Background Check Policy
The ACC requires that each church perform background checks on all participants 18 years of age or older attending with their group. ACC honors background checks for 18 months from the date of the check. ALL ADULTS ATTENDING ACC MUST HAVE BEEN BACKGROUND CHECKED BY THEIR CHURCH. IF ANY ADULT COMES TO ACC WITHOUT HAVING BEEN BACKGROUND CHECKED BY THEIR CHURCH, THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN AT CAMP. AS YOU KNOW, THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF OUR CHILDREN IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
For more information on ACC's background checks requirement, click here.
Sponsors
A sponsor is a high school graduate, or older, who has come with his/her church to serve as a guide, chaperone, mentor, etc. There should be at least one sponsor for every 10 children, being sure there are adequate sponsors for both girls and boys. The duties of a sponsor include:
Read and be familiar with all camp guidelines, rules, and schedules.
Inform children (at cabin meeting) of these rules and schedules.
Help children be on time for scheduled events.
Sit with children during worship services and help them to focus. Eternal matters are at stake.
Accompany children to and from all venues to assure their safety.
Ushers
At registration, each church group is asked to provide at least one usher for the week. Ushers are responsible for taking the offering. Details will be given following registration.
MissionFest Volunteers
MissionFest is conducted on the third day of camp from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We need volunteers who will sign-up at registration to assist missionaries with their interactive displays and items to be given away. The MissionFest is located at the Mathena Event Center.
Ministry Safe Training from Oklahoma Baptists
Optional for 2024; but may be required in the future. Adults coming to ACC can take MinistrySafe training at no charge through Oklahoma Baptists. There are two training courses available:
Sexual Abuse Awareness
Peer-to-Peer Abuse Awareness
The video courses are taken online at your convenience. To receive a link to watch one or both courses, please contact Andrea Kelley at akelley@oklahomabaptists.org. Please let her know your name, email address, the name of your church, which session of ACC you will be attending and which course(s) you would like to take.
Associational Children’s Camp Decision Service Guide
Life changing spiritual decisions are the main reason for Associational Children’s Camp. A team effort is necessary to provide the best possible assistance to all who respond to the invitations at ACC. The Camp Pastor will deliver a clear message of God’s invitation and volunteers will serve as Encouragers and Pastor Advisors. There will be no invitation at the first worship service of each camp.
Training for Encouragers and Pastor Advisors will be provided immediately following the first worship service of camp. Each child who responds to an invitation and completes decision counseling should be greeted by a sponsor from their cabin to escort them safely and rejoice with them in their life changing spiritual decision.
Encouragers
Encouragers may be responsible adults from any cabin. Each church is asked to provide at least one Encourager. Personal Commitment Guides will be provided for use by the Encouragers with each child responding to the invitation. It is vital that Encouragers fill in all information on the tear off portion of the Personal Commitment Guide. This information will be returned to the church for continued follow-up with the child.
Encouragers have responsibility for helping the child come to a clear understanding of the nature of his or her decision. This is accomplished by listening to the child, sharing Scripture, offering needed explanations, and prayer. If unforeseen issues arise requiring more than simple guidance in completing a spiritual commitment, please take the child to a Pastor Advisor for more in-depth assistance.
When the child has prayed and expressed their personal commitment the Encourager will mark the decision and tear off the portion of the Personal Commitment Guide containing the child’s information. Give the Personal Commitment Guide to the child and take the child along with the personal information to a Pastor Advisor. Hand the tear off portion to the Pastor Advisor and introduce the child. Remain with the child, but allow the child to interact directly with the Pastor Advisor.
Following their discussion with the Pastor Advisor, help the child locate someone from their cabin so they can return safely to their church cabin.
Pastor Advisors
Pastor Advisors may be a Pastor, Staff Member or a spiritually mature adult from any cabin. Pastor Advisors will make their way to the front of the Tabernacle as children are responding to the Invitation. Pastor Advisors will assist children in following the directions given from the platform as they move to the counseling areas. Pastor Advisors assist in pairing up children with an Encourager. Pastor Advisors need to be alert to needs of both children and Encouragers throughout the counseling time. Encouragers will bring the child to a Pastor Advisor when they have completed their decision counseling or when the Encourager needs assistance with a more complicated issue.
When there is special situation the Pastor Advisor may need to take over talking with the boy or girl about their individual difficulty. When the Encourager has been able to assist the child with a spiritual decision the Pastor Advisor will ask the child to express in their own words the decisions they have just made. Pastor Advisors will encourage and pray with the children. This is a time to rejoice with the child about a life changing spiritual decision and provide them with some “next steps” i.e. tell an adult in their cabin, baptism, daily devotion time and prayer.
Pastor Advisor will also be responsible for double-checking the written information. It is essential that the child’s name, name of the church, and the cabin number all be clearly indicated on the tear off portion. These tear off portions will be returned to each church so every child can have appropriate follow up from their own church sponsors and Pastor.