Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called that place Mahaniam. – Genesis 32:1-2
From the very beginning of scripture, we hear about camp. Of course, the ancient Israelites had a very different understanding than we do. But in many ways the importance of camp
remains. To them it was the place where their faith encountered their lives – as they journeyed from place to place and set up camp, they knew that God went with them and stayed with them. In Jesus, God came and “pitched a tent” right alongside of us and continues to remind us that God moves through this life with us.
Today, camp continues to be a significant part of the way the church is strengthened and renews the faith of many. Quite simply, camp changes lives. Camp became an important part of my faith life – from years of being a camper to working on the staff of camps too. Those experiences have led me into many other ministries in my life, including my call to serve as a pastor of the church.
But you don’t have to just take my word for it. A recent research project by Vibrant Faith on the effectiveness of camp said, “Young people are participating more deeply in their faith months after camp is over. They have not formed a new theology or worked out in their heads the specifics of their beliefs … They have gained something much more valuable: a desire to be in Christian community, a hunger to learn more, and the assurance that faith makes a difference in their lives.”
Reformation’s abundant generosity continues to invest in this great ministry of the church. In addition to the $10,000 from our Endowment Outreach that we were able to contribute to Bear Creek’s cabin campaign, members generously gave $1,000 in offering towards the camp’s Campership Fund. This amount was then matched by our Holiday Offering and the total sum will provide for four camper scholarships – making it possible for all children to attend a week at camp. Additionally, 20 members and friends of Reformation
headed to camp on April 22 to work on building the new cabins. And soon, we will bless our campers during worship on June 18, and send them off to their week of camp with our prayers accompanying them.
Thank you for celebrating the ministry of camp, supporting our youth, and helping to continue camp’s life changing work.
Blessings!
Pastor Alina Gayeuski
P.S. Read the full Vibrant Faith research report here.
Click here to learn more about Bear Creek Camp and register for camp.