A record-setting summer for Teen Leadership Camps

This year’s Teen Leadership Camps set the record for the largest in PHC’s history! Just under 500 high schoolers attended one or more of the 11 camps.

Additionally, many camps reached record numbers, including Dr. Les Sillars’ Journalism & Digital Media camp and Professor Nathan Russell's Entrepreneurship & Economics camp.

Students learned together, laughed together, and grew closer to the Lord together during those summer weeks at PHC. Every day, campers attended either Wing Chapel or corporate chapel, following the pattern that PHC students use during the regular school year. Besides these times of worship, the teen campers had a regular time blocked off in the morning for personal devotions.

Annika Wirkkala, a PHC sophomore and one of the camp counselors, noticed the impact that the spiritually-rich environment had on many of the students.

Leading the camps was a time of growth for each counselor as well. They learned how to better minister daily, share the Gospel, and constantly give their energy, joy, and enthusiasm to nurturing others.

One of Annika’s sweetest memories from her time as a counselor was during the last closing ceremony. The closing ceremony happened every Friday night. At the end of the ceremony, all students and counselors gathered around the piano to sing “All Glory be to Christ.”

That Friday, many campers were emotional about leaving and having to say goodbye to the friends they had made, and counselors were emotional because it was the “last” week for them.

“That was a very sweet moment to be singing 'All Glory be to Christ,' and just being so thankful for the blessing it was to be in the camps and serve the campers,” Annika said.

 Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.