We are happy to announce that PASSPORTchoices will be at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC for the summer! It’s a beautiful college campus about an hour and a half from Charlotte where PASSPORTchoices was held in 2014.
If you have been paying attention to PASSPORT’s summer updates, you know that we had fully planned on returning to Queens University for PASSPORTchoices in 2015. However, we were informed just this month that the campus would be under major renovations next summer, which meant an immediate search for a new location.
I am not going to sugarcoat it; we were nervous. We work hard to find the right locations and we begin that process at least 18 months ahead of time. So we were not wild about revisiting alternative campuses this late in the game.
When we vet potential locations, we are most concerned with whether the facilities are conducive to our programs and if the location cost makes financial sense for PASSPORT and our churches. Over the past twenty years, PASSPORT has watched campus costs significantly increase and we have struggled to find ways to avoid passing along those expanding costs to our churches. Many don’t realize that 45-60% of your 2014/ 2015 camp costs goes straight to pay our location fees.
The weight of finding a new location was heavy. As an office, we gathered the team for prayer, and then got busy. Our team contacted well over 20 Colleges and Universities searching for just the right balance of facilities, campus size, common mission, and at this late stage – availability. It wasn’t easy. There were some stressful days. But through it all, Colleen and I had a confidence that we would find the right location.
We serve a faithful God. We found it – that right location: Greensboro College. Listen to part of their mission statement: Greensboro College… is an academic and social community that unites the liberal arts and Judeo-Christian values in an atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect. Yep, I like that. Their mission is a nice fit for PASSPORTchoices – from Common Threads, which celebrates diversity to Soul Food, which teaches the spiritual gift of hospitality.
I went to Greensboro to visit and work toward a contract. I walked the campus for two days meeting a diverse group of students, faculty and staff along the way. I felt welcomed at every stop. My host hugged and high-fived the football players as we walked – they had a big win right before I arrived. I ate a great breakfast in the cafeteria – one of those with so many options it was hard to decide! I left with a growing excitement as I pictured PASSPORT churches showing up in vans, being welcomed by both our staff and the Greensboro College staff… God is good.
We have had phone calls with many of you and your response has been so encouraging and gracious. Thank you for your flexibility in this unexpected change. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, as some of you will have to travel a bit further. But the extra drive will be worth it as we impact the Greensboro community through ministry, mission, and mutual respect.
Below are some of the amenities of Greensboro and you can see more pictures and more information on all of our youth locations here: https://passportcamps.org/youth-location-details
+ Campus dorm lodging with a mix of suite style rooms sharing a bathroom and some rooms with a generous hall bath
+ Full access to the swimming pool
+ Open green space with shade trees and comfortable swings
+ Sand volleyball court
+ Basketball courts
+ Campus security
+ Coin-operated laundry
*Please note that these rooms do not have microwaves or refrigerators
—————–
David Burroughs
David Burroughs is the president & founder of of Passport, Inc.