Reaching kids for Christ through camp

Now you know about Spain, about its regions, and Catalonia. But what about where I’m actually serving? That would be L’Arcada, an evangelical mission organization whose main outreach is its summer camp, offered to kids and families June-August.

L’Arcada (whose name means “The Arch” in Catalán) features weeklong camps with themes such as English Camp, Adventure Camp, Basketball Camp, Indian Camp (apparently, Native Americans are very popular in Spain), and Family Camp. I came in during training for Family Camp. First, there’s a week of training for the camp counselors and volunteers; then, the campers arrive for a week of games, crafts, music and Bible lessons. The camps are very popular, attracting more than a hundred kids every week; usually, the staff has to close registration early because they’re as full as can be.

Kids stay the week in teepees instead of tents

The missionaries at L’Arcada describe their mission in the following statement:

“L’Arcada is a Christian foundation in favor of the family, whose goal is, through recreational education, to form solid families that will contribute positively to the society. Every value and principle shared during the camps is based on the Bible.”

That doesn’t mean every camper who attends the camp is Christian; in fact, many aren’t. But as they return year after year (with some campers starting at age four and continuing until adulthood), these campers hear messages of God’s love for man and man’s need for God. The camp is not a hard-core Christian camp like the ones we often find in the states, run by Christians for Christians. This camp introduces Christian concepts to kids who’ve never been to church or cracked open a Bible. The messages are softer, simpler and perhaps more inviting. And many kids and families do come to know Christ during their time at L’Arcada.

Girls at a Bible study and discussion session

L’Arcada was started in the 1980s by Dave and Debbie Frank. Dave comes from Chicago and Debbie grew up the daughter of missionaries in Peru. Originally, they considered starting a mission in Germany, but God led them to Spain to open a summer camp that shared His message with the people of Catalonia. Now, they have a camp that spans 750 acres at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains and hundreds of visiting campers every year. In addition to the camps, they host discipleship training, conferences and other year-round projects. While Debbie and Dave are no longer the directors of L’Arcada, they still organize Family Camp and work on many other projects.

David and Debbie Frank have shared the Gospel in Spain for more than 30 years

You might read this and think, “All this is well and good, but shouldn’t missionaries focus on the areas that really need them the most, like China and Kenya? Europe’s a Christian continent, isn’t it? And isn’t Spain almost totally Catholic? They already know God!”

I admit, I thought that before I came over to help. I figured there were still some people in Spain who needed God, but overall most of them would be believers. After all, Europe led the great Reformation and still has Christian rulers heading the countries. But it turns out, that view of Europe is really behind the times. According to Dave and Debbie, only 3% of Spaniards consider religion to be one of the three most important values in their lives. Three percent! Sure, 80% of Spaniards say they’re Roman Catholic, but in reality only 10% actually practice. The rest consider Catholicism more cultural than spiritual; they’re Catholic because they’re Spanish. Only 0.3% of Spaniards are evangelical Christians, and about 7,500 of Spain’s 8,105 cities and towns don’t even have an evangelical church. Christians sometimes need to drive hours to go to church in the morning.

That’s a far cry from the Spain we imagine after learning about the country in history class. Spain was one of Roman Catholicism’s biggest supporters, boasting “the Catholic Monarchs” Isabel and Ferdinand and being called “more Catholic than the pope” at one time. Now, most Spaniards avoid religion religiously. Why? One factor was the late Franco regime. Franco was a strict Catholic and not only installed Catholicism as the official religion in Spain but also persecuted anyone who wasn’t Catholic. For this reason, many people drew away from any form of Christianity once he was out of power. Even supporters of the Catholic Church started questioning the institution when faced with the church’s dealings in politics and the vast amount of land and wealth it has accrued over the years, which many people resent during Spain’s time of economic difficulties. Another reason is all the Muslim immigrants who are moving into Spain and bringing their religion of Islam. Catalonia has the largest amount of Muslims in Spain. In addition, recent studies show there are more than 300 cults in Spain, including 61 satanic groups.

While people tend to think that only third-world countries need the Gospel, this is simply not the case. In fact, China claims more Christians than all of Europe. I don’t think that means we should all rush over to evangelize Europe, but I do think we can learn from this: People need the Gospel everywhere. People need the Gospel in Ghana and people need the Gospel in Wisconsin. No matter where we are, we can share the good news of Christ. In fact, we’re called to! We don’t have to be missionaries living in huts in a foreign land. If that’s where God calls you, fantastic! But He also called people to witness at work, at school and to their own families. Where is He calling you?

The volunteers for this year's Family Camp

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)