A&M Youth
Woo-hoo! MEGA DAYS begins soon!
We are so excited about the week, and we are glad you can join us.
Get ready. It's going to be great!
Here you can find everything you need to know about MEGA DAYS 2024. Please read it carefully.
Departure Info:
Check-in will begin on Monday, June 3, at 9:00 in the Great Hall and Parlor at A&M Church of Christ.
At check-in, we will make sure everyone has all of the necessary forms completed, and we will collect any remaining registration payments. You will receive a card with your camper's name on it before you enter the Parlor, and this card will guide you through the check-in process.
What to do with luggage:
Luggage can go on the sidewalk under the covered drop off area. (do this before you come into the building) Our volunteers will load the luggage after everyone is checked in. (If students have pillows or backpacks they wish to carry on the bus (instead of us putting them in the trailer) they can just bring those items in the building and put them in the Great Hall. You might consider putting pillows in a trash bag or in a suitcase if your son/daughter does not want them on the buses.) The buses will not be open until just before we leave for camp.
What to do with campers:
Stay with your son/daughter through the check-in process. When they have checked in, we will introduce them (and you) to their counselors, who will be waiting for them in the gym. After that, you are welcome to stay until we pray together around 9:20, or you can go ahead and leave as soon as your camper is with their counselors.
What to do with the Waters Edge Encampment Liability Waiver:
You will turn this form in during check-in. If you prefer to email it to us prior to camp, you can. (dyan@amchurch.net) If you do not have the liability waiver, here is a link: Waters Edge Camp Waiver
What to do with any prescription or over-the-counter medication:
We need to know about any prescription medication your child will be bringing to camp...and any over-the-counter medication they can take. (No medication, including over-the-counter medication is allowed in cabins by law.)
We have created an online form to allow you to share this information about prescription and over-the-counter medication. We need this form completed by every family with a child at Mega Days. Please complete it by Sunday, June 2. Here is a link to the form: https://amchurch.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/892/responses/new
If your son/daughter has any prescription medication they need to take during Mega Days, please have it ready to give to the nurse at check-in. If you can put it in a ziplock baggie with instructions inside, that would be helpful.
What to do after you check-in:
Once your son/daughter is with their counselors, we encourage you to drop off any letters for your son/daughter in the Welcome Center. (Again, if you want to stay with everyone until we all pray together, that is great, but it's fine if you leave before then.) More info about letters to campers below.
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Special Note:
We will start MEGA DAYS at the church building and then head to camp right after lunch. This allows us to finish up all paperwork while we are at the building, and it allows us some extra time to deal with any issues that come up.
Return Info:
On Friday, June 7, we will arrive back to the church building around 12:00pm. If we are going to be later than this, we will send an update to everyone via email.
Upon our return, all students will go into the gym. You can pick-up your son/daughter there.
The Great Hall doors will be open for you to enter the building. Please note, we will not be releasing campers into the parking lot without parents...you (or whoever is picking up your son/daughter) will need to come in to the gym to pick up your camper
Packing List:
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Bible
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Pen
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Clothing for Monday through Friday. (Shorts should be at least around fingertip length. All shirts should have sleeves.)
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Swimsuit (Girls should have one-piece swimsuits or some kind of a tank top/t-shirt to wear over swimsuit while swimming.)
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Toiletries
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Towel and washcloth (we suggest bringing two towels - one for after shower and one for after swimming)
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Bedding for a twin bed and pillow, (You can bring sheets or a sleeping bag for bedding.)
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Tennis shoes for games/activities which require running
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A fun (or goofy) shirt or hat or socks (or all three) for "Wacky Wednesday"
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Some type of red, white, or blue clothing for "USA Thursday"
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Flashlight
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Bug spray
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Sunscreen
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Camera (optional)
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Snacks (optional)
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Games for bus and cabin (optional)
A word about packing: It would be very helpful if you could label all of your
child's belongings.
Please Do Not Bring:
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Excessive amounts of candy. We have desserts at camp, in case you're worried
about your son/daughter not getting enough sugar. :) We've had upset stomachs
in the past from campers having too much candy. Snacks are great. Too much
candy may not be the best choice either for the campers who choose to eat too
much or for the ants who seem to find the candy which students bring. -
Cell phones
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Fidget Spinners
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Slime
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MP3 players or music devices/earbuds of any kind
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Personal video game players or electronic tablet or game
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Anything intended to be used for playing a joke (water balloons, shaving cream, etc.)
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Anything that could potentially harm someone such as a pocket knife, etc.
Letters from Home -
It's always fun to get letters from home while at camp, however, it's difficult for parents to know just when to send a letter so that it arrives right on time. Therefore, we will have a "letter box" available to all parents before camp. You can find the box in the Welcome Center on the day we leave for camp.
The letter box will also be available at the "buffet table" in the hallway between the Great Hall and the church office the week before camp. The box is a brown box with "MEGA DAYS" on the top. (This box will be available from May 26 through June 2.)
Please put your son/daughter's name on the outside of the envelope and which day you would like them to get the letter. (Tues, Wed, or Thurs...there will not be mail distributed on Monday or Friday). We'll make sure they get it on that day. You are welcome to put in a letter for each day if you'd like. Please do not send candy/care packages.
