The late Rev. Richard Williams, who was the Christian education pastor at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smithfield, for 42 years, embodied the definition of faith-filled fun. “He just loved young people,” said Carolyn, his wife of 41 years.
Richard embraced Christian camping for all. As a minister, he decided to take families from Centenary down for the weekend at Camp Don Lee beginning in the 1970s, Carolyn said, where they enjoyed Christian fellowship, games, outdoor recreation and worship time together.
In 2010, following Richard’s death in 2009, former NC United Methodist Camp & Retreat Executive Director Bobby Harris was so inspired by Richard’s ministry and his passion for young people and their growth and development, that he worked with Centenary to establish a fundraising program in Richard and Carolyn’s honor that would raise funds to send Centenary children and youth to Camp Don Lee during the summer.
Each year, the church holds the Richard and Carolyn Williams Campership Endowment Auction at the church.
Church member Warren Grimes, who roomed with former camp director Rev. John Farmer at Highpoint University, helps to oversee and manage the endowment campership fund. Since 2016, the endowment has awarded more than $107,000 in campership funds to impact 38 different campers, many of whom have come to camp over multiple summers.
Warren said the results of young people attending camp over the years has impacted the community and their congregation. “I see the youth who attend camp be more involved in their community and at school,” he said. “They stand up for themselves and have increased confidence.”
Both Carolyn and Warren agree that the campership fund has many positive ripple effects across the congregation; adults are focused on the children and youth at the church and helping to provide faith formation experiences for them; and the youth who attend camp are more involved in youth programming and the overall life of the church.
Camp Don Lee provides a positive experience in God’s creation and helps campers understand how to take care of it, Warren said. “It also creates many happy, lifetime memories and friendships, which is so important, helping them understand the importance of Christian community, the social skills and an understanding of Christ's love for each of us.”
Carolyn said her husband would be absolutely thrilled to see the way the Centenary community has embraced the youth of the church with this financial support for so many years. “He would say that it was only by the grace of God that he was called to this work. His heart was in it all the way.”