At the closing ceremony for Camp Jubilee 2017, an award was presented to honor a special person, Janice Bishop. She had served as the president of Mount Jubilee Ministries for 10 years and continued to serve on the Board of Directors until 2017. In recognition of her service she has been appointed our first Board Member Emeritus.
In 2004 Janice brought a group of her friends together to talk about holding a camp in North Carolina for those with special needs. Her son, Danny, had attended Sunshine Bible Camp in Kentucky and she felt that the Lord would bless an effort to have a camp closer to home.
The next summer, 5 campers, 2 kitchen staff, and 4 counselors (2 of whom did double-duty as Bible teachers) held the first Camp Jubilee in Hickory, NC.
A few months later with the help of a do-it-yourself book about creating a non-profit, Janice and I submitted an application to create the nonprofit, Mount Jubilee Ministries (MJM) and later the paperwork to become an official 501(c) (3) organization.
The following years were filled with many days and nights of planning and holding Camp Jubilee, directing Touch Point seminars, and speaking at churches and meetings to raise awareness of our services and vision.
So many people who are still affiliated with MJM became involved because of Janice. Her love for our “campers” influenced many people to serve alongside her. And, anyone who knew Danny for long would learn about Camp Jubilee! He has been a great spokesman for Camp and has attended every year.
Janice’s vision for this ministry, even from the very first meeting, was to expand services to include educational, vocational and residential opportunities in a Christ-honoring setting. We continue to seek the Lord’s will in pressing toward that goal.
And now she has begun a new adventure. Janice and Danny recently moved to Bemidji, MN to be with her son, Paul and family as they serve the Lord in a teen ministry there. We are so thankful to have had her years of leadership and know that she will be an inspiration to those who now have the honor to serve alongside her and Danny.
By Ellen Makaravage