Today I'm thinking about all of the different "roles" I've played while I was at camps.
One year at Galilee, I can remember playing the role of "Peter", who denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026:69-75&version=NIV). I stood on the Trail of Crosses, near the end of the trail by the island, and addressed the groups of kids as they came down the trail to wind up on the island. It was quite a powerful time for me, as well as the kids.
I don't think it was during that same year, but another one of my "roles" was the role of spotlight holder during one of Sara's camps. (Warning: Spoiler alert ahead). Sara had asked her son Brett (sp) to build a milk-carton pyramid, so that the base of it would rest of the bottom of the lake, and the top of the pyramid would be slightly below the surface, so that someone could stand on the pyramid and give the illusion that they were standing on water. As night fell, the campers gathered on the island, facing away from the boat dock. It was now pitch dark, and Sara stood so the kids were facing her, and delivered the scripture where Jesus said "Feed my sheep" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21:16-18&version=NIV). The kids responded, "Feed my Sheep!" and at that queue, I flipped the spotlight on Jesus, standing on the water. Except it wasn't Jesus - it was Brett, standing on the milk cartons, with a sheet draped over him, much like the robe that envision Jesus wearing. The scene was amazing - the kids were so taken aback that I remember hearing some audible gasps, and I thought I heard someone say "Jesus!". Brett said something to them, and Sara replied back. They kids faced back to Sara, and I shut the light off. In the dark, Brett sat down on the small motor boat and silently rode back to shore. The next day, I overheard one of the kids say that he thought he'd seen just about everything at camp, but he didn't know that the camp had a hologram projector! I covered my mouth and chuckled.
I can then remember the first time that I was asked to share one of the messages (aka "sermons") at Galilee. It was during the week, and inside in the Cafe', since it was so hot outside. I remember Judy coming down to support me, which meant a lot to me. I delivered a good "sermon" to a bunch of kids - which was probably much more than they needed, so that was my first real "lesson" in knowing you audience. Honestly, I'd pretty much forgotten about that message. Another time during another week, the message I was able to deliver was themed around "GET FOUND, KID!!" In 2005, I was asked to give the greeting at Galilee - and man, was that fun!
I also remember having the role of comforter, one time specifically. One evening, after a particularly challenging message delivered (by a counselor) which dealt with sexual purity, you could almost see the kids getting upset about what they couldn't do - and what they'd done. After the service, we all headed to family group. The counselor who gave the message was a part of my family group, and our kids were especially vocal that night - except for one of them, who was not in group. I found him in his cabin, on his bunk, crying hard. He'd been thinking about pursing something in church work - perhaps a counselor - but now after hearing about the sins he had committed, he was feeling unworthy and unsure that God would forgive him. We spent a lot of time that night in reassuring him that God would forgive him.
One more quick story - I found one particular device worked well in getting the kids to open up and share -- a "faith walk timeline", which would allow the kids to describe their life's highs and lows. During one year, I found a girl in my family group who had been adopted -- and sitting in the same family group circle was ANOTHER girl who had been adopted! They bonded, and never left each other's side for the duration of the camp.
Those were some of the "roles" I played during camp.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Camp Thoughts - Day One
My first week at church camp came just a few years after being married to my wife. She was a student at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, and was classmates with a woman named Sara Fagan. Sara was seeking "counselors" for a week at Camp Galilee in ElDorado Springs, MO. I had no idea what being a counselor entailed, but I figured it was a lot like being a Sunday School class teacher. Wow, was I in for a surprise.
I traveled down to ElDorado Springs, MO, where I met the site director, Mike Coffey. Mike was a good site director and "guarded" the camp closely -- he was most fond of saying, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." And the facilities/maintenance director is now at Jo-Ota as the Site Director -- Mike "Sarge" Leonard. Sarge and Mike were always in the cafeteria in the morning - coffee, music, newspaper.
I can remember several events that happened on the grounds - one of the most interesting things was when an osterich showed up and was captured in a swingset area. I can still recall arriving many summers to "Shine" by the Newsboys, playing in my car. "Make 'em wonder what you've got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside lookin' bored." Colene Homa was one of the women who Sara recruited as well. Well, needless to say, Church Camp was nothing like what I anticipated - first off, because I had never because I had never been to camp - not even as a kid. Second, it was HOT. No air conditioning ANYWHERE, except for the Nurse's cabin and the Director's cabin. The kids cabins had multiple bunk beds, with a big attic fan in the back of the cabin, which we cranked on "high" at night.
