Teens make some ‘Noise’

Marisa O’Neil

A summer camp with a mission hit the streets this weekend to clean up

local communities.

More than 1,600 teenagers taking part in a summer camp through

Soul Survivor Ministries went to Costa Mesa and Santa Ana on Saturday

to pick up trash, clear weeds and paint fences in run-down or

neglected areas. The cleanup was a culmination of a five-day summer

camp at Newport Dunes last week.

“I’m glad that we’re helping out children that are needy,”

15-year-old Costa Mesa resident Michael Jugan said. “I just want to

make a difference.”

Camp organizers asked local learning centers and city officials

where the need for work was greatest, said program director Michael

Kenyon, a pastor at Rock Harbor Church.

“We get to live out our faith in action,” Kenyon said. “People are

thrilled when we get something done that they just don’t have the

budget for.”

Campers also visited area mobile home parks to deliver gift boxes

to elderly residents. The outreach effort is a part of the ministry’s

credo: “Actions speak louder than words.”

“This is part of one of our value systems in Christianity,” said

Paul Martin, director of Soul Survivor Ministries. “Christians are

largely known for what we don’t believe in, but few know what we do

believe in, like being good community servants.”

This is the fourth year for the camp, which hosts middle school

and high school students from around the western United States, Soul

Survivor Marketing Director Keith Giles said. Most of the

participants get involved through their individual churches.

Besides the outreach, dubbed “The Noise,” the camp provides a host

of activities for teens.

In addition to two mandatory worship sessions a day, campers could

play basketball, attend workshops, swim, kayak, do art projects, sing

karaoke, listen to live music and dance at evening parties. The camp

even had a series of ramps set up for skateboarding.

Setting up familiar activities in a fun environment helps the

campers bring the message of service home to their own communities,

Giles said. The students are encouraged to do outreach or tutoring or

any other service-based activities when they go back to school.

“We want to show our community that we want to be good servants,”

12-year-old Tustin resident Josh Crabbe said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.