Tim & Stephanie Young

Serving our Father as a family is a part of our family identity. We enjoy serving together! As Christian parents, we know it is our responsibility to teach our children many things - to give back to our community, to be sensitive to and help those in need but above all to be in constant and consistent service to our Lord Jesus Christ. CAM has allowed us to do that and more. Through CAM we have developed deeper relationships with other believers and increased our faith exponentially through times of devotion and reflection, and the experiences we have encountered over the years with CAM. We have had priceless opportunities to witness various situations which have become invaluable teaching and learning moments.

Through CAM we know that God uses us to His glory and as a blessing to others as we use the special gifts He bestows on each of us. We can see that Eli and Zoë are discovering and developing their gifts at an early age and are given ample opportunities through CAM to employ and refine those skills that He will surely use as they continue to serve Him and as they select careers and pathways as young adults.

Our son is on the Youth Advisory Committee and our daughter, who has participated in CAM along side us since she was in the third grade, is looking forward to possibly becoming a member of the YAC next year. My husband and I are adult leaders and working members of the Board of Trustees of CAM.

As we share memories from past CAM events and look forward to the next summer CAMps, I can hear the excitement in Zoë and Eli’s voices, and see it in their faces! This morning, a CAM workday – a Saturday, my children are up at the crack of dawn anticipating what we are going to do today, who they will help, who they will see and how will all this work in the rain - not laying in bed or on the couch watching TV. What more could any parent ask for? Thank you CAM!

Sarah Torneten

Almost three years ago, my mother told me about an upcoming CAM summer camp she’d read about in the Norman Transcript. She thought it sounded perfect for me- Christian environment, community service, here in Norman, and free! Even though I did not know anybody involved with CAM, I decided to go to a three-day camp in June 2001. It was a blast!

Since then, I have gotten much more from CAM than I ever expected. My faith has definitely been strengthened; I have grown spiritually and mentally. Most of the people involved come from different churches and denominations than mine, and I learn a lot from them. CAM’s monthly meetings and devotions are great because the atmosphere is very relaxed and we are comfortable getting into deeper discussions. These help me ask questions and understand the Bible much more easily. For example, a friend of mine once posed a rather perplexing question to me regarding God’s anger and discipline, which I presented to the CAM group. After our discussion, I was able to give my friend a thorough reply.

Through my involvement the past three years, CAM has given me a desire to serve others. I’m amazed at the incredible drive CAM has to help people out of love. Unlike other organizations I’ve volunteered with, CAM has no ulterior motive. The desire to show God’s love is the whole idea behind every act of service. Now I am more able to see the needs of others, and I genuinely love meeting those needs.

This year I became the president of my school’s community service club, KEY Club. I never would have been led to that position without CAM. My participation in CAM and especially in the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has helped me grow as a leader. Singing in the CAM band has taught me how to stand up and lead worship. Leading devotions has helped me take an idea, expand on it, research it, and be able to share it with others. I have gained a great deal of confidence from my experiences on YAC. Because of the range of ages involved in the group, I have learned to be a leader and an example to younger kids.

I am so grateful to Jerry and Donna for their commitment to the group. I never expected to learn and grow so much; who would have thought all this started with a random newspaper article?

Eli Young

Sept. 2008

C.A.M. is important to me because it reminds me that God loves me and He loves others no matter what our situation may be ... I know that God has used and will use me to bless other people through what we do at C.A.M. My dad says that, "Sometimes we are the only Bible people ever read." That puts a little bit of pressure on me when I hear that, because I know the way I act and behave could possibly affect someone's choice of salvation. I know that being a part of the Youth Advisory Council of CAM is helping me to grow not only as a Christian and as a leader, but also allows me to develop life skills such as time management, planning and revising, and public speaking.

Micah Metheny

I learned about CAM when Jerry and Donna Hooper were interim youth pastors at my church. Since then, I have participated in CAM for about two years and have been a part of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) team for almost a year and a half.

Being able to interact with youth from all different backgrounds has given me such an appreciation for diversity among Christians. Before getting involved with CAM, I had mostly only dealt with people from the Free Will Baptist denomination. Through my CAM experiences, a whole new world of cooperation between separate churches has become available to me.

