HEADING DOWN THE RIGHT PATH
An Important Question
In the midst of economic downturn and unemployment climbing, some people ask “Should camp really be a priority for our children this summer?” My answer is a resounding “Yes!” Everyone is concerned about how their money is invested. Sending a child or youth to church camp is an investment that will yield benefits far beyond this year. I believe our children and youth need church camping experiences now more than ever.
- Rev. Gary Jones, director of East Ohio Camps and Retreat Ministries
Camp is a place of Christian birth, growth and renewal!
This summer the theme for camping ministry is Heading Down the Right Path. Every person has a lifetime of choices that either draw them closer or create distance from God. Camp provides many opportunities to make choices drawing campers closer to God. Faith choices, community living choices, friendship choices, activity choices and choices to take it all home and live it out are all part of a summer camp experience. Giving campers the choice to head down the right path towards a greater relationship with God is what we are all about.
The vision for Ministry of East Ohio Camps is to develop comfortable settings and implement quality Christian programs through which an individual can experience Christ’s love and have the opportunity to share that love with others. Camp exists as an extension of the ministry of local churches in providing opportunities to accept an invitation to Christian faith or to continue to learn and grow in the walk with Jesus Christ.
Camp is a place to be away from it all!
We all have experienced or observed the fast-paced lives that children, youth and families live every day. We are surrounded by commercials and technology; the day planner, instant messages, Facebook, e-mail, television, the internet, cell phones and Blackberries. At camp, children and youth can find relief from the bombardment of daily schedules that are too full.
Camp is a place to become
re-connected!
Foundational changes in the culture have made learning community building skills imperative. As Kevin Witt, national United Methodist camp leader, says, “We have moved from a front-porch culture to a back-deck existence. We know our neighbors less and less as we get busier and busier. Families often leave their communities of origin, frequently ending up far from relatives and friends. And our population is the most diverse in U.S. history.
We have become more and more disconnected. Witt describes the role of camping in teaching these much needed skills. “One notable dimension of camp/retreat ministry is its consistency in giving a group of people the vision, sensitivity, and tools to become a caring community for one another. Remarkably, many of the participants have never met before or know one another only slightly. They are often quite different from one another. Today, there are few settings where strangers come to live together 24 hours a day with the goal of becoming a loving community for one another.”
That explains in part why these temporary camp and retreat communities have such a lasting impact. In some cases, camp and retreat events help families know and appreciate one another. Christian hospitality occurs through a deep connection with the Holy Spirit that produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentle-ness and self-control.” These fruits of the spirit are at the heart of family. Camp/retreat experiences show that such relationships are possible and call people to the ministry of community building wherever they return to live.