At a recent church visit, I was sharing about summer camp with a mix of families and campers new and familiar to BCC. When telling the story of summer camp, it's always better when campers contribute their personal experiences at camp. At this visit, Xavier was so excited to talk about last summer: bonfires, the overnight. the camp dance, flying squirrel [record scratch]... Now of course, to those new to camp, the name of that high ropes activity alone is unusual. So I asked him to tell us more. "It's a fun thing where you're attached to a rope and then all your friends pull you high up into the air." In that moment, Xavier captured the most important thing about the activity - "...all your friends..."

It's amazing the community that gets built in a week of camp. The cabin of eight other campers, over nine months later, were still who Xavier thought of as his friends. That sense of belonging, of genuine human connection, is why the work that we do together is so powerful and so important.

Below are opportunities for you to support BCC through the 2023 BCC Gala, and Thrivent Choice donations. We're also building for the future through the process of strategic planning and we need you to share your perspective in the survey below. And of course, there's still time to register for summer camp to make new friends and continue growing this place of belonging.