Friday, September 19, 2025

Junior high schoolers, plus the outdoors, plus the love of Jesus: these elements combine (shall we say... fuse?) to create Fusion camp every summer. Have you ever wondered how it started? Keep reading to hear from Luke Shortridge, the Perrysburg Campus Pastor, as he remembers the first Fusion camp 21 years ago.

“The year was 2004,” Luke recalls, “and I was CedarCreek’s Jr. High Pastor at 22 years old. The ministry was growing, and we had young, dynamic leadership always looking for new ways to reach students with the gospel. Someone pitched the idea of taking kids to camp for a week, and we started researching camps nearby.”

Luke called Camp Michindoh in Hillsdale, Michigan, where he’d camped as a high school senior. He was disappointed to learn that the camp was booked several years out. Luke checked other camps, but nothing felt right. It seemed the dream was on the back burner, but God had other ideas.

“Out of nowhere, Camp Michindoh called us back! A group had cancelled at the last minute, and they had an opening in a few short months. But to hold the spot, we’d need to send a deposit check for $10,000!”

Luke’s bosses completely backed the idea. It was a huge risk, but even 20 years ago, CedarCreek was committed to taking crazy risks to reach people with the gospel of Jesus. They sent the check, then Luke and his team began recruiting students and leaders.

“We chose the name ‘Fusion’ for camp because Jr. High is the fusion of adulthood and childhood. It’s a high energy, volatile time in a young person’s life. And the first year’s theme was ‘Reaction.’ Looking back, the nuclear theme was indeed a little cheesy! But we used it to help students consider this: Life is throwing a lot at you right now, so what will be your reaction? We wanted them to develop a relationship with God that wouldn’t let them stay the same, one that would prepare them for whatever challenges faced them back home.”

Since that first summer, Fusion has impacted more students than Luke could’ve imagined. “Fusion went from 70 Jr. High students that first year, which seemed impossibly large, to 425 this past summer!” And ever since God provided that surprise phone call, Fusion camp has always returned to Camp Michindoh.

Even though the numbers have certainly changed, Luke shares that Fusion camp’s mission has always been the same. “Getting students out of their normal lives, away from technology and distraction, lets them build lifelong friendships and hear from God in a fresh, new way. They ask deep, meaningful questions about life, God, and identity. We spend hundreds of hours planning each year so that students will enter a relationship with Jesus and have their lives changed eternally as a result! We've seen this powerful process over and over again!”

For Luke, Fusion camp was a chance to impact the next generation in the same way that others impacted him. “God used CedarCreek to change my life when I was a teenager. And I was honored to have an important spiritual role in the lives of dozens of students when I was Jr. High Pastor. Today, I pray that God continues to change the lives of students at our church for many years to come!”

We hope Luke’s story inspires you to consider the same question Fusion’s first 70 students did: When life throws things your way, what is your reaction? How can you, like Luke, make an eternal impact on the next generation?