“I went from being skeptical of camp ministry to completely sold out on its impact.”— Tommy Sewell
Tommy Sewell grew up around Word of Life camps and events. His father worked in construction, operations, and logistics, but Tommy imagined a different role for himself: youth ministry in a local church. After Word of Life Bible Institute, he enrolled in a Youth Ministry program with that direction in mind.
Near the end of college, an opportunity he expected to pursue fell through. A mentor invited him back to Word of Life to work in camp ministry. Tommy knew the setting well, but had not yet become convinced it was where he wanted to invest his career.
Working with students changed his view of the place. Camp gave them time away from ordinary distractions and opportunities for sustained conversations about faith. He began to see what staff could accomplish through relationships during that concentrated period.
His responsibilities grew through support, program, and assistant director roles. At twenty-six, he was asked to lead the Island and Snow Camp ministries. The position involved recruiting and developing staff, planning programs, and overseeing work that reached thousands of students.
Tommy pursued graduate study through Anchor while carrying those responsibilities. He used assignments to address work the ministry needed done. One project became a strategic plan for the Island ministry; another became training curriculum for camp counselors.
Those projects gave his research an immediate audience. Decisions about growth and staff preparation mattered to coworkers and students, and the work could be used after the course ended. Education fit into the responsibilities he already had rather than waiting for a later opportunity to apply it.
That connection also shaped his view of young staff and volunteers. Camp gave them opportunities to serve while being mentored and prepared for further responsibility—the same kind of setting in which his own direction had changed.
Since the original conversation, Tommy has moved to lead This is My Story, a nonprofit focused on evangelism and discipleship through storytelling. His account of Word of Life reflects the camp leadership season in which the interview took place.