All my leadership positions have been affected by my involvement in CAM and YAC. I have learned so much about leading other people and working together smoothly with fellow leaders. By serving with the other CAM participants, I have learned to work with all kinds of people without sacrificing the speed or efficiency necessary to complete a project in such a way that God will be glorified.

The closeness of all the youth involved in CAM is such an encouragement. Knowing that I have the support of my fellow YAC- and CAM-members helps me handle the daily stresses of my life.

The things that I have learned in CAM have done much more for me than I could have ever imagined. I am sure that I would not be the same person that I am today without the work I have done in this great organization. My only wish for CAM is that it will be able to keep bringing up great young leaders in our area.

Alysa Hooper

Hi my name is Alysa Hooper. I'm 14 years old and I am finishing out my freshman year at Norman High School. At school I am involved with vocal music and leadership. I am now attending Great Life Church and have been for about 5 years. I have been apart of CAM since it started. (I'm Jerry and Donna Hooper's daughter!) CAM is an amazing program that helps out our community and at the same time brings kids of all ages and denominations together. One of the most meaningful and fun thing in CAM is going out and doing the volunteer work and then seeing the faces of the people we helped. This is my second year to be a part of the YAC team (Youth Advisor Counsel) and I'm excited about being able to help make decisions for the CAM events. I can't wait to see what God does with another year of CAM!!!

Lauren

CAM is such an awesome community service ministry! Being involved in CAM has encouraged me to want more then just the normal teenage life; I desire to really stand out and make an impact on the people around me through my words and actions.

I love the environment of CAM. All the kids are there to serve God and help everyone they can. Donna and Jerry are wonderful people; I am so blessed to have met them and everyone else involved in CAM. I truly can’t explain how much it has done for me! Thank you!

Katie Hill

This is my second year to be involved in CAM and I love it. Before I became associated with CAM, I didn't understand much about community service, but now I know how easy it is. CAM has completely changed my perspective on helping people. It doesn't have to be big things; little things can mean just as much. It is also very rewarding to know that you have made an impact in someone's life by helping them with whatever they need. Also at CAM, I've made new friends. The worship and teaching times have been great, and I've learned a lot through my involvement with this group of godly people. I enjoy being a part of CAM and I always look forward to the next time together.

-Katie Hill

Tracy W

February 2011

CAM has been such a great place for my teenage daughters to serve and see the needs of others. It has been good for them to know they can make a difference by acts of service such as simply taking care of someone's lawn, helping fill packages for the soldiers overseas, organizing clothing for the needy, or by working at the Food Bank. Everytime they get to work side by side with teenagers they haven't met before who are all from different backgrounds; they experience devotions and worship, and leave with a sense of accomplishment in a day of work outside themselves. A heart of servant hood is what God has called us to and CAM ministries is a perfect example of demonstrating this.

A grateful parent,
Traci W.

Megan Johnson

I give up my weekend for CAM because it is fun to do the work, and I love to see others' smiling faces when they see all the work that we have done. CAM has impacted me by making me more willing to help people that are in need, and I have gotten much closer to God with the devotions and the fact that everything we do in CAM is to serve God. As one of the younger people in the group, it is great to have older people who share their knowledge of the Bible. If I were to try to get someone to join CAM I would tell them that they'll be surprised to find that the work is really fun because everyone is super friendly and welcoming. I experienced this first hand when I came into CAM knowing only one person, but immediately made new friends.

Megan Johnson 11/07

Danielle Tipton

Community Action Missions is a great organization that God is using to help people in this area. I first learned of CAM when Donna came to an on-campus Bible study my sophomore year in High School. I attended my first CAMp the next August, and it was an awesome experience. It was great getting out of the four walls of a church and actually ministering to and helping others.

This past August 2003 I wanted to be even more involved in what God is doing through CAM, so I joined the Youth Advisory Council. We help to plan the CAMps as well as the year-round services, lead the monthly meetings, and give input to the board about where CAM is heading.

CAM has helped me grow greatly. The CAM slogan, "Putting skin on the gospel," has made me see the impact that service has on people. Before my involvement in YAC, I had a tendency to be the responsible person thrown into leadership roles with no real power to make decisions. My involvement in YAC has helped me become someone who likes to help with making decisions that actually affect people.

