NHS grad 'called to ministry'

NORWALK — A Norwalk High School graduate is going into campus ministry.Katie Camp, of Collins, graduated last year from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor of science in psychology. The 2015 Norwalk High School alumna's minor was in human development and family studies.Her education will come in handy as a campus missionary at BGSU through H2O, a non-denominational church."My title will be campus missionary, so I will be doing a lot of discipling and outreach," said Camp, who believes being a BGSU graduate will be an advantage with her H20 staff position. "I know the culture there; I've been immersed in it. People know me there."She will be on the H2O women leadership team. Camp said she hopes to address "the baggage they bring to college.""I want to meet myself when I was 18," she added."My salary is completely based on donations," said Camp, whose evangelical work will be based on relationships and being genuine with students. "I'm looking for monthly investors to invest in my ministry."For more information, go to reliant.org/katie.camp. "I felt called to ministry my entire college career," Camp said. "I really had plans for grad school and (had) counseling in my heart."An H2O mission trip to Panama City, Fla. helped give her evidence of her calling. The participants gave free van rides to other college students and initiated conversations about their faith. "That was when I felt the Lord say to me, 'Katie, you need to do this,'" Camp said with a chuckle. "I have the gift of evangelism. I love sharing about my story, where I come from (and) my walk with Christ."H2O events at BGSU have included offering free pancakes, snow cones and water bottles. The key to genuine evangelism is being "super relational," she said. "It starts with friendship, I think."Camp said many people can find approaching someone else "really intimidating, which stops people from sharing the word of God and the Gospel." While she's an introvert, she describes herself as "quite sociable" and outgoing."I like talking to strangers; I like starting conversations," said Camp, who enjoys talking about meaningful subjects.As a BGSU student, Camp attended leadership training during a summer in the Rocky Mountains. She lived at the YMCA and worked as a housekeeper. "I discovered my gift of evangelism there because a friend of mine there pushed me to go on an evangelism trip to another university," said Camp, who admitted to "shaking in my boots" at the idea of initiating conversations.She initially expected to mostly observe, but her friend pushed her to talk to students. Camp said her very first experience with a young girl named Winnie, who was open to talking about her faith, changed her mind. "That energized me. I want to do it again; I want to tell everybody. I want to speak; I want to do public speaking," she added. Camp was asked what are the major issues that college students are facing."I think college students are definitely in an identity crisis. They can be anything that they want to be (and) do anything they want to do — and they don't have Mom and Dad breathing down their throats anymore," she said.Also, Camp said she has experienced many students who are facing peer pressure, mental health issues, are suicidal and are struggling to connect with others when being "dropped into a sea of 20,000" people."College students just want an invitation; they just want to be extended an invitation," the Norwalk native said. "That goes hand in hand with evangelism."Norwalk native Katie Camp, of Collins, is planning on being a campus missionary through H2O Church at Bowling Green State University. She graduated from BGSU in 2019 with a bachelor of science in psychology and a minor in human development and family studies. Camp, a 2015 Norwalk High School graduate, is fundraising to support her ministry. For more information, go to reliant.org/katie.camp.