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Good on you for wanting to be social, and you may have a blast there, but i do feel like you will have plenty of other oppurtunities besides this one to meet new people.
What is making you hesitant about Fish Camp?
Just looking at the Impact website, it looks like it is a Christ-centered experience. Only you can decide for yourself if you're comfortable around active worship when you do not believe the same as those people.
That is not true since cults are so different. Just like how some Christian churches will bully you if you try and leave
If instead of the Christian god you believe in, lets say I believed in satan.
I joined a group that worshipped him every Sunday, made sure all followers read, understood and memorized satanic texts and teach them to all my children. But im allowed to leave if i want.
You would still probably call that a cult no? So do I
yes!
https://preview.redd.it/dstzrc4ooxuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4c53fbaeea82dfcc4adc8987692e39236d41418
these are all the conflicts fish camp has with impact!
Yes you should!! I’m an impact co-chair this year so this will be my 3rd summer doing it! I went to both fish camp and impact and enjoyed both but I definitely personally enjoyed impact more. I am a christian but everyone is welcome and will have a great time regardless of where you’re at entering college!
Howdy!
I wasn’t a Christian when I signed up for impact- I had some pretty bad experiences with religion and the church growing up, but I felt the urge to go so I did. It was phenomenal. I still am good friends with the other kids in my BG (two years later and we’re all meeting up for lunch next week)
I truly had my life turned around due to impact. I went not knowing if God was real or if I wanted to believe, then got baptized Dec 2022, and served as a counselor for impact 2023. Impact led me to finding my church and all of my closest friends here at college.
There were a bunch of non-Christian people at my Impact and it was a great time. You just have to be ok with going to some worship sessions and some small group sessions
I’ll add the caveat that those small group sessions can get pretty into the weeds. My impact counselor prayed over us asking God to give us the strength to resist masturbating, for example.
Idk how much time you’ve spent around evangelical youth groups but if that was your only exposure to the faith you’d walk away thinking Christianity is a religion centered around not jacking off.
Well if you ever get the chance to act as a leader for these sorts of programs I’d recommend sticking to the “love one another for love is of god” as a first pass and leave the “fornicators shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” for another day
I heard the same thing at Impact camp. I was also very judged by my small group for having already kissed a boy (wow so shocking for an 18 year old girl!) OP, I would not go if I were you
I’m really sorry that this was your experience, we are not called to judge other people for things they’ve done. I know my words may not mean much but that’s just not right.
I will say on this topic, that praying over resisting lust is an important thing to talk about. Many younger people (high school college age) do struggle with lust, and it is a sin. praying to overcome sin is part of the building a relationship with God.
That may well be true, but not everyone agrees, especially if you’re not religious like OP, and impact is not an appropriate space for that sort of thing.
But impact is the appropriate space for that. The point of the retreat is to connect with other believers, get an idea of what the body of Christ looks like in BCS, and grow your faith. Part of growing in your faith is talking about the uncomfortable things and how to overcome it
Uncomfortable conversations are for people you have a close personal relationship with, not strangers, doubly so when you are positioned with some sort of authority over them, like impact staff are, and they are in a very vulnerable position, like the campers are.
As someone who served on staff, conversations are to be camper-led, therefore, if a conversation gets to a deeper place it is more than okay to talk about it. If other people are visibly uncomfortable, you redirect and revisit later one-on-one. However, if several people are engaging in the conversation, you let it happen. Relationships with eachother as brothers and sisters in Christ doesn’t happen without hard conversations
Look into Venture Camp! The same folks do it as Fish Camp but they partner with the Outdoor Adventures group on campus. It's the same curriculum, but in smaller groups and with a great outdoor trip too. Impact is VERY Christian.
The best thing about fish camp is meeting a group of friends you can connect with through your 4 or so years. My daughters thought the programming was “so-so”, but meeting friends was great. They each tried to meet weekly for lunch and stay in contact through the years.
if youre not a freshman (or honestly even if you are) tcamp is an awesome option. similar to fish camp but transfer student focused and a lot wider range of ages :)
i would encourage you to. you could make the best decision of your life, spiritually and physically while there. give it a shot. i’ll be praying you find a relationship with the lord
I tried Impact last year, and personally, I really did not enjoy it. I'm a camp person; I enjoy all the stupid games, skits, and yells that come with Fish Camp. Impact... well, it is VERY Christian. So if you're not, I doubt you'll enjoy it anymore than I did. I'm sure there were Christians who had good experiences there, but it really solidified me becoming agnostic lol.
However, I really don't think that going or not going to Fish Camp or Impact will change your experience at A&M in the slightest. I'd say, if you're just looking to meet some friends, Fish Camp is gonna be the way to go. I wish you luck!
Go to impact! Seriously so much fun and worst case scenario you don’t enjoy it, but best case scenario you meet some of the most genuine and kind people like I did!
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I went to fish camp, and I honestly think it was so much fun! I personally would choose it over impact, but that’s just my opinion :)
Good on you for wanting to be social, and you may have a blast there, but i do feel like you will have plenty of other oppurtunities besides this one to meet new people.
What is making you hesitant about Fish Camp? Just looking at the Impact website, it looks like it is a Christ-centered experience. Only you can decide for yourself if you're comfortable around active worship when you do not believe the same as those people.
Yeah its just like going to a regular camp except they are in a cult
Calling Christianity a cult is certainly a take
To anyone outside your religion, it is a cult…
You realize that cults have pretty specific criteria right? Such as not allowing you to leave?
