History
Group Workcamps® began in response to an incredible need...
In the early 1970s Thom Schultz was wearing plaid bellbottoms. He was also a real youth leader with a real challenge: can we be better at helping teenagers experience a genuine, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ?
Thom saw a need—a gaping, yawning, scratch-your-head need. So in 1974 he took a typewriter, a spare room, and five hundred bucks, and dived into exploring new ways to help people experience God’s love.
He started GROUP Magazine—a daring, grassroots newsprint publication loaded with fresh ideas for youth leaders.
And, GROUP Magazine was the launching pad for Group Workcamps, which was started in 1977. In July of 1976, more than 12 inches of rain fell in three hours near Estes Park, CO. The Big Thompson River threaded through a narrow canyon down to Loveland. First the river overflowed…then flooded…and ultimately turned into a raging wall of water.
Hundreds of houses were destroyed…miles of roads washed away in the blink of an eye…and more than 140 people killed as water tore through the canyon without warning. It was the worst natural disaster in Colorado history!
In response, the following summer the staff of GROUP Magazine asked church youth groups from across the country to come to Colorado and help rebuild the homes (and lives) of those who had suffered in the flood. Over 300 youth and their adult leaders responded, working on over 50 projects.
Homes were repaired, but more importantly the staff noticed a dramatic change in the hearts of those who served. Through the challenge of helping others in need, the Christian faith of teenagers and adults was ignited.
Out of this tragedy, God created a mission program that has provided more than 6 million volunteer hours, serving hundreds of thousands of people in need. And along the way nearly a quarter million mission trip participants have gained a new understanding and deeper faith in Jesus.
In 1991, the Group Workcamps Foundation, a nonprofit 501( c)(3) organization, was founded. Today, Group Workcamps organizes hundreds of short-term mission trips in the United States and abroad…offering mission trips focused on home repair and community service. And we still bring to every mission trip the passion that prompted us to launch the first Group Workcamp so many years ago.
The mission opportunities continue to grow, but the focus never changes…serving churches by helping people from all Christian denominations grow closer to God, while serving others.
