Bishop Greg Brewer, center, blesses the new altar at Camp Wingmann.

With the sun beaming down on Camp Wingmann, spiritual leaders this summer appropriately talked about Jesus’ teachings of dark versus light, and how He is the light of the world.

A total of 306 children in third through 12th grades participated in six one-week sessions at the youth outpost in Avon Park, learning about how Jesus shines on all of us. Sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, Camp Wingmann summer camps have been held for more than 60 years.

“The summer went great,” said Camp Wingmann director, the Rev. Deke Miller.

Children from around the state of Florida, but mostly from the Diocese of Central Florida, participated in this year’s camp. This year’s theme was Disney movie characters, and the Bible verse theme was John 8:12: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Youths participate in archery at one of the Camp Wingmann summer camp sessions.

All campers received ample instruction. “We had a great staff of 30 counselors and a number of priests volunteered as chaplains,” Miller said. “We also had six different program leaders who led an hour of program each day at each camp.”

Camp Wingmann leaders also took evaluations, which Miller is still going through. “One child said that Camp Wingmann was a place of security for him,” Miller said.

A highlight of the camp was the arrival of Bishop Greg Brewer of the Diocese of Central Florida during one of the sessions. Brewer blessed the new altar, Miller said.

This year’s summer camp was broken into six sessions: Camp St. Mark, June 11-16; Camp St. Barnabas, June 18-23; Camp Trinity, June 25-30; Camp St. Peter, July 9-14; Camp St. Francis, July 16-21; and Camp St. Mary, July 23-28.

Camp Wingmann leaders are hoping to hold many more youth-oriented events at the camp’s scenic outpost, but need the public’s help.

Staff and campers enjoy a dance in one of the Camp Wingmann summer camp sessions.

Miller announced that the Camp Wingmann inaugural 5K run will be held Saturday, October 14, on property at 3404 Wingmann Road in Avon Park. The event serves as a fundraiser for Camp Wingmann.

Packet pickup and registration starts at 6:30 a.m., with late registration ending at 7:15 a.m. The race will start promptly at 7:30 a.m.

Runners will run throughout the Camp Wingmann and River Greens golf course properties. Prizes will be presented to runners in various categories during an awards ceremony immediately following the race.

Participating age groups will be 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80 and up. Male and female awards will be presented to the top three overall, Masters’ winners (40 and up), first team, and the top three finishers in all age groups.

Cost is $30 per runner ($18 for kids under 13) through Sept. 15. Late registration fee is $35 per runner, with sign-up closing at 11:59 a.m., Oct. 12. Registration can be done at: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/AvonPark/5kRunthroughRiverGreensforCampWingmann on the internet. All runners receive a T-shirt and race goodie bag, door prizes, and food and drinks. Event organizers also are offering a sleep-in-at-home special for $30 in which a T-shirt will be sent after the race to those who select this option.

The sun rises on the cross at Camp Wingmann.

“First, thank you to all the churches who sent campers our way this past summer,” Miller said in an email. “We had a great time with them! Also, thank you to all who have supported us financially and prayerfully over this past year. We cannot do all that we do without your financial support and prayers!

“With that in mind, as you know, we survive off tuition costs of our events, but to keep those low, we depend largely on the donations and fundraisers,” Miller added. “We are excited to announce a brand-new camp fundraiser – a 5K run!”

Please contact Martha Baird at MBaird2296@aol.com or Miller at dmiller139@gmail.com for more information.