Aug. 14, 2009
For Immediate Release
Campbellsville University Hosts Record Number of Campers During Summer 2009
By Ashley Zsedenyi, staff writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University saw a record number of visitors this summer when 35 camps hosting students from more than 100 churches and 16 different states were held on the CU campus.
A total of 4,450 participants were on campus during the summer months for Crosspoint, Centri-Kid, Go Tell Ministries, Kentucky Heartland Outreach (KHO), as well as a number of other sports and leadership groups’ camps.
Dr. Michael V. Carter, Campbellsville University president, said, “CU’s summer schedule of camps and conferences brings a number of visitors to the main campus. These young people get a flavor of the Christian environment on campus and have very positive experiences.
“Many of them make Christian decisions while here, including a number of first time professions of faith,” Carter said.
“This is a very important missions and ministry venue for Campbellsville University, and we are most grateful for the excellent servant leadership provided by Rusty Watkins, CU’s director of camps and conferences.”
A total of 268 decisions for Christ were made during camps on Campbellsville University’s campus this summer, including 127 salvations, 82 rededications, 17 calls to ministry and 42 other decisions.
“Summer camps are great for our campus because of the revenue that it generates for our general budget,” Watkins said.
“The faculty and staff at CU and community businesses appreciate our summer camp program because of the revenue that it generates, and also because it brings people to our campus and community that normally would not even come to Campbellsville,” he said.
Watkins also said the majority of groups who visited CU this summer have already scheduled their camps for next summer.
“Having these summer campers on our campus provides Campbellsville University with another opportunity to follow and fulfill our mission and core values,” Dave Walters, vice president for admissions and student services at CU, said.
“We believe that we have an obligation to foster student success – no matter what age the student is.”
Walters said, “The impact on our campus is tremendous. We are able to touch the lives of young boys and girls in ways that will make a lasting impression on them and their families.
“A blessing in this also is that many of these boys and girls decide later on to make Campbellsville University their choice for their higher education experience,” he said.
KHO is one camp group that brings volunteers on campus to benefit the entire community.
Carter said, “Kentucky Heartland Outreach was established by Campbellsville University in 2000 in order to extend assistance to deserving homeowners in the Heartland region of our state and to provide CU students and other young people with extended servant evangelism opportunities in working with people.”
“Undergirding the delivery of housing improvements, and new homes in some cases, is the message of hope in Jesus Christ,” Carter said. “Thousands of people’s lives have been reached through KHO’s ministry, and a number of individuals have found eternal life in Jesus Christ as a result of the work of KHO.”
“We appreciate the strong leadership of Todd Parish, Melissa Fletcher Green, and others who have led KHO these past nine years. We further appreciate the generous funding support provided by grants from Kentucky Housing Corporation and other donors who have made the housing improvements possible,” Carter said.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2009 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his 11th year as president.
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