Big Memories at BigStuf
Camp experiences create highlight-reel memories.
So what stands out from our recent trip to BigStuf Camp in Panama City Beach, Florida?
BigStuf is part youth camp and part convention. It’s held at an aging beachfront convention center on the sugar-white sands of
Panama City Beach. While the facilities don’t have things like high ropes courses, horses, or some of the classic camp activities, being steps away from the Gulf more than makes up for it. Every free moment seemed to draw students to the beach.
BigStuf organized volleyball and basketball tournaments for some healthy team building. Our volleyball team entered a 38-team single-elimination tournament…and won the whole thing! After claiming the championship, the BigStuf interns challenged our team to one more match. Our students beat them, too.
I’m pretty sure we’ll be hearing “We won camp!” AGAIN.
Our week of camp included nearly 1,500 students. Just imagine feeding, entertaining, and cleaning up after that many teenagers! (Okay, to be fair, the leaders were included in that number.)
Each session gathered everyone into one massive auditorium. A gifted worship team led us in worship, and many of our students joined the crowd pressing as close to the stage as possible every session.
This year’s theme was Neighborhood.
The first speaker, Tega, courageously shared some of her embarrassing Facebook posts from middle school. Looking back, she admitted they reflected a heart that had lost sight of the humanity of others. One statement especially stuck with me:
“We dehumanize one another in our anger. We make our neighbor our nemesis. We turn them into a mannequin that we can violate at will.”
Another speaker walked through Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10 and wrestled with the timeless question: Who is my neighbor?
Then Reed Moore challenged us with two lines I quickly wrote in my notebook:
“Look at me! You’re EXACTLY the guy that God saves. God only saves sinners.”
And later:
“God is better at forgiving than we are at sinning.”
I could go on… But you know, you kinda of have to have been there.
Toward the end of camp, one of the speakers invited students to respond. There were no emotional tactics. He didn’t ask everyone to close their eyes or come to the front. Instead, he simply invited anyone who wanted to commit or recommit their life to Jesus to stand where they were.
The majority of our group of 25 students stood.
That was a beautiful moment to witness, but it wasn’t the highlight.
The highlight came later, sitting together in our small groups. One by one, students shared why they had stood, what God had been stirring in their hearts throughout the week, and what they wanted to be different when they returned home. Those conversations—honest, vulnerable, and full of hope—are the moments that stay with us. They’re reminders that camp isn’t just about a week away from home; it’s about God meeting students in life-changing ways and trusted adults walking with them as they take their next steps of faith.
As camp came to a close, we watched hundreds of students load onto buses and vans for the trip home. I think we were the only group flying home.
Little did we know that our journey home would become another story of God’s faithfulness—one we’ll have to tell next.