'A very special event'

Christian music and words of the Gospel filled the air on an unseasonably cool July evening as Family Camp came to a close at Restoration Acres on Thursday.

George Faull and Tony Sullivan delivered the final messages of the annual meeting Thursday night as the popular five-day camp hosted by Person to Person Ministries concluded.

Director Kerry Allen said the 42nd annual event was well attended as people from all over the country made the trek to Highland County for another week of fellowship.

“We had a good meeting,” Allen said Thursday night. “A lot of longtime Family Campers have said they thought that this was one of the best programs in years. And, as always, we had people come from all over the United States. People came from Seattle, Washington, New York State, Florida, Louisiana – we’re spreading the breadth of the country.”

Allen said messages were delivered by speakers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia and Michigan.

“It’s encouraging to see that people are willing to travel 1,000 miles or more to attend Family Camp,” Allen said. “And with the Bible colleges and missions represented, we have a whole variety of Christian organizations around the world. In what many people would consider a remote location, thousand come each year to Hillsboro, Ohio for teaching and fellowship.

“It’s a very special event.”

Each year at the camp, people come to Christ and are baptized, and people make decisions to become evangelists. This year was no different, Allen said.

“The majority of people who come here are Christians, but Family Camp does lead to decisions to follow Christ and decisions that result in evangelism,” he said. 

“We’ve had a great program and great preaching, and that speaks to what is taking place here.”

Allen thanked the community and local businesses for their ongoing support.

“We do appreciate the generosity of our local businesses that help out each year,” Allen said. “Some make the recreation possible, some donate gifts to share and some offer discounts at their businesses. We appreciate the help of the community.”

Family Camp began in 1972 and has grown to become a premier event in the Restoration Movement in America. Person to Person Ministries was established several years earlier in 1967 under the direction of Larry "Bus" Wiseman, who was the founding director of Family Camp.

Dean Mills served as director of Person to Person Ministries and Family Camp from 1979 until his death in October 1999, and Allen has served as director since 2000.

“It’s the 14th Family Camp for me as director,” he said. “We’ve benefited from a rich history.”