Very few things keep me awake at night, but I have to
admit, preparation for Children’s Camp is one of them. Children’s Camp has been
a part of my experience for a long time. I served as Camp Pastor back in the
early 90s when we were having camp at the Christian Church’s facility in
Hiltonia. It is a blur of sweat, gnats and mosquitoes, frankly. I remember
doing a monologue about Jonah, in costume, and I was so sweaty and nervous, I
probably did look like something a great fish had regurgitated. Why dedicate a whole column to children’s
camp? Here is why: we are facing some challenges this year.
1. Our kitchen
crew is depleted. Elam Egypt has had responsibility in the past for preparing
meals and they have done a phenomenal job, but the crew that has helped us is dealing
with care giving and aging and they can’t help this year. I need help in the
kitchen! I prepare the menu and purchase the food. We just need people to cook
it! Or if your church wants to offer a different approach to mealtime, we are
wide-open, as long as kids will eat it.
2. Ownership by
the churches. Children’s camp has historically had great value to the churches
of the MBA. We have often seen children’s lives eternally transformed at camp. However,
I have noticed that many churches do not promote camp and many do not send
volunteers. Our camp currently is endowed to continue well into the future. And
in my opinion, it still contributes something spiritually meaningful to our
churches and their communities, but in spite of having the financial means to
carry on, we are hurting in terms of buy-in and commitment from the churches. Camp is not MY baby. It has to be OUR
baby if it is to be successful in reaching and ministering to children in these
formative times of their lives. I really prefer to personally enlist
volunteers, but we are an Association of churches which means we should behave
like the big ol’ network that we are. If we lose that, we have lost something
much more important than just a way of enlisting Children’s Camp volunteers.
3. We have had significant
transition among faithful past volunteers. It takes highly dedicated people
who really care about children and SHOULD be ministering to them to make camp
work. I don’t mind directing. It’s in my wheelhouse, but we need a team of
about ten mature, safe, fun adults, five male and five female (not including
kitchen help) to facilitate camp and another 12 junior counselors (mature,
godly teenagers and young adults). Several of the faithful people who have
helped us in the past have been called to other places of ministry. I’m praying
that God will raise up several people whose hearts will be on fire for seeing
Children’s lives transformed and who will help us at Camp!
4. Under-enrolled.
For about the last 4 years we have served a dozen or so fewer kids than
Camp can hold. That’s a travesty! All it would take is for a few of our churches
to prioritize this ministry for us to have a full complement of campers
(approximately 65).
Our camp this year is called, “Stuff Jesus Said,” and we
are planning to help children understand the importance of what God was saying
and doing in Jesus Christ.
Hope you will interact with this information and follow
through accordingly.
Blessings,
Bobby Braswell, Jr.
Comments