Camping with Dad

Last September, Woodview Drive Church put on its first campout for fathers and children. Tents were pitched in Mark and Shon Stephenson’s backyard, pancakes were eaten, s’mores were toasted, and fathers and their children had the chance to spend some fun, quality time together.

Mark Stephenson had the idea for the campout after several young parents had approached him, wanting to know what he had done with his own kids. He brought the idea to his church and volunteered his house to host it. “The idea was to motivate fathers to get involved with their kids,” he explains.

The event was a big success with both fathers and children. At their first campout, only people from Woodview Drive Church and 16th Street Church participated. This year, the dads from Woodview want to repeat the event and invite their friends and neighbors to join in as well. “It’s a great chance for fathers to get together and compare notes while the kids run around” Mark explains. Erich Hites adds, “We had a great first campout and are looking forward to extending that to our friends this year. It will happen rain or shine!”