Ideal weather conditions greeted campers and visitors to Tuesday’s session of the Hillsboro Family Camp, the Christian gathering at Restoration Acres just north of the city off SR 124.
Larry Jackson, evangelist at the Bell Church of Christ in Utica, Ohio, was on hand with his wife, Holly. Jackson preached at the Fairview Church of Christ west of Hillsboro in the 1980s, and was a regular visitor to the camp through the years. But Tuesday, he said this was his first visit to the camp in 17 years.
Jackson said a couple he had converted to Christianity while preaching in Lisbon, Ohio, had invited him to reconnect with them at the camp, so he took them up on their offer.
As for Holly Jackson, she said her first-ever visit to the camp was invigorating.
“It recharged my batteries,” she said. She and her husband said they especially enjoyed the preaching and the fellowship with other Christians, a sentiment echoed by other campers on hand for the week.
Person to Person Ministries first hosted the Family Camp in 1972. Today, the event draws large crowds of campers from as many as 30 states across the U.S., according to executive director Kerry Allen.
The Family Camp runs though Thursday and features scheduled programs in the morning, afternoon and evening for all age groups. In the evenings, adults gather in the large pavilion at the campground to worship and hear preaching.
The campground, which sits on 158 acres, includes RV camping areas and plenty of room for tents and vans. Allen encouraged those in the Highland County community to come out for the evening events, which are free of charge, although an offering is taken during the service.
For more information on Person to Person Ministries and a Family Camp schedule, visit www.p2pm.org.
