This summer, Grace Community Church of Willow Street, 212 Peach Bottom Road, will host its annual musical theater camp for students who are in first to eighth grades. The four-day camp will be held from Monday, July 22, to Friday, July 26, and each day of the program will take place from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Registration is currently available online and will remain open until Friday, May 31; registrants are encouraged to sign up early, as all spaces are typically filled by the end of March. To register, visit https://gccws.net/outpourkids.

Each day of the summer camp will include music rehearsal, drama coaching, outdoor games, snacks, craft activities and a devotional. The theme of the daily activities will revolve around the "God Squad," a fictional group of characters that abides by Scriptural teachings. The God Squad will attempt to impart Christian values to students under the influence of the "ME Dominion," an opposing faction that promotes individualism and self-fulfillment. The program will culminate with a performance on July 26 at 7 p.m.

"Throughout the musical, the kids will examine what happens in a social media-obsessed culture and ways to overcome that," said Katie Weiand, who serves as the director of Grace Community Church's youth ministry Outpour Kids. "Children today are faced with so much anxiety, but the armor of God can ward off things that can hurt a child's heart."

Outpour Kids held its first musical theater camp in 2021, and the program has been held every year since. More than 100 kids participated in the camp last year, and the 2024 production will include various roles, from lead parts to background characters.

In addition to the musical theater camp, Outpour Kids offers a worship choir program for students between kindergarten and eighth grade. The eight-week program is held in January and October every year, and it concludes with a worship concert led by its participants. The current winter choir comprises members from more than 30 churches located throughout Lancaster County.

"Our goal is to use the arts to connect with families in the community while promoting the discovery of Jesus," Weiand said. "Our hope is that these kids take what they learned back to their churches as future worship leaders."