The organization has also made me much more aware of how many people are under hardships in my hometown. If I had never had the chance to help serve them, I wouldn't even know that there were people who needed help. I would have never been exposed to them at all. I always envisioned the only people in need as living overseas and dying physically. Although those people need help as well, we cannot ignore the people who are spiritually and emotionally dying around us because of their hardships concerning food, pregnancy, homes, health, and many others every day issues most of us take for granted. Helping revive these people is the mission of Community Action Missions, and I now see it as one of the most needed missions today.

Mallorie Ramsey

December 2010

Dear Donna,

This is something that is truly hard for me to do. However i feel that it is the responsible thing to do. I have so very much LOVED CAM and being on the YAC!!! I can still remember my very first day-it was the first CAMp at your house, (2008). I didn't know anybody at all. Within 5 minutes it took everything i had not to cry, because i was so scared! And then you forced me to play taboo with you guys....which i hated then, but now I am thankful for that very moment because you welcomed me in! Little did i know that day would have an impact on my life from that day forward! I am definately not the same girl I was a few years ago. I KNOW for a fact that God has called me to do missions....and I have you and your AMAZING family to thank for helping me and preparing me. I know I still have so much to learn, but thank you for everything! Therefore, because I have been absent so very much for the YAC meetings and CAM days due to a crazy life, i am now stepping down from the YAC. I will try my best to be at CAM days as much as I can! I love people and i love serving them! With work and school, the ACT, Family, and scholarships and colleges to worry about, my schedule will still continue to be busy! Again thank you so much for everything you have done!

With love (and tears)

Mallorie

Christian LeFlore

November 21, 2007

I've been with CAM for almost six months now. The work and accomplishment we get done in the short time frame we have is always surprising. It surprises me that preteens to teens can often times do more work than college students or full adults. Everyone always tells you that it's good to help your community or help change the world by working hard. It's hard on your own to do that very thing. CAM was there to push me along into serving others and giving up my time just to help people.

I give up my time for CAM because no matter what we're doing, it's fun. The attitudes and colorful people make it enjoyable, even if we're cleaning a room full of clothes, or smelly monkey cages. That's not the only reason why I love CAM. It's not just volenteer work, it's something much bigger than that. It's acting on love. It's coming together as the body of Christ to love one another and comfort broken people in need. When you see that you made a difference in someone's heart, possibly forever, you forget the hard work and just feel good.

Reynolds Whalen

I have been involved with Community Action Missions (CAM) for four years now. From the moment I began participating, I knew I had entered something special. CAM provides a wonderful atmosphere for young people to interact and learn more about themselves and each other through God.

At my first CAM summer camp, I discovered a whole new way to worship God. Coming from a traditional Episcopalian background, I had never been exposed to praise and worship or evangelism. Needless to say, this style of worship surprised and excited me. This part of CAM has always inspired me and remains one of my favorite aspects of the organization. CAM provides a place for people of all denominations to join and work together for one common goal: to glorify God through service in our community. Service is a fundamental part of all Christian churches.

Since my involvement with CAM, I have obtained over one hundred hours of community service, working for over twenty agencies across our region. I have also grown as a leader. The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has challenged me with numerous obligations, such as preparing four-day service camps, leading music for worship, and presenting organized devotions that inspire thoughtful discussion. CAM and YAC have enhanced my talents and organizational strategies, giving me an ideal opportunity to channel these into my community.

The lessons I have learned from CAM will stay with me for the rest of my life. The worth of my appreciation for human suffering and basic aspects of the human condition cannot be described in words. Only God truly understands. The only word we have is "love."

George Leonard

I have had the great privilege of serving with CAM with my students over the past two years. I am always amazed at how students from different churches all over the area come together to accomplish something meaningful in the lives of those we are serving. There is no better way for teens to experience what it really means to follow Christ than to put "hands and feet" on their faith by serving in our community. CAM not only makes an amazing difference in the lives of those in need in our area, but also makes a major difference in the lives of those students who participate in their activities. Time after time, when my students hear we are going to participate in a CAM event, they can't wait to go.

I am also always impressed with the organization and planning that is a part of every event that happens with CAM. The details of transportation, liability, and logistics are clearly communicated ahead of time, allowing me to simply focus on the work at hand and the lives of my students. As someone who believes strongly in the importance of service in the community, it is great to have an organization like CAM that makes it so easy for me to get my students involved. CAM is an important part of my ministry year, and I am so grateful for all they do.

George Leonard
Pastor of Family Ministries at New Life Bible Church