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BY LINDA WORTHINGTON
UMConnection Staff

Summer?s over, but for many young people, their week at the conference campgrounds at West River, Manidokan or Harmison will linger in their memories for a while longer. For some it was a life-changing experience.

'I learned that everyone is different and no one is alike,' said a sixth-grade camper at Manidokan, the conference?s oldest (built in 1949) and largest (426 acres). 'God did that on purpose, so the world would be more interesting.'

David Gross, the husband of the Rev. Dee-Ann Dixon, pastor of New Street UMC in Shepherdstown, W. Va., has attended family camp at Manidokan for several years. Wheelchair-bound, he had longed to participate in the 'zip' experience at camp, but was unable to mount the platform for the zippy flight through the air. 'I wanted to savor being up that high,' he said.

This year, camp staff hoisted him aloft. It was no small feat, 'hoisting a 200-pound person (minus wheelchair) 50 feet up,' he said.

'The shout of joy as he went off the platform was awesome,' said Bill Herche, Manidokan?s director.

The camps based their curriculum on ROARS, and had as a mascot Aslan, the lion from 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.' ROARS followed the Discipleship Adventure?s five points of practicing Christian community: celebrate, connect, develop, serve and share. ROARS is an acronym for Radical worship, Open the Bible, Articulate the faith, Respect others and relationship building, and Service, said the Rev. Al Clipp, who has counseled Adventure Camp at Manidokan for more than 20 years.

One experience campers at 45-acre West River, are not likely to forget is the storm that struck a lodge Aug. 7. It felled a huge oak tree through the roof (above). But none of the regular fifth and sixth-graders were there. They were all at worship. No one was hurt. In the hullabaloo that followed, the camp staff soon found places for the campers to stay and by the next day, volunteers had come in with chain saws and removed the tree, along with five others that fell without hitting people or buildings.

This summer, 1,548 youngsters, from 2nd through 12th grades, attended one of the camps. Of these, 628 were boys and 871 were girls. Another 49 were children who attended day camp. All districts were represented, with Washington West at 190 and Annapolis at 186 (including day-campers attending West River). Frederick and Baltimore-West districts favored Mani-dokan, sending 117 and 98 respectively.

Two fifth-graders whose closest previous experience of camping was a school field trip, came to West River for the first time as part of a school program. They told Andy Thornton, the camp director, that 'the best part of camp was worship.' Commenting to parents after returning home, one boy said, 'We need to start going to church.' Lives were changed.

Many kinds of camp experiences are offered at West River and Manidokan. They include climbing a 30-foot wall, being led blindfolded across a cable, sailing, canoeing and hiking, arts and crafts. One week is a music, arts and drama camp, another for sailing. Sports, especially basketball, are the attraction at another week of camping. Grandparents camp is growing in popularity. Children in third through sixth grades who have not camped before often attend Discovery camp, where they discover not just nature but themselves as well. Harmison is a wilderness camp and attracts the more hardy campers. It is also the site for a few dozen youth and adults in late June and July to stay while they participate in Camp Joy, a service ministry that repairs homes. But all camps share in common the opportunities for youth to grow spiritually and adults to deepen their faith. All campers grow in their relationship to God and in their understanding of themselves.