Cheuk Group Leader...Blake Hemphill

During my 5 years on staff, I had Blake Hemphill in my cabin 3 or 4 times, and we were in the same group several other times. During that time I got to know him pretty well, and I am proud to see the young man that he has become. Blake has been spending the past 2 summers as a group leader, and this year is the Cheuk Group Leader. This is such an important position because so many of the campers that Blake has in his group are first-time campers, and Blake has a big part in impressing the campers with what Camp is all about. He has been doing a great job.

When he was a young camper, maybe 11, Blake told me one day to call him "Steve the Stud." So for the past 10 or 11 years, I have called him some form of Steve or Stud. I imagine when people here me call him this, they become very confused. Here is a picture of Blake from 2003 when he was just a young camper.

I did asked Blake some questions about his thoughts on Camp, and he filled these out during some of his down time at Camp.

What years have you been at Camp?

Pee Wee – ’94-‘97

Camper – ’98-‘06

Staff – ’07-‘10

Why did you come to Camp in the first place?

All my family has been involved at CDR. My Grandpa was on the board of directors when Camp first started.

What is your favorite memory from your time as a camper?

One of my fondest memories was winning the Cheuk Basketball League championship in 1999. To me, this little cabin-activity-turned-Cheuk-free-day-night-activity was a huge deal!! Being able to share that memory with friends that were there that night and are still on staff with me now is an amazing bond.

Who had the biggest impact on you while you were a camper?

Chris Banks has been a big influence in my life since 1997. He was my counselor when I was a Pee Wee, and he was later my Nashamie group leader. He gave me his Indian Feather in 2003, and he has given me much more than that over the years. He showed me the love and care of Christ when I was a camper. Since I have grown up, Christ and I have become friends. He has given me much advice, and we have talked a lot about the mission of Camp Deer Run together.

What made you decide to be on staff?

I have so many memories from my years as a camper, and so many great experiences and friends that I will never forget. I want to be a part of the creating the incredibly fun and spiritual experiences that I had for the kids that still come today.

What do you think makes Camp so important for so many people?

Camp makes everyone the cool kid. Also, just the attention of a college-aged staff member to a young child, showing them that you care, means the world to them. There is an atmosphere of love that transcends differences among kids from all backgrounds and personalities. And most importantly, our emphasis on Bible study at different times throughout the day and focusing on a relationship with God has a huge influence on the lives of many campers.

What is your favorite part of the typical Camp Day?

I think the part of every day that I love the most is the group activity. The things that we all associate with the theme of each day, many of the things we all think of when we think about camp, are the activities done during this time. The Hawaiian slip-n-slide, Killi olympics, capture the flag, Sadie Hawkins Day, and chasing the Indian are all memories from group activity.

Talk about the responsibility of being a Group Leader.

I think the responsibility of a Group Leader goes past taking care of campers. It involves being a director and a servant for a group of 12 or so counselors on top of about 40 kids. One of the most important responsibilities is being a spiritual leader for the group and for the camp. It takes a lot of work, dedication, focus, and discipline, but it also brings a lot of joy to fulfill your duties.

If there is one thing that you hope the campers take away from their time at Camp, what do you want it to be?

I want campers to learn how to live life to the full (John 10:10). Camp demonstrates the fulfillment of that passage perfectly, showing campers that they can have a BLAST being a Christian. I hope that they realize that when they leave the gates at the end of a session, that they don’t just leave having had a great time for a week or two weeks, but that they leave with a message and a mission to tell the world about the story of Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross.

What is your least favorite part of Camp?

A part of the daily schedule of Camp that I always found hard to fill with fun was cabin activity. It gets difficult to come up with something different to do every day for an hour and a half and have everyone enjoy the time without getting bored.

What is your proudest accomplishment from your time at Camp?

I think one of the memories that sticks out in my mind the most is winning Killi Kapers in 2005 with the Men’s 7 Boys Choir, which Ty Ford called one of the greatest Killi Kapers of all time in the Killi News Letter the following school year. With Ty Taylor as our counselor and Drayton Hoffman as our director, we changed the words to some old hymns to sing in our homemade tuxes.

Anything you would like to say to alumni?

I would just encourage the alumni to stay in touch not only with other alumni, but stay in touch and involved with Camp and the current staff. I know that I love to have y’all come back and talk about times that you had. I love sharing the things that are going on and the things that I am learning, and I love hearing about how things were when you were here. And I always enjoy getting advice from you who have been through the Camp experience before me.

You can tell that Blake is a great person to have leading young campers, and a wonderful example for all of the other staff members. He embodies what Camp has been about for over 50 years, and because of his leadership, future staff members will be able to help Camp continue to impact the spiritual development of campers for years to come.

Camp is winding down, only two weeks left. This Sunday is the final Middle Sunday of the summer. If you would like to worship at Camp, then please feel free to head out to Camp. Classes start at 10 world time and worship is at 11. It would be great to see as many people there as possible. Hope to see you there.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky