Retreat and Camping Ministry
Camps offer a glimpse of God's kingdom
By Andy Thorton
My good friend Dorothy Ordwein is 93. She often reminds me that camping isn't the same as it was 60 years ago when she and Clara Dixon lugged water and supplies onto the Utterback farm for an "experiment" in outdoor Christian education.
That was the beginning of Camp Manidokan. Those were exciting years.
The Holy Spirit was moving when Alice Holt Battle worked to create one of the first integrated camp experiences for our conference in the 1950s.
The spirit was also at work when Jenny Harmison felt so compelled to donate 50 acres of beautiful mountain property outside of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., to the Baltimore Annual Conference to start a camping program.
God was also present when Rev. Tom Ehlers led a group of dedicated volunteers, such as Rev. Bob Mitzel, William Woodfield, Raymond Cooke, Dorothy Ehlers Harvey and others to purchase the 45-acre YWCA Kamp Kahlert along the shores of the West River for $60,000.
Dottie is right. There has been change since then. We rarely cook our meals over an open fire or on a number 10 can. We swim in pools and not the river. Zip lines, climbing walls and ropes courses have replaced pitching a tent, learning lashings and making camp tables out of logs.
Campers no longer wash their dishes in a large metal dishpan at the table but rather pass them through a large dishwasher that washes and sanitizes in about 90 seconds. Indoor bathrooms have replaced those cold, wet treks in the night to the outside toilet. Not all changes are bad.
But even though the outward appearances of Christian camping may seem to have changed drastically through the years, really it is very much the same.
- Before, campers spent time learning the names of plants and animals. Now campers learn about the effects of our neglect and over development of the land and how it has impacted theses same plants and animals and the clarity and purity of our streams and rivers. Both teach how God has given us esponsibility for the care of the land we walk on.
- Before campers used those times of building a campsite to teach the importance of living in community, of each doing their share and that each share was important. Now those same lessons come alive as groups of campers from different communities, backgrounds and experiences work to be sure everyone gets over the wall or through the spider web. The importance of communication, listening and sharing gets taught but with different tools and perhaps to a different beat.
- Children and youth still come together and learn how to be a family, to care for one another, work through problems and difficulties, to share and to laugh. Today we also learn that families come in lots of different shapes and sizes.
- Setting and clearing the table, keeping the places where we live clean or at least tolerable are a part of the lesson we learn of our responsibility to the greater community.
- The same stars still seem to shine so brightly in contrast to the city lights and take our breath away at the marvel of God's creation.
- We read the same Scriptures now as then and apply them to a world that seems far different than it was 60 years ago. But we worship a God that does not change. We learn about a Savior that died so that we still might have life eternal. And we learn that each day is filled with opportunities to give and receive grace.
And by the way, we still eat roasted marshmallows, with a piece of Hershey's chocolate between two graham crackers and think of that as heaven – or at least as close as we might get to it in this life.
Andy Thornton is the conference director of Retreat and Camping Ministries and director of the West River Center.
Camping shapes each stage of people's lives
BY SARAH ANDREWS
As a child, one of the highlights of my summers was spending a week at camp. Those summer camp experiences not only helped me better understand and take hold of my faith, but they also shaped me as a person in many ways.
One summer, in the midst of tensions at home, which would eventually lead to my parents' divorce, I arrived at camp emotionally drained, and feeling like the foundation of my very being was unstable.
Despite the frustration my emotions caused, as I acted out, whining and complaining, one of the counselors at Manidokan made a special attempt to reach out to me.
She sat down with me and told me how much God loved me and provided me with a safe place to share what was troubling me. That act of kindness and hospitality not only helped me grow in my faith, but it also served to remind me, as an adult, of the importance that our summer camps can play in the life of a child.
Not only am I a former camper, I have also had opportunities to serve at our camps as an adult. After graduating from college, I spent a summer working as a program staff person at West River.
The relationships with staff and volunteers that I formed that summer have continued today. As soon as I graduated from seminary and entered local church ministry, one of the first places I became involved was at Manidokan Outdoor Ministry Center.
I have seen children and adults arrive at camp unsure of themselves and their faith and leave with a new confidence and excitement about being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I am convinced that in the midst of all the frantic days that fill our lives, hearing God is often difficult. Stepping out of our routines and being immersed in Christian community provides opportunities for growth that are impossible elsewhere.
As a pastor, I know that planning effective ministries for children and youth is incredibly challenging between sports schedules, academic pressures and the myriad of other things that drive families in a million different directions at once.
Even blocking a week out of a busy summer can be daunting. However, the concentrated experience of Christian community that campers and counselors experience at our conference camps serves as a profound and solid foundation for our children and youth as we seek to help them grow as children of God in our congregations.
Rev. Sarah Andrews serves the Jefferson-Doubs Charge.
Camps are a gift for parents
By Rebecca Iannicelli
I've been a parent of three children long enough to realize that every child is truly unique. I've learned to give them credit for their own good behavior, rather than me taking sole responsibility. I also allow them to take consequences for their less than stellar days rather than me taking sole responsibility.
It is amazing to live in close proximity to the diverse gifts and talents that God has given to each of my children: one is a real go-getter, another appreciates a challenge and also a good book, and another marches to her own drumbeat.
I know of only one place that can meet each child fully and bring him or her to a new place in their development. I have found that place in the summer camps of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
For the go-getter, climbing the rock wall with her new camp friends is a hit. For the one who loves to learn, nothing has been better than learning about kayaking, sailing and horseback riding. For the one who has her own sense of time, the rhythm of nature matches her internal clock.
These experiences that I describe are wonderful in and of themselves, but they serve another important purpose in the lives of my children.
It is through these experiences, set in the beauty of God's creation at West River Center and Manidokan, that my children connect to God and to others who are following Christ in life-transforming ways, in ways that just are not possible in the bustle of daily life.
All of us are unique individuals, and beloved children of God. At summer camp, each of my children receives the unconditional love of Christ and are simultaneously formed by that love in Christian community to embody patience, kindness, acceptance, and resilience.
I believe they are becoming who God created them to be, in part because of the tremendous gift of the summer camp experience. Thanks be to God!
Rev. Rebecca Ianncelli is pastor of Centenary UMC in Shadyside, and a member of the Retreat and Camping Ministries Board of Directors.
Something for everyone
By Adam Settlage
West River is a great camp for all kids.
There are things for all kinds of people. There is sailing, swimming, boating, nature hikes, birding, a giant climbing wall, and my personal favorite, the giant swing.
The giant swing is where they hook you up to a rope and pull you up high. It's like you are flying.
If that doesn't suit you, swimming will. Everyone loves swimming with their friends.
You will make tons of friends and find something you like to do.
I encourage you to come to West River.
Retreat and Camping Ministries
For more information about conference camps, contact:
800-922-6795
www.bwcumc.org/camping
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