During the day, we had a lot of time with the kids in "family groups", and then time as well with all of the kids together. Late in the evening on Monday night - the day the campers arrive - we finished up our session and I was headed back up the hill from the dam area to the "big slab" area. This was during my first week, and as I came closer, I could hear music thumping, and I could hear lots of noise coming from the slab area. As I got closer, I realized the kids were jumping around and singing/shouting to the music -- man, this was a LOONG WAAAYS from my anticipation of it being like the "church" I'd grown up in! And what in the world was this song?? Something about a guy with a big fat belly that wiggled around like marmalade jelly?
After having spent the entire day with the kids, trying to keep up with them and do everything they were doing, I was pretty tired. Sleep arrived as a welcome friend that night, as best I can remember. I wore myself out on Tuesday as well. When Wednesday rolled around, I was really starting to wonder what I was doing at this camp. Sara recognized that in the afternoon, and she told me to go take a nap. Nap? I chuckled. I headed to the basketball court and played around. Shot after shot seemed to miss. Backboard. Rim. Air. Backboard. I wasn't a superstar, but I didn't usually miss that many. I decided to head to the cabin for a nap, and I tossed up one last shot - that went in. And that evening when I was in worship, after the loud music had calmed down, and we'd heard a wonderful message, I realized that maybe I wasn't there for the kids.. maybe they were there for me. Maybe there was something in my faith life that could use a re-birth. Church camp was really something I needed, and it afforded me an opportunity to find out what I'd been missing.
When I drove home that next Saturday, I stopped at the Cokesbury story on 435 in Kansas City, and bought my first Contemporary Christian CD - I'm pretty sure if was one of the WOW CDs. And a new chapter in my life was starting.
I traveled down to ElDorado Springs, MO, where I met the site director, Mike Coffey. Mike was a good site director and "guarded" the camp closely -- he was most fond of saying, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." And the facilities/maintenance director is now at Jo-Ota as the Site Director -- Mike "Sarge" Leonard. Sarge and Mike were always in the cafeteria in the morning - coffee, music, newspaper.
I can remember several events that happened on the grounds - one of the most interesting things was when an osterich showed up and was captured in a swingset area. I can still recall arriving many summers to "Shine" by the Newsboys, playing in my car. "Make 'em wonder what you've got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside lookin' bored." Colene Homa was one of the women who Sara recruited as well. Well, needless to say, Church Camp was nothing like what I anticipated - first off, because I had never because I had never been to camp - not even as a kid. Second, it was HOT. No air conditioning ANYWHERE, except for the Nurse's cabin and the Director's cabin. The kids cabins had multiple bunk beds, with a big attic fan in the back of the cabin, which we cranked on "high" at night.
During the day, we had a lot of time with the kids in "family groups", and then time as well with all of the kids together. Late in the evening on Monday night - the day the campers arrive - we finished up our session and I was headed back up the hill from the dam area to the "big slab" area. This was during my first week, and as I came closer, I could hear music thumping, and I could hear lots of noise coming from the slab area. As I got closer, I realized the kids were jumping around and singing/shouting to the music -- man, this was a LOONG WAAAYS from my anticipation of it being like the "church" I'd grown up in! And what in the world was this song?? Something about a guy with a big fat belly that wiggled around like marmalade jelly?
After having spent the entire day with the kids, trying to keep up with them and do everything they were doing, I was pretty tired. Sleep arrived as a welcome friend that night, as best I can remember. I wore myself out on Tuesday as well. When Wednesday rolled around, I was really starting to wonder what I was doing at this camp. Sara recognized that in the afternoon, and she told me to go take a nap. Nap? I chuckled. I headed to the basketball court and played around. Shot after shot seemed to miss. Backboard. Rim. Air. Backboard. I wasn't a superstar, but I didn't usually miss that many. I decided to head to the cabin for a nap, and I tossed up one last shot - that went in. And that evening when I was in worship, after the loud music had calmed down, and we'd heard a wonderful message, I realized that maybe I wasn't there for the kids.. maybe they were there for me. Maybe there was something in my faith life that could use a re-birth. Church camp was really something I needed, and it afforded me an opportunity to find out what I'd been missing.
When I drove home that next Saturday, I stopped at the Cokesbury story on 435 in Kansas City, and bought my first Contemporary Christian CD - I'm pretty sure if was one of the WOW CDs. And a new chapter in my life was starting.
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