and passions for the preparation of a special needs camp in Summer of 2021.
On July 23rd, Davenport welcomed all volunteers for The Banquet Network and BCMD’s Celebrate Abilities Weekend Camp to provide training. Some volunteers had years of experience working with individuals who have disabilities and other volunteers had little to no experience. Equipping individuals within the Church is one of The Banquet Network’s specialties. By the end of the training, we were proud to see the volunteers welcome the campers they would be building relationships with throughout the weekend.
Campers arrived before dinner and were introduced as athletes joining the Olympics. Each camper took turns being introduced and walked down a red carpet surrounded by cheering volunteers with a torch in one hand and a huge grin on their faces for the cameras.
The Gathering Place, a church plant in Bowie MD that specifically serves individuals who have disabilities, also joined the weekend camp to provide music, drum circles, and Bible teachings. Brian Rowe, worship pastor at the Gathering Place, and Pastor Tommy Rowe brought several drums for the campers to use in worship during the weekend. Brian led a drum circle around the campfire on night one where he sang worship songs while playing his drum. Campers followed Rowe’s rhythms by banging on their own drums and singing along to the songs about our God.
One camper with tears in her eyes shared that Pastor Tommy Rowe, from the Gathering Place, reminded her that “God is good” and that he was a “great guy” to be around throughout the weekend. Many more tears were shed around the room while the camper and Pastor Rowe embraced. The Rowe’s campfire drum circle, music, and Bible teachings were huge sources of excitement during the weekend.
Campers had the opportunity to participate in several camp activities including the zip-line and waterslide. Some campers bravely rode the zip-line for the first time in their lives. Several of the camper’s parents were also motivated to participate. They were all were very proud of their new achievements. One mother who rode the zip-line and waterslide said that her favorite part of the weekend was watching “the courage that the campers exhibited with the different activities, even if they weren’t familiar with them.” She continued to say that riding the zip-line and plunging down the waterslide were great representations of trusting in God and that “individuals who are seen differently sometimes have more courage than we do.” Watching others was an encouragement for all to be brave and trust in the Lord.
By: Allie McCarty