We believe that discipleship happens in relationships, and we create spaces for that to happen. Family Camp is one of those spaces. The purpose of Family Camp is for families (which includes our spiritual Aunties, Uncles, Siblings, Cousins, and Grandparents) to intentionally connect, make memories, and grow together in Christ! Nick and Tiffany Norton have attended several Family Camp weekends the past few years with their boys Gavin and Noah. So many memories have been made for their family in this discipleship space. God has used Family Camp to grow in their faith and with their family and church.
“We’ve done three or four Family Camps the past few years,” Tiffany shared. “At that time, Nick and I just really wanted to get to know the people at our church and to have our boys around people who love Jesus. The first time we did it our youngest, Gavin, was only two. That first time we met a lot of people and connected with a lot of families. One thing that stood out to me was one family sharing their testimony with everyone one night. It was awesome for me to see how they had a been through so much but still loved Jesus and pursued a relationship with Jesus. Nick and I had been through a lot with our family, so it just connected to me and was encouraging.”
“We try to go every year because we have had such a good experience,” Nick described. “I like how you get a retreat together, as a family, and away from everything else. I like how we sing and worship together. There are people who speak and share for part of the time but there’s a lot of free time. It’s time together but not a traditional vacation where there might be some stress because you have to figure everything out. It’s already planned for you! You set up a tent and there’s tons of help from others if you don’t know how exactly, and then there’s tons of running around and having fun. It’s great quality time. Most families like camping, maybe not every weekend, but to do it once in a while is memorable. Your kids will always remember that.”
The Norton’s would describe Family Camp as a weekend together out in nature. It’s at Harvest Moon, a farm about an hour away in the country, so there’s a lot to do like bouncy pillows, zip lines, skee ball, and lots of running around the farm. There’s worship, devotionals, and family time under the stars. The Norton’s look forward to connecting to families, with their own family, and to new people and old.
“I look forward to just checking-out from life and together,” Tiffany said with a smile. “It’s a great way to start off summer. Family Camp has become a tradition for our family. The boys look forward to it and the camping together and not on your own. We get to do this together and that’s been wonderful. Family Camp has opened my faith to different ways of spending time with God and with our family. We pray together and have time together and in a different setting. It’s family, fun, and centered around Jesus.”
The Norton’s concluded with an invitation to all to “just come and connect with others and with God.”
For more information and to register for Family Camp, visit citylightomaha.org/familycamp.