Amidst the tension at the recent meeting of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, which dealt with touchy issues surrounding the disaffiliation of congregations from the United Methodist Church, Bishop David Graves issued a challenge.

He urged those attending the conference June 11-14 to donate enough money to pay off the remaining debt on the Blue Lake Camp in Andalusia, a traditional summer destination for United Methodist youth.

Blue Lake Camp opened in 1952 in the Conecuh National Forest. More than 2,000 campers visit every summer.

After a 2010 renovation that upgraded, expanded and updated facilities, Blue Lake Camp still carried $89,000 in debt, according to an annual report given at the conference.

After the report, Graves challenged the conference to pay off the debt. Over the three days of the meeting, pledges from members were matched with a grant from the conference to pay it off.

“To be freed from this burden we’ve carried for so long is an incredible celebration,” said Patric Newton, director of Blue Lake Camp.

“The debt was like a burden that wouldn’t go away,” said the Rev. Hunter Pugh, chair of the Blue Lake Camp board of trustees. “Without debt, we can do things with more freedom and creativity.”

Summer camps remain a vital way of passing faith to the next generation, Pugh said.

“In the church world we hide behind our robes and structure, but camping ministry doesn’t let you hide behind those things,” he said. “I love it because it gives me a different avenue to be in ministry. It allows for people to ask questions and grow in their faith.”

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