Your team members are on mission to make a difference.  Sometimes that difference is made by fixing a roof, replacing a rotted floor, or putting a fresh coat of paint on a house.  Other times it is accomplished by helping one of the many elderly in Blount County clean up a yard or haul off some long forgotten trash.  What isn’t always obvious at the outset is the difference being made in their own hearts.

Our whole purpose in ministry is to bring glory to God.  That happens by the manner in which we approach our tasks together.  We find many mission team members have a very different heart by the end of each week, and that’s the difference that makes Camp Tipton a place teams come back to.  We believe our ministry is about connections.  One thing we love to see materialize is the recognition that as a mission team member, you are ministering not only to those you serve, but each other as well.  This seems to sneak up on members and leaves them with a lasting desire to minister to others.  We praise God for the work He does in changing hearts.

It is amazing that people can learn so much in a week; how to plan and execute tasks, how to work with each other as equally responsible members of the Body of Christ, and how to get down and dirty in the mire of a tough job that must be completed by week’s end.  It’s also amazing to see folks learning about each other; learning to see people in a new light.  So often we hear kids expressing the idea that they could start doing the same thing as a team at home!  That excites us.  Our sincerest desire is to give believers an opportunity to realize that they are fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to do God’s work.  Of course, we hope to engage a local church in every job so there is a local church family looking after those we serve long after your team goes home.  Having said that, though, many of our teams are still in contact and still ministering to those they fell in love with as God connected kids from far away to elderly in our community.  Imagine being alone at 75 or 80 and having ten new “children” writing you and sharing their lives with you.  These fruits of the Spirit excite us.

We have found that youth want real responsibility and real opportunity to grow.  We provide local leaders who are skilled not only in construction, but in helping mold young hearts.  Many of our local volunteers are active seniors who understand that kids are our future – ready to partner with your adult members in preparing your kids for a lifetime of service.  As deacons and leaders in their home churches, these seasoned men know that providing guidance and instruction in the performance of a task is only a part of their contribution, they know that they are building the Body of Christ by teaching your youth to see beyond the task and into the hearts of those they are working with and for.

If you are looking for an opportunity for your team to grow, we have a place for you.