Fuge Camps
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| Southern Baptists |
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Fuge Camps is a series of Christian summer camps for children, youth, and young adults centered on Bible study, worship, mission work, and recreational activities organized by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Camps offered include Centrifuge (CF), Mission Fuge (MF), Combo Camps, XFuge (XF), and XFuge on Mission (XFM). A Student Leader Apprentice program is also offered for students entering or leaving their senior year of high school. College students and adults may apply to work as staff when they turn 19 years of age, and have been out of high school for at least one year.
Background
Since 1979 Fuge has been the official youth camp of the Southern Baptist Convention. What started out as a few weeks of camp sponsored by the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) turned into a youth ministry movement.
Fuge camps are unique in that there is not a central camp facility where the program is conducted. Instead, teams of staffers are based at various colleges and retreat centers across the United States. Student-campers are usually housed in college dormitories or convention-style hotel rooms.
Because of this decentralized approach, Fuge staffs—usually about 20-30 college students and recent college graduates—are able to reach students across the United States.
LifeWay Christian Resources states that since the beginning of the ministry, over 1,000,000 people have experienced Centrifuge and its associated camps.
Programming
Fuge Camps are open to students in the 7-12 grade range and college students. They are centered around the youth groups of Christian churches, particularly (though not exclusively) Baptist churches. The camps offer a "staff who does the work so that your youth staff are free to deepen their relationships with both students and God."
The Fuge experience includes:
- Strong small-group youth Bible study, led by a trained camp staffer (CF, MF, XF, XFM)
- Team-building activity (CF, XF)
- Missions Activities in the local community (MF, XFM)
- Morning and evening worship services (CF, MF, XF, XFM)
- Camp-wide fellowships, like talent shows (also known as Night-Life), Game Shows, and Mega-relays (CF, MF, XF, XFM)
Typical schedule
Though Fuge Camps vary slightly at each location due to differences in personnel and available facilities, a typical day at Fuge would include:
Centrifuge and Xfuge Camp Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | Breakfast/Quiet Time [1][2] |
| 8:15 a.m. | Morning Celebration [3] (Dismiss at 8:45) |
| 9:00 a.m. | Recreation [4](Dismiss at 10:15) |
| 10:45 a.m. | Bible Study |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:10 p.m. | Track Rally [5] |
| 1:20 p.m. | Track A [6] |
| 2:20 p.m. | Track Rally |
| 2:30 p.m. | Track B |
| 3:20 p.m. | Hang Time (Free Time) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Dinner |
| 6:30 p.m. | Worship [7] |
| 8:00 p.m. | Church-group devotion [8] |
| 9:45 p.m. | Night life (MEGA Relay on the last night) [9] |
| 10:15 p.m. | Hang Time |
| 11:00 p.m. | In rooms |
| 11:30 p.m. | Lights out |
Mission Fuge and XFuge on Mission Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | Breakfast/Quiet Time [10][11] |
| 8:15 a.m. | Morning Celebration [12] |
| 9:00 a.m. | Bible Study |
| 10:15 a.m. | Depart for Ministry Sites |
| 3:20 p.m. | Return from Ministry Sites, Hang Time (Free Time) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Dinner |
| 6:30 p.m. | Worship [13] |
| 8:00 p.m. | Church-group devotion [14] |
| 9:45 p.m. | Night life (MEGA Relay on the last night) [15] |
| 10:15 p.m. | Hang Time |
| 11:00 p.m. | In rooms |
| 11:30 p.m. | Lights out |
Locations
In summer 2016, there were Fuge Camps located in:
- Ridgecrest Conference Center - Ridgecrest, North Carolina
- Glorieta Conference Center - Glorieta, New Mexico
- Union University - Jackson, Tennessee
- Carson-Newman College - Jefferson City, Tennessee
- North Greenville University - Greenville, South Carolina
- Mississippi College - Clinton, Mississippi
- Jenness Park - Cold Springs, California
- Union College - Barbourville, Kentucky
- Shalimar Retreat Center - Panama City Beach, Florida
- Shorter University - Rome, Georgia
- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - Louisville, Kentucky
- University of Mobile - Mobile, Alabama
- Belmont University - Nashville, Tennessee
- Palm Beach Atlantic University - West Palm Beach, Florida
- Charleston Southern University - Charleston, South Carolina
- Mile High Pines - Angelus Oaks, California
- Eastern University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Houston Baptist University - Houston, Texas
- Liberty University - Lynchburg, Virginia
