Inner city children, teens from four churches, and a few adults trying to keep it all running smoothly in triple-digit temperatures with lots of bugs and no air conditioning. Now that's a challenge!

What began as a dream 20 years ago has become a national event for the IPHC. This year, we're hosting three Free Camps across the US. Free Camp is a remarkable tool of evangelism and leadership training ground that crosses social, racial and economic barriers.

Free Camp Columbus took place July 7-12 at the FD Roosevelt State Park in Columbus, GA. Children who spent their lives in the inner city were in awe of the campgrounds. Some cried because their youth leader brought them to such a primitive place - in the heat! Some were scared because they were away from mom for the first time; others were glad to be away from home again. Several arrived in a chartered bus, while others arrived in a van with no air conditioning and needing a quart of oil to make it another 100 miles.

We've been working hand-in-hand with Pastor Guillermo Rivera to make Free Camp Columbus happen. This camp was intended as an outreach for children in the "PJ" or Project Housing. We were honored to work with such a insightful and energetic man committed to making a difference in his community, not just build a church.

People from the Acts2Day, Cornerstone, Georgia, Great Plains, and North Carolina Conferences came together for this ministry. Having folks from so much culture, economical and racial diversity working together is very inspiring. You know the Holy Spirit is at work when you see the love of God flow through common people to touch hurting people.

Pastor Keith O'Neal of Life Center Church, St. Pauls, NC and Pastor Josh Brown from Stanley IPHC, Stanley NC did an outstanding job preparing the teen volunteers to minister to the 62 little children who came to camp. National Camp Directors Jake and Chelsea Bunn led their first camp with great success. Pastor John Howard from The First Church in Goldsboro, NC led a team of teenagers as our music ministry team. To watch teenagers cross over the line to hold little ones of different races and economical social groups was almost breathtaking.

National Commander of the Royal Rangers, David Moore brought canoes and archery supplies with a team to train and minister to the kids through the fun they had never experienced before. There are no canoes or no place to shoot a bow and arrow in "PJ" housing.

It's necessary to teach these children life skills, eternal values, and how to live for Christ. But let's get real. How much can they really learn in a foreign environment with people they don't know? Oftentimes, we assume way too much in our ministry efforts because we want to feel good about what we're doing. But Free Camp is about breaking down every barrier - for both the children and for us. We don't count salvations. We simply say that these children had an encounter with a power they had never experienced. They felt the Holy Spirit by the love they received from human beings, teenagers and adults. Some of the little ones hugged on our teens for more than an hour, crying because they were experiencing God's love for the first time. Teenagers had the joy of being Jesus to these little ones and received the love of Jesus in return. As it states in the Bible: "when you do it to the least of these, you have done it unto me."

We are anxiously awaiting the news on the follow up ministry that Pastor Rivera and his team will do. We truly believe we rocked some families with the powerful love of Jesus in Columbus, Ga. Now we await July 27 when we will pull together another team in Amarillo, TX to host the 20th Free Camp and then August 18-21st in Petersburg, VA for our third Free Camp.

Gary Burd & Mission: M25 were on the road for over a week ministering to the riders on the Southern Route. Gary has shared amazing stories through his daily updates. If you missed them, you can catch up here.

Final Report
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Days 5-4
Days 3-2
Day 1

Here are some photos from the trip:

Chaplain David Moore and the Jeep pulling the Freedom Bike.

The M25 team the day before the Run.

Gary and his friend Bill, who suffers from Agent Orange.

The team responds to a motorcycle wreck.

Rev. Gary Burd & Mission M25 have been on the run for almost a week. Gary reports that so far, they've had no wrecks despite having several hundred motorcycles riding side-by-side in heavy traffic.

The team has had countless opportunities to minister, from sharing water and snacks with riders to praying for a man whose son died in service last Tuesday.

Here is a video update from Gary:

We'll continue to keep you posted as Gary and the team make their way to Washington, DC for the Rolling Thunder rally on Memorial Day.

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