Getting Campy...
This photo is kind of scary- isn't it! I think it was taken about 1988 or 1989. (You can tell it's the 80's by the hair.) Yep, that's me,,, the cool one in the shades in the front row.
I read a blog post recently that was really interesting and had me reminiscing about all the time I spent at church camp. This photo was of the group of friends I made through my church youth group. We all spent a lot of time at Jumonville Summer Camp and Retreat Center (which is in the mountains near Uniontown if you were wondering) and some of those weekends were probably the best weekends of my teenage life.
I started going to summer camp when I was in about fourth or fifth grade. It was a week long, sleep-away Bible Week at Jumonville and I continued going every summer until after junior high. I can remember just bits and pieces - but I mostly remember that I had a wonderful time each year. I can still recite Psalm 1 - because one year we had to memorize it. I remember that I loved my camp leaders! Mostly they were college-age summer staff who focused on only us for the entire week. When I got into high school, this same camp became the place where my youth group and district youth group held retreats. It's still a very special place to me. It's been upgraded and features way more modern conveniences than when I was a kid. But, I can say that I think that camp was the place where I really started to connect with God, explore my faith, and learned to pray and listen.
So back to the blog post- I read this and thought ...yep - I agree with most of what she is saying here. The author talks about how much time we invest - or don't invest - in the spiritual lives of our children
Here is what she wrote that had me nodding my head "yes" as I read:
"At some point, your child will choose to either make your faith their own or reject it entirely. You can't make that choice for them, but you can give them opportunities along the way.
We often think nothing of plunking down hundreds of dollars for soccer camp, gymnastics camp, band camp, or (fill in the blank with any other activity) camp. We will even schedule family vacations and other commitments around them, because we recognize the benefit of concentrated efforts in those areas.
What would happen if we put as much effort (and financial backing) toward our children's spiritual development? What if we gave them every opportunity to stretch their spiritual muscles in a safe and loving environment like camp?"
I also think she is very wise in offering the suggestion that parents do some investigating and don't just choose any old church camp. One size does not fit all!
Did you go to church camp? What are your favorite memories?
And speaking of church camp - Check out the website for Camp Crestfield and see all the retreats summer camps they have to offer! It's not to early to think about summer camp. It might warm you up!
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