Bunk Beds, Backpacks and Bibles

Summer- camp stories are a staple in children’s literature–we reviewed one worthy example on Tuesday.  But for today, let’s look at “real life.”  Do your summer plans include church or Bible camp?  In years gone by, it used to be a given that kids would benefit from a week or two away from home in the tender care of unknown counselors (who are often only slightly older and more mature than the campers).  Too many horror stories about inattentive adults and sadistic peers—even in a supposedly Christian setting—have given some parents pause.  But on the whole, and speaking admittedly from personal experience, getting away for a week in the woods and a focus on Christ can be a significant milestone in a child’s life.

To get an inside perspective I decided to ask a 29-year veteran of camp ministry, Michael “Guerty” Guertin.  If ever a man was true to his calling, it’s Michael: outgoing, physical, dramatic, slightly zany, and completely sold out to Jesus.  After serving many years as a children’s pastor, he was led by the Lord into Caboose Ministries, a ministry to families based in Wilmington, DE.  For the last several years he has been the director of Hopewell Summer Camps in Honeybrook, PA.

Hi Michael.  When I was growing up I never had the opportunity to go to summer camp–

Me neither.  I’m guessing our Lord was having mercy on my potential counselors!  By the way, I got kicked out of the Boy Scouts when I was a young teen. :0(

I had a few questions in mind. Like, what kind of problems does a first-time camper encounter?

Homesickness most of all.  And there’s also a huge task these days of being weaned from cellphones, texting, etc.  They’re not allowed at our camps.

How can a parent prepare the kids to get the most out of a Bible camp experience?

Explain to the camper the purpose of the camp—that it’s a chance to be away from home, school, friends, media, etc.  If the child is younger, tell them homesickness is very normal, but that the days will go fast and before they know it they’ll be home again.  Tell them that you (the parent) wants them to stay despite their (possible) homesickness, because Jesus wants to meet them in a very special way.  As the days for camp grow closer, it’s helpful to reduce TV watching and internet use in order to help the camper begin to focus, to sense that what they’re about to engage in is of eternal weight and value.

What’s a problem you see in Christian camps these days?

This is huge; I’m afraid way too many are either “Christianity-lite” or “Christianity-hype.”  We strive each year to avoid both, endeavoring to keep our camps Christ-centered and encourage hype only for the fun things of camp.  Never in chapel services.  I’ve been so very grieved through the years about these two trends.

What’s the age range of kids you work with in your camp ministry?

For senior high camp, grades 9-12, but none older than 18.  Jr. high, grades 6-8.  Kids camp, grades 2-5, but no younger than age 8.  This summer we’re dividing the teen camp into junior and senior high levels.

What are some good scriptures for a kid to memorize in preparation for camp?  Are there any that might help them with particular problems, like homesickness?

Any having to do with the scripture itself and the Holy Spirit, and seeking the Lord, all three of which we emphasize as the purpose of camp.  For dealing with homesickness . . . uh . . . Genesis 12:1?  “The Lord called Abram and spoke to him saying, ‘Leave your father’s house and your relatives and go to the land I will show you . . .’” ;0)  One theme we had a few years ago was from Judges 13:24-25: “And the boy grew, and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in the camp.” (Heb.: Manahem Dan, or Camp of Dan, re: Samson.)

Some adults equate camping with VBS or Child Evangelism, where the experience may be mostly emotional and peer-centric, and a child’s response is usually short-lived.  How would you answer that?

We are very sensitive to and wary of any emotional human-hype in our chapel services.  We make sure the messages delivered are God, Christ, and gospel centered and avoid all pressure whatsoever to obtain a “decision.”  We don’t believe in magic prayers, but rather encourage and exhort the campers to a daily dependence on the Son of God.  We do encourage them to be free in responding to the messages they have heard, such as kneeling at their chairs, kneeling up front, lying on their faces before the Lord up front (a very common response to the Word and presence of God in the Scriptures), all of which happen often.  The kids and teens will spend an hour or more just “adoring on the floor,” as I put it.  Our camp focuses on grooming kids to spend long periods of time before the Lord, and to help them enjoy it!  I’m sick at heart, again, re: all of the “lite” and “hype” camps!  They produce “lite” (emotionally-based) believers!

I know you’ve had a lot of memorable experiences with kids coming to know the Lord at camp—too many to recount, but are there one or two that really stand out?

At every camp on Friday morning, we have that chapel time dedicated to “camper testimonies.”  They’re incredible.  But the proof has been in the pudding, so to speak.  Sooooo many of our campers through the decades have first gone through kids’ camp, then senior camp, then have gone on to become counselors.  By far, I’d guess, the majority of our counselors were former campers, and many of them kept coming back year after year.  Two of my assistant directors were former campers.  One got saved at the camp and the other met his wife there!

One more question: how can parents follow up on their child’s camping experience?

It’s very common for campers to talk about camp to their parents all the way home—even the quiet and shy ones!  Parents should exercise caution and sensitivity, not pressuring their kids and teens to open up, should they sense they’re being reticent about it.  Given the non-stop intensity of the week, both fun-wise and spirit-wise, the kids are exhausted when they get home.  Depending on their relationship with their child and the situation at home, it might be best for some to give them time to process.  (Of course, as with anything, “media” can quickly sap the blessing.)  I found with my own children that the best time for talking was usually when I was putting them to bed at night.

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My second interviewee is my son Tielman Cheaney, whose first camping experience was with Youth For Christ in Kansas City.  Our reasons were mixed for sending him and his sister the first time: we believed it would be good for them, but we also looked forward to some peace and quiet!  But there was more going on than we knew.  Later, when we moved to a more rural area, it took us a long time to become attached to a church and make friends.  Tielman was a young teenager then, desperate to get out of the house, so we thought the nearest Baptist Association camp would be a good way to oblige him.  Here’s his story:

I got saved at one of the YFC camps. It was the speaker. He was talking along about things I’d heard before, when suddenly everything clicked, and became urgent and real. A big part of me didn’t want to go pray, but I knew I had to.

The little Baptist camp provided the most intimate encounter with the Holy Spirit. That week started with a whole lot of bitterness and anger… kids against counselors, cliques against cliques. It was unusually negative. I developed a feud with a kid named Scott. His nickname was Pot. He hated that.

I didn’t know anything about spiritual warfare (Frank Peretti had not prepared me), I just knew that camp sucked. On the second to last day, I started getting a strong conviction to go apologize to Scott. I didn’t think I had done anything wrong towards him. But the conviction still grew. Finally, right before the evening meeting, I did. That apology is still on the list of “hardest things I ever had to do.” But it broke all the bitterness. Scott and I were transformed. And something happened, at the same time, to almost everyone else. I don’t know their stories, but I’m positive that our meeting was visited by the Holy Spirit. Kids and counselors stayed unanimously, hours past curfew, mostly singing, then praying and hugging.

I know we were young, naive, backwoods kids who were short on sleep and high on the camp experience. And I still believe that we went through a spiritual fight at camp and God set it all right at the end.

Each year at those camps was completely different from the years before. I, an undersocialized kid from a homeschool group, had plenty of hard moments learning how to get along with different kinds of people, and plenty of eureka moments learning something about myself or the way things work. The camp environment is one of the healthiest I can think of, the most conducive to education and life change. It’s guided, but intense.