Raising 3 boys on her own stretched Gloria’s earnings as a home health aide nearly to the breaking point. At the same time, she was juggling taking classes to earn her CNA and looking for a safer neighborhood for her family. That’s when she learned her 16 y.o. wasn’t receiving all the help he needed from his school and might be held back to repeat 10th grade. Gloria was at her wits end.

That was yesterday’s Bible lesson at Camp Peace.  Relatively straightforward even for the children entering 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade who rotated through. Or so it seemed until some of the children shared what ‘father’ meant to them. One little girl shared that her father had died. A little boy said he didn’t have a father. All of a sudden, a simple Bible truth encountered the painful reality of our children’s world. For some of them ‘father’ conjures up painful memories; for others absence and longing.

Friday night was unforgettable! We hosted our 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, where more than 300 of you joined us.

For many of us, the Christmas story is so familiar, that if we aren’t careful, we might overlook how marvelously shocking it all is. Think about it--