As a college student, I spent three summers working as a counselor, lifeguard, and waterfront coordinator at Luther Springs, a Lutheran camp in northern Florida and Camp Shalom, a Christian camp in eastern Iowa. I love crafts, singing, canoeing, campfires, and all kinds of camp activities, but the most valuable experiences from these summers were the glimpses at what intentional Christian community can look like, along with lasting friendships with fellow staff members and further discernment of my call to ministry.
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| One of my campers at Luther Springs on an offsite river canoe trip in 2008. |
One of the amazing things about camp is how safe it feels to be yourself. Surrounded by supportive and loving staff members, you're in good company when you're singing loudly, acting silly, asking questions, learning about God's wonderful creation, and trying new things. In a setting that often seems to exist outside the usual constraints and rules of daily life, there is great freedom and support to be fully who we are. It was always amazing to watch a cabin full of kids begin the week as strangers who probably wouldn't sit with each other at the school lunch table and end the week as best friends, tearful that they were leaving this special place and these special people.
Of course, camp isn't perfect. There are still cliques, hurt feelings, unmet expectations, and exclusion. It's not a place immune from the sin and brokenness of the world. But it is a place where staff and campers alike experience the love of God, practice forgiveness, and learn and grow together.
As a pastor, I'm grateful that I got plugged in with the Remnant Confirmation Camp group my very first summer at Trinity. It's always been a great time to flex my creativity, collaborate with colleagues, and get to know our Confirmation students more deeply, as we played, sang, and learned together.
Needless to say, I'm missing camp this year. Most years, the month of June is busy with Synod Assembly, VBS, and Confirmation Camp. It's exhausting, certainly, but also refreshing to experience. This year? Nothing. No camp songs, no silly skits, no heartfelt conversations, no gaga ball or hikes or bug bites (eh, not sad about that one). You're missing things too, I know.
Somehow, camp will still be there whenever we're on the other side of all this. I'm confident of this because camp is all about creative solutions and contingency plans (What if it rains? What if the fire won't start? What if the guitar strings snap?), and because we trust in a God who works good from even the most challenging situations. In the meantime, we can conjure some of that camp magic right where we are, by singing some silly songs, paying attention to where and how God is at work in our midst, and seeking out intentional community and conversation even when we're physically distant from one another.
What are your warm and fuzzy camp memories? Favorite songs, skits, or encounters with God? Share them with me!
Bonus resources:
Of course, camp isn't perfect. There are still cliques, hurt feelings, unmet expectations, and exclusion. It's not a place immune from the sin and brokenness of the world. But it is a place where staff and campers alike experience the love of God, practice forgiveness, and learn and grow together.
As a pastor, I'm grateful that I got plugged in with the Remnant Confirmation Camp group my very first summer at Trinity. It's always been a great time to flex my creativity, collaborate with colleagues, and get to know our Confirmation students more deeply, as we played, sang, and learned together.
Needless to say, I'm missing camp this year. Most years, the month of June is busy with Synod Assembly, VBS, and Confirmation Camp. It's exhausting, certainly, but also refreshing to experience. This year? Nothing. No camp songs, no silly skits, no heartfelt conversations, no gaga ball or hikes or bug bites (eh, not sad about that one). You're missing things too, I know.
Somehow, camp will still be there whenever we're on the other side of all this. I'm confident of this because camp is all about creative solutions and contingency plans (What if it rains? What if the fire won't start? What if the guitar strings snap?), and because we trust in a God who works good from even the most challenging situations. In the meantime, we can conjure some of that camp magic right where we are, by singing some silly songs, paying attention to where and how God is at work in our midst, and seeking out intentional community and conversation even when we're physically distant from one another.
What are your warm and fuzzy camp memories? Favorite songs, skits, or encounters with God? Share them with me!
Bonus resources:
- Camp Lutherlyn in Prospect, PA (where we generally go for Confirmation camp) is offering lots of ways to experience camp during this non-traditional summer. Weekly worship, Thursday campfire videos, "camp at home", and family retreat opportunities can be found here.
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