Let’s Go for a Run

In the seven years I’ve been leading our youth ministry summer camp has proven to be the single most life-changing event we offer to students. In those seven years Live Youth Church has ministered to hundreds of young people and seen tremendous results. Amazing things happen in student’s lives when they commit to spending the week with God at summer camp. Lift 2010 promises to have the same effect this coming August.

Every year a week or so before we leave for camp my inbox and voicemail are full of requests for scholarships. I’ve made it our youth ministry’s policy to make sure that no student is turned away from camp based on lack of funds and year after year people have stepped up to sponsor, support, and send our students to camp. I am so impressed by the generosity of people and it’s caused me to ask myself this question. “What am I doing to help send students to camp?”

Sure Stacey and I write a donation check, organize car washes, and find yard work that needs completion, but again the question beckons, “What am I doing?”

In light of all this I’ve decided that there is something I can do. While I’m not in a financial place to bankroll every student to camp and I don’t have a get rich quick scheme that will magically raise enough money for our entire camp; it finally dawned on me… I can run. No, I don’t mean run away from the problem. I mean I can run to raise funds for students to attend summer camp. I am running in the Green River Marathon, 26.2 miles, in hopes of raising enough money to scholarship students that would otherwise miss out on camp.

My goal is to raise enough money for 52 students (one for every week of the year) to attend camp on full scholarship. Every half-mile I run during the marathon will send another student to camp and will inspire me to keep running. This is where you enter the picture… I need your help to make this dream of mine a reality.

Camp is $250 per camper and every dollar you give will go directly to help send a student to camp. In total, I’m hoping to raise $13,000 towards camp, which seems like a lot given the current economic climate, however I know we can reach our goal if everyone is willing to contribute something. Please give careful thought as you decide what you’d like to give. Any gift from $5 to $5,000 helps and we’re extremely thankful for it. Please make checks out to “Fairwood Church”. You can also give online at www.fwchurch.com/serve_give.

My 26.2 mile journey begins at Russell Road Park in Kent at 8:30 and will end at Spud’s Fish n’ Chips at Alki around 12:30. If you’d like to be at the finish line to celebrate with me I’d love to see you there. Thanks for your financial support, it means a great deal to me and even more to the students that will benefit as a result of your generosity.

If you’d like to help out please contact me, donate online or send checks to:


Fairwood Church
13120 SE 192 PL
Renton, WA 98058

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