For the 13th year, Triumph Church of Vicksburg will host its Music & Arts Camp for kids ages five to 12. This year’s theme is “Out of this World,” and will be held July 10-12 from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The camp, originally created by former Worship Pastor Landy Maughon, has become so popular that admission numbers were recently increased to allow 220 children to enroll. Within one day this year, the camp hit maximum capacity and the church has now started a waiting list.

Chelsea and Bo Whitfield, Worship and Associate Pastors at Triumph Church, lead the yearly camp. Church staff assists them
in planning the event. During the week of camp, many other adult and teen volunteers assist in teaching and helping with the
children’s activities.

Throughout the week, children rotate through stations where they learn about different areas of art, music, dance and singing. They are also provided a free T-shirt and daily snacks.

Upon arriving at camp, each child is assigned to a group, named after a planet, based on their age. They stay assigned to that group throughout the week. Each day starts with a worship and singing service. After that, the children alternate between sessions in dance, art, music, snack and song, traveling with their assigned group. At the end of the day, they participate in a few games and have a short Bible lesson.

“The biggest thing is the kids learning that God created them for a purpose and that they have a talent they can use to bless others,” Chelsea Whitfield said. “That’s where all the music, art and dance comes into play.”

On the last day of camp, the children are treated to a grand finale celebration with a goodie bag, snow cones, and play time on
outdoor bounce toys. Daily recaps of camp activities are posted to social media for parents to view. On the Sunday after camp, during church services, children give a performance to demonstrate some of the things they they’ve learned.

Whitfield stresses that safety is important at camp, and security is provided. All adult volunteers must pass a background check
and go through training before they are allowed to work with children.

There is no cost to attend the camp.

“We want to be a blessing to our community,” Whitfield said. “If we can give it away, we want to do that. That’s what our church is built on. We want to be a blessing to others.”

The church depends on donations from its members and other sponsors to cover the costs of camp. Anyone who would like to help with a donation should contact the church office.

Although all 220 spots are currently filled, Whitfield encourages anyone who is interested in having their child attend the Music & Arts Camp to contact the church to sign up for the waiting list, as it is common for spots to open up. Triumph Church may be contacted at 601-636-5282 or by email at office@tcvicksburg.com.