Thousands of students and adults will make Belmont their summer home in the coming weeks as the University hosts several summer camps and conferences.
Event Manager Sarah Brown has prepared for the influx with 15 Belmont students and four residence directors, who will facilitate the groups on campus throughout June and July.
Among the summer camps are Bruin Camps with Belmont Athletics coaches and programs through the College of Visual and Performing Arts for ballet dancers as well as piano, strings and wind instrument players.
The largest of the camps is MFuge, which brings 3,000 high school students to Belmont over the course of the summer. Lifeway began the camp in 1979 and has grown it to include Bible studies, team-building recreation activities and community service projects at more than 60 Nashville organizations including Metro Parks, Nashville Rescue Mission, Front Porch Ministries and local nursing homes.
Also with a mission-oriented approach, Project Transformation provides leadership development and ministry exploration opportunities to 32 college-age young adults through immersion in churches in Middle Tennessee’s low-income neighborhoods. For nine weeks the students, known as young adult interns, coordinate free summer day camps for children in under-served Nashville neighborhoods. Project Transformation helps churches to fill the void in ministries that resonate with young adults and allows the students to have transformational experiences to help them figure out how their career goals align with God’s plan.
“These students live on campus and provide academic enrichment for at-risk children and youth across our city. This partnership with the United Methodist Church began last summer and resulted in two Belmont students founding a ministry to continue their work all last year,” said Vice President of Spiritual Development Todd Lake. “In addition, one of the Belmont participants last year went on to seminary and has returned this summer as a Project Transformation supervisor. Vision 2015 states that we will give increasing evidence of our Christian character by partnering with outside Christian organizations, and this is one exemplary way we are able to live this out.”
The University’s Towering Traditions orientation program Foundations, which is designed to welcome freshmen and transfer students as well as their families, runs June 10 through 29 and brings approximately 250 students to campus for each session.
Other summer conferences on campus include the United Methodist Men: Inside Out For the Glory of God from July 12 to 14, American Scientific Affiliation’s Annual Conference from July 19 to 22 and Lifeway’s Main Event from July 26 to 27.
