Hundreds of students were recently on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University as they participate in JoyWorks and PraiseWorks.
The worship arts camps have become powerful equipping tools for the state as children and students are discipled as the next generation of worshipers and worship leaders.
Both camps focus on music and song, creative arts and disciple making and ran through July 12. JoyWorks, which features seven tracks, is for students who have completed grades 3–6. PraiseWorks is for students who have completed grades 7–12 and has 36 different tracks for students to choose from.
The camps take students at their level and continue to increase their knowledge and ability through equipping to where they can continue to grow in their relationship with Christ and their ability to lead in their local churches. Arkansas Baptist State Convention worship consultant Jim Daniel said they have approximately 606 students attending PraiseWorks and 226 at JoyWorks.
‘Telling the gospel’
Daniel said camp pastor Aaron Chastain has done an excellent job of breaking the verse down with the students.
“Everything we do, every breath we take is to praise the Lord,” Daniel said, adding Chastain is also walking students through the story of the woman at the well in John 4. “Our expression in praise is not just singing, playing an instrument or painting a picture, it’s telling the story of the gospel.”
Chastain said worship arts camps encourage students to get involved, build connections and foster development of skills and leadership the students take back to their home church.
“What I see is something that is lasting beyond this week,” Chastain said. “I think it’s a good thing to clarify this isn’t just music we are talking about. This isn’t just instrumentation. It’s leadership development. It’s moving the Kingdom forward one church at a time.”
Woodland Heights Baptist Church worship pastor Greg Childress, who serves on the camps’ leadership team and is teaching a track in beginning piano, said he is a huge fan of the two camps.
“This camp is one of the greatest tools where we can send our students and they can see they can be used and use the gifts and talents they have to grow and develop, not to be the leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today,” he said.
JoyWorks and PraiseWorks are ministries of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, as a result of the Cooperative Program. The camps culminated on July 12 with a big finale. The concert is one of the largest attended events of the state, Daniel said, noting there were more than 1,000 folks in attendance.
For more information on the camps, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mary Alford and originally published by Arkansas Baptist News.
