The Heart of Camp is Still the People

The Moravian - March 2005

Over the years I’ve been privileged to do camping ministry at Mt. Morris, Tar Hollow, Camp Hope, and Laurel Ridge; and what have I seen? The facilities at Mt. Morris are just outstanding! The view off of the Eastern Overlook at Laurel Ridge will take your breath away. The new cabins at Camp Hope are a vast improvement over the old army barracks they have replaced. Tar Hollow? It is a State Park, it is HOT, and the cabins, well…could use a little work, but the green rolling hills of Ohio are really quite welcoming. Each of our Moravian camps has its own distinctive charm, but the constant in all of these places is the people. And it is the people that keep me coming back year after year, to camp after camp.

That is really what we are most blessed with in our Moravian Church Camping program, the people. None of these very fine camping facilities or programs could survive if it weren’t for a group of caring adults giving of their time to serve the Lord in such a Holy calling.

When we think of sending our kids off to camp we think of them spending a week away from the television set. We think of them getting away from either their busy schedules or having a place to go in the middle of their summer vacation from school. We think of them spending a week more closely connected with God’s creation. We think of them receiving some teaching about God’s love for them. More and more what I think about when I think about Camp is the people who will be touching the lives of our children. For that is how God best reaches us; through the words and actions of another human being.

I think of the counselor who talks with words of concern to a young camper who is experiencing their first time away from home. I think of the small group leader who sits in a circle of youth and begins to engage their hearts and minds in the lesson for the day. I think of the cooks who work behind the scenes to make sure that everybody is well nourished for the high level of activity at camp. I think of the worship or program leader who is coming up with creative ways to help our youth to know something new about our great God. These are just some of the people who make camp what it is.

Have you ever thought about giving a week of your time for the benefit of our youth and the kingdom of God? Many of our camping sessions struggle from year to year to come up with a full staff of counselors, so chances are that you are needed. I would urge you to call the camp in your region and see where you can help out. Will it cost you a week of vacation? Perhaps. Could you use that time to do work around the house instead? I’m sure. Will you feel inadequate to do the job of discipling a handful of campers in your cabin? YES, you will. But will you be doing something that will help to bring the love of God closer to the hearts of our young people? You had better believe it!

Each of our camps are held within the beautiful surroundings of God’s creative majesty, but it is through the people that volunteer at them that God speaks most clearly the message of His grace. It is the people that are at the heart of the Moravian Church camping program.

The Rev. Chris Giesler serves as the Director of Youth Ministry for the Eastern District, Northern Province.