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As a young family, Bill and Betty Wilson never dreamed their love of camping would lead them to a retirement ministry years down the road.

“We always enjoyed camping with friends and family, but as our children got older, we got away from it,” Bill Wilson said.

“Friends who went camping with us when our children were younger told us about the Campers on Mission program through the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and the N.C. Baptist program,” Bill Wilson said. “We hadn’t camped in so long, we were not sure we would still enjoy it.”

The Wilsons, soon to be in their 70s, ran The Vacuum Center in Greensboro for more than 40 years.

When they retired, their son became the owner of the shop.

Their volunteer ministry is like a second career for the Wilsons.

“We retired in 2005 and went on our first trip in 2006,” Bill Wilson said. “We were driving a 2003 motor home. We pulled into the State Fairgrounds for our first camping experience in years and camped at Ephesus Baptist Church nearby to begin our first ministry as members of Campers on Mission.”

The night before the State Fair starts, the ministry and the Raleigh Baptist Association always put on a big barbecue, he said. It’s usually attended by 200 to 350 people.

“Our primary goal was to serve the fair workers,” he said. “Many of the workers came to set up for the fair. They might not get paid until the fair ended.”

For months, the Raleigh Baptist Association has been preparing hygiene bags to give out at the fair. Donations come from many local businesses and people.

“This is our first opportunity to meet many of the workers, and we want to minister to their physical needs, as well as their spiritual needs,” Bill Wilson said. “We want them to know we are there to help, to pray and to feed them.”

Every day, one woman prepares a continental breakfast in her camper. She starts serving at 7 a.m., then serves soup at 11 a.m.
“She does all the cooking but has other people come in and open cans and help in other ways,” Bill Wilson said. “Her camper is 26 feet long, so there isn’t room for anyone but herself.”

The first year the Wilsons helped, the group served more than 9,000 bowls of soup during the fair.

“By soup, we mean chicken and dumplings, chili, something that sticks to the bones, including crackers and breads,” Bill Wilson said.

“The soup program started over 21 years ago with one bowl of soup and one man cold and sitting in the rain,” Betty Wilson said. “This is the third year we have been in charge, and the program keeps growing.”

One fall, it turned cold.

“We were very fortunate that some individuals had donated coats, blankets and heavy jackets for us to take with us,” Betty Wilson said. “God provided.

“Some of the fair workers have trucks and sleep in the open beds of the truck. If they eat at the fairground concessions, they get no discounts.”

The Wilsons also minister to fair visitors.

“We do blood pressure checks and give out salvation bracelets that explain the salvation story in the Bible,” Betty Wilson said.

“During the time the fair is open, we have 40 groups of performers who witness through their talents. ”

Every Sunday, Campers on Mission conducts two church services at the Ephesus Baptist Church, which is more than 150 years old.

“The old pump organ is still in the church,” Betty Wilson said.

“On Sunday, we tell the history of the church in costume,” Bill Wilson said. “We have seen lives being redirected and first-time decisions being made for the Lord. We are blessed with people who are very gifted in opening conversations and sharing their faith.”

Bill Wilson said his love of missions developed more deeply in the 1970s and ’80s when they joined Westover Church in Greensboro. He was on the Missions Committee.

His grandparents also were missionaries for 40 years. All these things helped develop his love for missions.

Betty Wilson said, “My mother had the gift of hospitality, and we always had pastors and guests in our home.”

The Wilsons have also worked at Cale Conference Center in Hertford County. Many times, the Wilsons have gone there in the spring and summer to help with maintenance work. The center has only a few full-time workers, so extra help is needed.

The most recent project with which the campers’ ministry has helped was food distribution at Mills Home in Thomasville. This was the fourth year they have helped.

Volunteer work is also done at Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly near Asheville.

Occasionally, the campers’ ministry works out of state. Sometimes the Wilsons help with a ministry at the Blount Island Marine Terminal in Jacksonville, Fla.

This is a ministry to people from all over the world who come into the port at Jacksonville, where the men are working on ships and aren’t permitted to disembark. They may need help with telephone calls or credit problems. Sometimes, they just need someone to talk with or help with errands.

Another area out of the state is the Blue Springs Conference Center in the Florida Panhandle. When the Wilsons go there, they help with housekeeping and maintenance.

“Sometimes, I look up, and I am amazed at the beauty of the places God has taken us,” Bill Wilson said.

“There are so many people on the front line. We have the joy of working behind the scenes and being part of a bigger picture.”
Bill Wilson said their family — a son, a daughter and four grandchildren — is very supportive.

“We feel that we are tools in the Lord’s hands,” he said. “Sometimes we can’t believe we are doing this. It is exciting to see God at work.”

Sometimes the hours are long and the physical labor is, too, Betty Wilson said. Philippians 4:19 has served as their guide: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

North Carolina Campers on Mission have the motto “On mission as we go.”

It started out as a family ministry and has blossomed into a huge ministry in which you can be involved as little or as much as you want.

For more information about the ministry, visit the website at www.bscnc.org.

If you have news of High Point people or events, contact mjohnson2@triad.rr.com