Family Camp 2023 – Monday, June 26 – Saturday, July 1
Speaker: Dr. Brady Braatz – MNU University Chaplain
Brady serves as the University Chaplain and has been a part of the Spiritual Life Office since 2003. As an alumni of MNU in 2001, he also earned a Masters of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary in 2008, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2017. In addition to overseeing the spiritual formation activities of MNU, you might run into Brady and his wife Kreisa (MNU alumni from 2001) with their three kids at an MNU sporting event or school activity. Brady’s office is in Weatherby Chapel and is never low on coffee or conversation.
Speaker: Dr. Susie Shellenberger –
Susie loves bright colors, the smell of brand-new tennis shoes, burnt hotdogs, sock monkeys and laughing till her sides hurt. She’s fun, creative, and has traveled to every continent in the world—yes, even Antarctica. She’s an OKC Thunder basketball fan and has given the invocation at several of their home games.
Susie grew up in Bethany, Okla., and attended Southern Nazarene University where she served as the first elected female student government president and received a B.A. in Communications with minors in education, English and creative writing. She received her Master’s Degree in creative writing from the University of Central Oklahoma. Susie was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from her alma mater in 2016.
Susie served as a fulltime youth pastor in Conway, Ark., Longmont, Colo., San Antonio, Texas and Bethany, Okla.
After staff ministry, she enjoyed teaching speech, English, drama and creative writing in the public school system.
Her public school experience was interrupted with an invitation to join Focus on the Family who hired her to create a magazine for teen girls. Brio was launched in March of 1990, and Susie served as editor for nearly two decades. During that time, she also launched a spin-off magazine for older girls called Brio & Beyond. She also started a book line for teens girls, began overseas mission trips for guys and girls (which still continues today—see the missions section on this Web site) and produced two mother/daughter cruises.
In 2009, due to economic problems, Focus on the Family discontinued their teen products and dismissed the youth staff. Susie, already an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, entered fulltime evangelism while launching a new magazine for teen girls titled SUSIE Mag. She was against naming it after herself, but the marketing team at the new publisher’s insisted on using her name as a bridge of familiarity for Christian teen girls wondering what happened to Brio. Three years later, she changed the title to SISTERHOOD Magazine (see link for more information).
Susie continued as editor until 2014 and then stepped away from the daily tasks to concentrate more on fulltime speaking and writing. (See schedule if you’re interested in her speaking.)
She has been a guest on the former “Montel Williams Show,” “Fox News” and CNNs HLN (Headline News Network).
Susie was honored by Southern Nazarene University in 2000 with The Centennial Award, and October 6, 2010 Olivet Nazarene University awarded her the Reed Institute Lifetime Achievement Leadership Award.
Kyle McClain is a licensed professional counselor in the St. Louis area. Kyle achieved his bachelor’s in psychology from Mid America Nazarene University and then earned his master’s degree in professional counseling from Lindenwood University. Kyle has worked in mental health since 1991 with areas focused on the geriatric population, severe and persistent mental health as well as psychiatric assessment in the SSM hospital network. Kyle is currently a counselor with Chesterfield Counseling Associates specializing in marriage and family as well as individual counseling. Kyle grew up in the Nazarene Missouri District attending the Lemay Church of the Nazarene through high school and later attended the Webster Groves Church of the Nazarene with his wife Gina and their three children Ian, Duncan, and Natalie. Currently, Kyle is a chaplain in the Faithful Few Motorcycle Ministries and is an active leader in the Joshua House Community Church.
Schedule:
DAILY SCHEDULE
Monday
2:00pm – Room Registration
5:00-6:00pm – Dinner
6:30pm – Meet & Greet Gathering
10::pm – Youth – Amazing Race
Tuesday—Thursday
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Bible Study
9:00am – Noon – Children’s Session/Nursery
10:30am – Morning Service
10:30am- Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday Youth Service
12:00-1:00pm – Lunch
1:00-5:00pm – Free Time Activities
Tuesday Afternoon – Time TBD – Young Adults Coffee Shop Meet
1:30-2:30pm – Women & Girls’ Swim (Pool)
2:30pm Thursday – Watermelon Social
2:30-3:30pm – Open Swim (Pool)
3:30pm-4:30pm – Men & Boys’ Swim (Pool)
5:00-6:00pm – Dinner
6:30pm – Evening Service
10:00pm – Wednesday – Youth Games @ Lakeside
Thursday Evening – Young Adults – TBA
10:00pm – Friday – Youth Pool Party
Friday
6:30am – Run to the Cross 5K
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast
10:00am – Kids’ Bike Parade
10:30-11:30am – Games on Main Street
12:00-1:00pm – Lunch
1:00-4:00pm – Water Games and Kickball
5:00-6:00pm – BBQ Dinner
6:30pm – Evening Service
Saturday
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Bible Study
9:00am—Noon – Children’s Session/Nursery
10:30am – *Morning Service
*Children’s choirs will be singing
12:00-1:00pm – Lunch