We really want to encourage you to send at least one letter for your son/daughter while they are at camp. Most of our students receive letters from parents or family members, and this can be a very encouraging thing for your son/daughter to receive. A lot of campers receive letters each day, so you're welcome to send a letter for each day, if you want. (We try to make sure each camper gets a letter each day - so some of our adults or counselors will write letters for any days in which campers do not have a letter.) If you need help coming up with ideas of what to write, you can go to letterstocamp.net and find many ideas. It is a blog, so the most recent posts are at the top, but look on the right side for ideas by category. Also, this blog has been around for a while and not updated recently, but it still has a lot of great ideas.
Additional Information to be aware of:
Overnight- If your son/ daughter could possibly have an accident during the night...and you did not let us know on the sign-up form...please let Jenni, Monty, Heather or Dyan know by using the email addresses below, or call us at the church office. We will help your son/daughter in any way they need, but it would be helpful to know of this need ahead of time.
Special Needs- If your son/daughter has any special needs that we need to be aware of at Mega Days...and you did not let us know this on the sign-up form...please let us know about those needs by calling or emailing Jenni, Monty, Heather or Dyan.
Final payments- If you have not made your final payment for Mega Days, please bring that payment when you check-in on June 3. If you need extra time to make the final payment, please let us know. We are glad to make special arrangements. If there is money you owe for camp, you should receive an email from Dyan Stripling before camp begins.
Cell phones and Students- Students are not allowed to have cell phones at camp. If your son/daughter owns a phone, they will need to leave it at home for camp. Please note that "at home" doesn't not mean in their bag or pocket. :) This is the same policy for our middle school and high school students at camp. If you need to reach your student, use the phone numbers provided to text us and we will get them in touch with you as soon as we can.
Head Lice- All students will be checked for lice on the first day of camp. If students have lice, their parent will be asked to come and pick them up, and they will not be able to return to camp. Please, please, please check your son/daughter for lice before camp starts so that they will not have to miss camp. We do not want to have to send any campers home because of head lice.
Groups and Counselors - We will send information out soon regarding which group your son/daughter is in and who their counselors will be.
Transportation - Transportation to/from camp will be provided in our church buses, vans and possibly some personal vehicles. However, if you would like to drop off and/or pick up your son or daughter from camp, you are more than welcome to do so. If you plan to do this, please let us know so that we can make transportation plans accordingly.
Schedule:
Here is a copy of our schedule for Mega Days. This is an overall schedule and doesn't include all of the details of each activity. So if you look at an event and think to yourself, "Wow, how could they spend so long in the big group meeting?" Or, "Why do they stay in the cabins so long after swimming?" ...don't worry. There are many activities going on within each of the activities listed below.
Monday:
9:00 – Students arrive at church and check-in
9:20 – Prayer in gym to begin Mega Days
9:30 – Games in gym
9:50 – Welcome to camp
Sometime between 10:00 and 12:30 – Depart for Waters Edge Encampment
1:40 – To cabins: Pack and get settled
2:20 – Rotation: Swim/great games
4:35 – Back to cabins/clean-up/unpack
6:00 – Supper
6:45 - Rotation: Bible lessons, Games
7:25 – Evening Activities
8:25 – Evening Devo
8:50 – Group Prayer Time
9:05 – Go to cabins
9:45 – Lights Out
(When you see the word “rotation”, this means that our students will be broken
up into smaller groups for activities, Bible lessons, games, etc.)
Tuesday - Thursday:
7:00 – Wake Up
8:00 – Breakfast
8:45 – Cabin Clean-Up
9:15 – Rotation: Crafts; Bible Lessons
11:15 – Morning Praise
12:00 – Group Time
12:30 – Lunch
1:15 – Quiet Time
2:00 – Rotation: Swim/great games
4:30 – To Cabins
5:30 – Small Groups
6:00 – Supper
6:45 – Skit Night Planning
7:15 – Games
8:15 – Evening Devo
8:45- Group Prayer Time
9:00 - To Cabins
9:45 – Lights Out
Friday:
7:00 – Wake Up
8:00 – Breakfast
8:45 – Pack -Up; Clean Up
9:30 – Morning Praise; Final Slideshow
10:00 – Depart Waters Edge Encampment
12:00-12:!5 – Arrive at A&M Church
Emergency Numbers -
If you need to reach our group during the time we are at Mega Days, you can call Monty (979) 67six-399three or Heather (210) 45two-692six or Jenni (979) 22nine-954four or the camp phone number (936) 546-0700. Cell phone service can be difficult to come by in certain parts of the camp, but text messages will come through as we move around throughout the day. Feel free to text anytime. We will also try to to check email each day.
If you have any questions or if there is anything we need to be aware of relating to your son/daughter, feel free to call or e-mail. Email can be sent to monty@amchurch.net, jenni@amchurch.net, or dyan@amchurch.net.
Please keep Mega Days in your prayers over the next week as we finish preparations and then as we head to camp. We're looking forward to a great week!
