Campfire trains youth to understand worldviews and pray effectively for their culture

Elizabeth Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

Campfire, the National House of Prayer’s (NHOP) acclaimed youth camp, returns next week after a two-year hiatus. Campfire teaches teens about prayer and helps them grow their prayer life. It also trains them in evangelism, applying their faith outside the Church, and gives them teaching on the Christian worldview and current major issues.

“We want to stress the importance of prayer and of having a Christian worldview,” says Megan Hicks. “We also want to equip them in a way so they can go back to their lives—their schools, families, and churches—and they can engage with other people” about faith and current issues.

Hicks is a former NHOP intern and a Campfire alumni. She stepped forward this year to co-direct the youth camp along with her fellow NHOP staff member, Trina Pinzon.

The Campfire curriculum is based on what NHOP is best known for: actively praying for the Canadian government and the issues it debates. NHOP also brings in speakers to teach on specific issues, such as pornography or human trafficking.

“We have topics that are relevant to the young society right now, but we don’t stop there,” Pinzon says. “It’s not just information, we want them to engage. Now they have scripture, they can merge it with prayer.”

“There was a disconnect and they weren’t engaged, so they tucked their Bibles away.”

Hicks adds, “Basically the information side of it, the equipping side of it, is to encourage more effective prayer.”

Pinzon points to a study she read, titled “Hemorrhage of Faith.” The study examined why teens left their church and why some later chose to return. One of the major reasons, she says, was that faith and current issues were not discussed in their churches.

“The Bible stories were there, but they didn’t relate [them] to real life outside church,” Pinzon explains. “There was a disconnect and they weren’t engaged. It didn’t become real to them, so they tucked their Bibles away.”

“We have to give them the tools to handle those ideas, because Christianity can stand up to these questions.”

Prayer and learning to pray are major elements at Campfire, but what Pinzon and Hicks strive for is to assist youth in connecting with their faith and identifying with the world they live in.

“Young people are bombarded by so many other ideas in high school and when they get to university,” says Hicks. “We have to give them the tools to handle those ideas, because Christianity is a worldview that can stand up to these questions.”

In addition to the teachings, worship, and speakers, Campfire also includes leisurely activities. Some of the plans for this year are zip lining, touring Parliament, and experiencing Canada Day in the capital.

Hicks says she left her first Campfire experience, in 2009, with good memories and new friendships. After attending it the two next years, as well, she felt so at home with NHOP that she came back to work as an intern.

“I would say it changed a lot of how I view the government and how I view prayer,” she says. “I think it really sparked a love of prayer and that has lasted.”