Rev. Christopher Bodley is the Acts 2 Enterprise (A2E) Missionary-at-Large for the Michigan District, LCMS in Detroit. This is the 5th year that he will be serving as the Sports Camp/VBS Director.
A2E is a strategic and holistic urban outreach initiative of the Michigan District, LCMS, created to bring help to challenging communities in our state such as Detroit, Pontiac, Flint, and Benton Harbor. One of the ways in which A2E reaches out into the community is through its annual Sports Camps/VBS. These programs provide urban children with a week of activities in a safe and caring environment, including a nutritious meal. Some of the kids in attendance come from very stable homes with a mom and a dad, some from single-parent homes, and some from the foster care community.
Rev. Bodley describes the main purpose of the camps: “Kids learn sports each day; they have two instructions of 25 min. each, and a free meal. We use it as an opportunity to help them learn a sport and then to share Jesus with them (…) We’re hoping that it begins to set into place the desire to learn more about who Jesus is and perhaps to seek out a church that will intentionally love them and embrace them wherever they are in their lives.”
This year, as part of the 500th Lutheran Reformation anniversary, A2E Sports Camp/VBS has been chosen as the Hearts for Jesus recipient through the Michigan District’s Here We Stand campaign. To learn more, or to donate, click here.
Photo by Elisa Schulz/Michigan District, LCMS