- Southwest Baptist University - Bolivar, Missouri
- International Palms - Orlando, Florida
Past themes
| 2016 | Unashamed |
| 2015 | Alive and Free |
| 2014 | Be the Church |
| 2013 | The Big Picture |
| 2012 | Pursuit |
| 2011 | Connect |
| 2010 | Kairos: Defining Moments |
| 2009 | Move |
| 2008 | Kilimanjaro |
| 2007 | The Underground |
| 2006 | Thrill Ride |
| 2005 | Masterpiece |
| 2004 | Driven |
| 2003 | It's All About Me |
| 2002 | Reel Life |
| 2001 | Virtual Reality |
| 2000 | Face to Face |
| 1999 | Whatever... ya gotta gotta love |
| 1998 | Expedition |
| 1997 | Extreme |
| 1996 | Our World Your Serve |
| 1995 | Major League |
| 1994 | Keys 4 U |
| 1993 | Reach The Peak |
| 1992 | Decision |
| 1991 | Myth or Message |
| 1990 | Impact |
| 1989 | Good News for Fast Times |
| 1988 | Carry On |
| 1987 | On Track |
| 1986 | Glory! |
| 1985 | The Adventure Begins |
| 1984 | Getting Your Signals Straight |
| 1983 | Eternal Truth |
| 1982 | New Horizons |
| 1981 | unknown |
| 1980 | unknown |
| 1979 | Glory! |
MFuge
MFuge originally started in 1995 and was the second Centrifuge spin-off. MFuge takes the traditional Centrifuge structure and reorients it toward mission work. Instead of offering classes and recreation during the day, those activities are replaced with missions work like building homes for Habitat for Humanity and serving meals at soup kitchens or homeless shelters. Students also have the opportunity to minister by facilitating games and other recreation at local apartment complexes or Boys and Girls Clubs; visiting assisted-living facilities and nursing homes; and doing yard work for the elderly and other needy people. MFuge is open to students in grades 7-12 and college students
Crosspoint sports camp
Crosspoint originally started in 1986. It was the first Centrifuge spin off. Crosspoint is designed to combine the structure of Centrifuge with the sports-skills teaching of the traditional sports daycamp. The programming and sports instruction is designed for students in grades 4-8. 2009 was the last year LifeWay ran a kids' camp by the name "Crosspoint." All the sports once included in the Crosspoint have now been implemented in LifeWay's CentriKid camp.
XFuge
Begun in 2005, XFuge takes the general template of a normal Centrifuge camp and removes many of the traditional "summer camp" aspects, like assemblies and structured classes ("track times") and reorients the experience toward a Christian retreat: spiritual formation is conducted through worship experiences and optional missions work, but leisure activities, such as swimming or sunbathing on the beach, are more prominent. XFuge also features "X-Parties", where Christian rock bands host concerts.
Notes
- ^ Food at Centrifuge camps is usually served in a college dining facility or a camp cafeteria.
- ^ Quiet Time: Campers head wherever they please to do a small quiet devotional.
- ^ A morning show usually including game-show style contests, worship, and prayer.
- ^ Students participate in recreational activities with their Bible study group.
- ^ Students meet up with their assigned Track groups at this time.
- ^ There are two "Track Times" during each normal day of Centrifuge. During these times, campers attend Christian discipleship classes, seminars on Christian topics, recreational opportunities, and the like, all based upon the available offerings. Some examples are: Laser Tag, Hiking, Battleball (Intense Dodgeball), Apologetics, Creative Painting, and Random Acts of Service.
- ^ Each night, the entire camp gathers in the central auditorium for Christian worship, with hymns, contemporary songs, Scripture reading, an evangelistic sermon, and a time of invitation to Christian discipleship with various bands and preachers.
- ^ Each night after worship, campers join the other students from the church with whom they came to Centrifuge for a devotion led by the leader of that group.
- ^ The evening is capped off with a camp-wide assembly that ranges from a talent show to game show-style contests.
- ^ Food at Centrifuge camps is usually served in a college dining facility or a camp cafeteria.
- ^ Quiet Time: Campers head wherever they please to do a small quiet devotional.
- ^ A morning show usually including game-show style contests, worship, and prayer.
- ^ Each night, the entire camp gathers in the central auditorium for Christian worship, with hymns, contemporary songs, Scripture reading, an evangelistic sermon, and a time of invitation to Christian discipleship with various bands and preachers.
- ^ Each night after worship, campers join the other students from the church with whom they came to camp for a devotion led by their youth leader.
- ^ The evening is capped off with a camp-wide assembly that ranges from a talent show to game show-style contests.