K.R.

My daughter attended Jumpstart 2011 alongside other homeschooled teenagers and I cannot express how wonderful it was for her. She had the best and most valued time she has ever experienced away from home. Take all these testimonials above, multiply it and believe it. Their feedback has had to be edited for the sheer size of their positive testimonies to the value and impact of Jumpstart and its teachers. I highly recommend you give your Christian teenagers the gift of attending jumpstart. Jessica is definitely going again in 2012!

Both of my kids came home having grown in their faith further.

Thank you so much for organising this camp! My sister and I had an amazing time! There was a perfect balance of fellowship and learning. The only thing that could be improved about it would be if it was longer!

Hi Mr. Epp,
Thank you so much for running Jumpstart again this year.  I had such a wonderful week.  I really loved all the classes and found them fascinating.  In your session ‘The Devotional Life’ I was really interested in the plan you had for reading your Bible every day as I had recently been losing my enjoyment of reading the Bible and so I tried your idea and I find it is really working for me.  Thank you so much.

I don’t have any recommendations for you, as I loved every minute of it and I am looking forward to Jumpstart 2016!!!!

Thanks for a great week and may God bless you as you continue doing His work.

Next week my son Jake will attend his third Jumpstart in Hamilton.  He loves these camps because they don’t simply have activities and a speaker, but they get you involved in Bible study too.  It’s Fun, inspiring, and challenging!!!

Jumpstart is a program that offers five fun-filled days of intensive Bible teaching for homeschoolers. The program’s motto, “God’s Word + Mandatory Fun” perfectly captures the balance between learning and recreation that Dale has perfected.

It is impressive to see how willing and eager the kids are to listen to in-depth Bible teaching. They are not only engaging, but they also ask inquiring and insightful questions that are indicative of their hunger to learn the Word. This is a testament to the amazing job their parents are doing with their homeschooling.

As someone who was part of Jumpstart in November 2023, I can attest to the program’s effectiveness in developing an ever-increasing love for God’s Word in young people. The kids’ interaction with each other was a joy to observe. They have something in common that binds them together: not only are they all homeschooled, but they are also followers of Messiah Jesus. These commonalities must be nurtured and developed, and this is exactly what Jumpstart does.

The leadership team equally impressed me. Dale has put together a bunch of amazing young people who gave 100% all the time to make this experience the best.

Ariel Ministries New Zealand is all about disciple-making through intensive Bible teaching, and therefore we highly endorse Jumpstart.

Johan Jansen van Vuuren
Director, Ariel Ministries New Zealand

Jumpstart has been the most impactful and most meaningful camp my 2 eldest sons have been to. While they have attended other Christian camps, both of my boys have said Jumpstart has hands down been the one camp that has both challenged and deepened their faith. Resulting in them walking stronger and differently with the Lord. The intentionality and care of the leaders, the small group discussions, and friendships they have fostered have been a blessing to my children.  If you send your teen to any camp - make it Jumpstart.

My son and I had a wonderful car ride home together this afternoon, where he told me all about the amazing Jumpstart camp!  We are so thankful to God for your faithful service to Him in putting together this camp, and for the leaders who were such great models of young men and women who love Jesus.  He said his highlights were the new friends he made, and the talks and discussion groups, which he said were really thought provoking.

I got say that jumpstart was a fundamental part of my Christian walk as a teen and I'm so glad it's still being run.

JumpStart gives an opportunity for young people to ground their faith in the Word of God and at the same time be taught how to live it out in a confused and sometimes hostile world. It focuses on the sufficiency of Christ for all that life will bring now as well as the wonderful assurance of life with God for eternity. I would highly recommend JumpStart to any young person who wants to take their faith seriously. The camp is well led, provides sound, faithful teaching in a fun environment.

Peter Thomas
Capernwray Australia

Thank you for jumpstart. It's a blessing to my family, and I pray it continues a long time into the future.

I can't really write in words how Jumpstart impacted me. It was really a combination of everything. The amazing teachings, the people there, The Crossing itself and the absolute fun with games and activities we had. It made me see that there ARE other people out there who have a desire to learn more about our Creator but also to have a lot fun doing it! Everyone was kind, enthusiastic, funny and open. It was wonderful to see that all had a real desire to learn. The games were a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves and had an absolute blast. The Staff gave their absolute all! The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was only 5 days!

I wish something like Jumpstart had been available when I was a teenager. In just one week, campers can gain a solid foundation in both the written and living Word of God—enough to give them a truthful framework for navigating life. They also benefit from meaningful shared experiences with their “tribe,” forming positive relationships that can last a lifetime. I highly recommend Jumpstart camps for homeschoolers.

I found jumpstart to be very helpful in bringing the word of God alive. And the way Dale and Kris and Doug taught us also helped me understand what they were talking about. I realised that I did not read the word as often as I should to have a proper friendship with Christ. Jumpstart is awesome and I think it is worth the time.

It can be difficult for seriously-minded Christian home schooling students to find friends of their own age with whom they are able to easily relate, which often causes them to seek the more mature company of adults. However, the consistent feedback we have had from HSZN students attending Jumpstart camps is how much they have appreciated not just the first class worldview teaching, but also the opportunity to meet and form lasting friendships with quality young people of their own age. This is a worthwhile programme which we highly recommend.

Todd Roughton,
Director of HSNZ

All the parents I know who sent their children previously have been so impressed with the venue, teaching, atmosphere and value for money and have booked them in for next year. They seem to have the right balance of clean loopy fun and deep thought-provoking, faith-stretching teaching and discussion. I am hoping that all my children will be able to go at least twice to deepen their faith, make great friends, both with other homeschoolers and also the wonderful students and teachers at The Crossing, and to experience the fun and great teaching that is Jumpstart. My 2 older children are both keen to go again and again.

It was really awesome! The study is pretty intense, but there was a good mix of sport and other activities to break it up.. Yes, I do highly recommend it! :)

The Crossing is a great place to learn and have fun. The talent show and night games were very fun. I enjoyed the deep understanding of God that the teachers and small group leaders had which was ever present. I am definitely keen to go again.

My daughter had an absolutely fabulous time. She made some wonderful friends whom she hopes to keep in contact with. She really enjoyed the way in which the camp was run - it wasn’t too stressful like others she had been on, and she was really encouraged in her faith. She also says it was worth taking the week off school for, as she was reluctant to do so initially. It’s a shame you couldn’t run two a year or something similar.

After years of hearing about JumpStart through close associates, I finally had the opportunity of meeting Dale Epp and participating in JumpStart as a speaker. It was such an exceptional time of great fellowship and connecting with the heart of God PLUS "mandatory fun!". It was great to see kids excited about their relationship with God and taking a serious look at the scriptures. I also loved the natural tendency of all the leaders and campers to include everyone in! The content, context and community of the whole camp were excellent!

Sincerely, Michael Thomas
Celebrate Messiah New Zealand