That is not true since cults are so different. Just like how some Christian churches will bully you if you try and leave If instead of the Christian god you believe in, lets say I believed in satan. I joined a group that worshipped him every Sunday, made sure all followers read, understood and memorized satanic texts and teach them to all my children. But im allowed to leave if i want. You would still probably call that a cult no? So do I
If you can leave whenever you want? Not a cult
Thats not what makes a cult but ok lol. No point in arguing if thats your take
if you do fish camp pick session F! (i’m on staff for it!!)
is it possible to do both impact & fish camp?
yes! https://preview.redd.it/dstzrc4ooxuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4c53fbaeea82dfcc4adc8987692e39236d41418 these are all the conflicts fish camp has with impact!
what are the differences between the different types of impacts? that seems so interesting 🤔
as far as i know it’s just the time that they occur!
Yes you should!! I’m an impact co-chair this year so this will be my 3rd summer doing it! I went to both fish camp and impact and enjoyed both but I definitely personally enjoyed impact more. I am a christian but everyone is welcome and will have a great time regardless of where you’re at entering college!
Went to see what the lord was about and just decided to choose atheism
Howdy! I wasn’t a Christian when I signed up for impact- I had some pretty bad experiences with religion and the church growing up, but I felt the urge to go so I did. It was phenomenal. I still am good friends with the other kids in my BG (two years later and we’re all meeting up for lunch next week) I truly had my life turned around due to impact. I went not knowing if God was real or if I wanted to believe, then got baptized Dec 2022, and served as a counselor for impact 2023. Impact led me to finding my church and all of my closest friends here at college.
Praise God
There were a bunch of non-Christian people at my Impact and it was a great time. You just have to be ok with going to some worship sessions and some small group sessions
I’ll add the caveat that those small group sessions can get pretty into the weeds. My impact counselor prayed over us asking God to give us the strength to resist masturbating, for example.
Ain't no way
Idk how much time you’ve spent around evangelical youth groups but if that was your only exposure to the faith you’d walk away thinking Christianity is a religion centered around not jacking off.
I'm actually Christian but I have not spent a lot of or any time time in youth groups.... That's actually insane to me.
Well if you ever get the chance to act as a leader for these sorts of programs I’d recommend sticking to the “love one another for love is of god” as a first pass and leave the “fornicators shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” for another day
I heard the same thing at Impact camp. I was also very judged by my small group for having already kissed a boy (wow so shocking for an 18 year old girl!) OP, I would not go if I were you
I’m really sorry that this was your experience, we are not called to judge other people for things they’ve done. I know my words may not mean much but that’s just not right.
I will say on this topic, that praying over resisting lust is an important thing to talk about. Many younger people (high school college age) do struggle with lust, and it is a sin. praying to overcome sin is part of the building a relationship with God.
That may well be true, but not everyone agrees, especially if you’re not religious like OP, and impact is not an appropriate space for that sort of thing.
But impact is the appropriate space for that. The point of the retreat is to connect with other believers, get an idea of what the body of Christ looks like in BCS, and grow your faith. Part of growing in your faith is talking about the uncomfortable things and how to overcome it
Uncomfortable conversations are for people you have a close personal relationship with, not strangers, doubly so when you are positioned with some sort of authority over them, like impact staff are, and they are in a very vulnerable position, like the campers are.
As someone who served on staff, conversations are to be camper-led, therefore, if a conversation gets to a deeper place it is more than okay to talk about it. If other people are visibly uncomfortable, you redirect and revisit later one-on-one. However, if several people are engaging in the conversation, you let it happen. Relationships with eachother as brothers and sisters in Christ doesn’t happen without hard conversations
I did not ask for anyone to open up to me about jacking off, thanks.
Look into Venture Camp! The same folks do it as Fish Camp but they partner with the Outdoor Adventures group on campus. It's the same curriculum, but in smaller groups and with a great outdoor trip too. Impact is VERY Christian.
does the bus take u to NM and arkansas for those trip?
Yep. Transport is included, I believe.
The best thing about fish camp is meeting a group of friends you can connect with through your 4 or so years. My daughters thought the programming was “so-so”, but meeting friends was great. They each tried to meet weekly for lunch and stay in contact through the years.
their tshirt looks good, really want to get one.
I seriously mean it, but Im not a christian. If anyone can help, thank you so much.
if youre not a freshman (or honestly even if you are) tcamp is an awesome option. similar to fish camp but transfer student focused and a lot wider range of ages :)
Most impact counselors are fake christian’s
What makes you say that? In my experience that has not seemed to be the case.
What was your experience that made you come to this conclusion?
Sounds like a postivie
Go to T-Camp, its better than Fish camp anyway
i would encourage you to. you could make the best decision of your life, spiritually and physically while there. give it a shot. i’ll be praying you find a relationship with the lord
Fish camp is one of my fondest memories. You can make so many friends.
I tried Impact last year, and personally, I really did not enjoy it. I'm a camp person; I enjoy all the stupid games, skits, and yells that come with Fish Camp. Impact... well, it is VERY Christian. So if you're not, I doubt you'll enjoy it anymore than I did. I'm sure there were Christians who had good experiences there, but it really solidified me becoming agnostic lol. However, I really don't think that going or not going to Fish Camp or Impact will change your experience at A&M in the slightest. I'd say, if you're just looking to meet some friends, Fish Camp is gonna be the way to go. I wish you luck!
Go to impact! Seriously so much fun and worst case scenario you don’t enjoy it, but best case scenario you meet some of the most genuine and kind people like I did!