Jackson Standafer is the current Pastor of Student Ministries at First Baptist Church of Long Prairie, MN. Jackson and his wife, Kelsey have three sons: Daniel, MacGregor, and Louis. They also have an orange cat named Rupert. Jackson and his family have a long history with Camp Lebanon. His parents, Greg and Jill Standafer, worked on Summer Staff in the year of 1991, came back as year-round staff from 1993-1997. In August of 2023, took over the position of Director of Operations for Camp Lebanon. Jackson grew up attending family camps with his dad as the speaker. He started working on Summer Staff in 2017 as the Worship leader. His older sister, Alia Tysdal, also worked on Summer Staff as a counselor in 2014, and his younger sister, Jennica, is the currently on Summer Staff as a photographer and multi-media personnel.
Jackson is our very first speaker for Summer 2024. He is an alumni staff member and return speaker. We got the opportunity to sit down with him and ask some questions about his message for the week, what Camp Lebanon means to him, and what God is currently doing in his life.
What is the message you are presenting this week?
“This week, we are unpacking John 10 to understand what it means to have Jesus as our Good Shepherd. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus has rescued us from our sin adopted us into His flock and now, we get to live under the care, protection, and leadership of Christ.”
What place does Camp hold in your life?
“I grew up visiting Camp Lebanon–family camps were my favorite! I started working here in 2017 as the summer worship and then took over the position of assistant director of youth ministries through the year of 2018. I associate Camp with many special family moments. I met my wife at Camp Lebanon while working on Summer Staff together. My wife, Kelsey, gave her life to the Lord at a youth camp in 2001. We found out years later my dad was the speaker that same week! Now I am blessed with the opportunity to return to Camp as a speaker and continue to share the gospel with campers.”
*Check out this link for an article on Kelsey’s story; See pages 8-9.
What is your favorite Bible verse or passage?
“Of many, one that comes to mind is Ephesians 3:14-21. The passage describes Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. In my life currently, I feel a deep connection to these verses. I recite this prayer over the other believers in my life: my wife and family, my church, the Camp staff, and for myself.”
What is God presently calling you to pursue?
“My life’s call is to be a fully committed disciple of Jesus; a Christ-like husband and father; a faithful pastor to the community which God has called me to.”
What is your favorite Camp memory?
“I remember being Camp at a very young age, maybe around 3 or 4 years old. My dad was the speaker and our family stayed in a lodge room together. One night before bed, my mom brought my sister and I hot chocolate. Whenever I think about Camp, I remember how much joy I felt in that moment.
Another one that sticks out was during Summer Staff Training of 2018. The male staff played Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge on the North 40 as apart of a bonding exercise. It was an epic battle.”
Thank you Jackson for being our 2024 Super Kids 1 speaker and letting us get to know more about you! Check out the link below for more photos from the week.
PHOTO GALLERY
Enjoy photos from Super Kids 1 at the link below! Perfect to download, share, and print!
