The Case for Camp…
Our program coordinator, Kaitlin, shares why summer camp is so important.
As I go about my daily life, grocery shopping, youth sports, and all the other things that make up my days as a busy mom, it never ceases to amaze me how many adults I meet who tell me that they met Jesus at Camp Elkanah. There is the cashier at the grocery store who went to camp in the ’60s, there is a swim official at a meet who was a camper and then went on to work on staff in the ’90s, there is the medical assistant who first heard the Gospel and then accepted Jesus during her third summer as a camper and so many more. Summer camp offers kids a way to learn the good news of the gospel in a setting unlike any other and now more than ever kids need to hear this message of hope!
Change is an inevitable part of life, it can be both exciting and scary, but over the past two years, children have experienced an unusual amount of change and stress. Distance learning, quarantines, and social distancing have all weakened relational communities and wreaked havoc on kids' emotional and physical health. Summer camp is not the solution to fixing all that has been broken, but it is a place for recovery and healing to begin.
Summer camp offers an experience unlike any other. Kids have the opportunity to live together without the distraction of screens and other life stressors. A quality camp session provides campers with the opportunity to learn lessons about faith, character building, and social skills in a meaningful, natural environment. Camp promotes community and creates a space where kids learn to care for each other and serve one another in love. While at camp kids get a close-up look at what compassionate leadership looks like by observing their counselors, speakers, and other camp staff. At camp, we want to make sure nobody is ever left out and ensure each child leaves knowing they are a valued child of God.
To make camp happen for every kid who wants to be at Elkanah, we need camp staff. We need young adults who want to learn valuable leadership skills, serve the local church, make a difference, and are willing to choose camp as a summer job. We need older adults who want to spend one week of their summer pouring love into a group of kids. We need teens who want to grow as disciples while doing all the housekeeping tasks that make camp happen. We need missionaries, pastors, speakers, cooks, nurses, and more. If God is calling you to be involved in his kingdom-building work at Elkanah then there is a way for you to serve. We have been planning and are fervently praying that this summer our staff will grow just as much if not more than our campers in the grace and knowledge of Jesus our Savior.
Kids need camp! Camp staff need camp! Local communities need kids and adults whose lives have been transformed by camp. This year our camp theme is Like, Follow and Share: Believe the gospel, live as a disciple and tell others the good news. It is our hope and prayer that every person who walks onto the Camp Elkanah property this summer encounters God, grows in their relationship with Jesus, and goes home proclaiming the good news to everyone they meet.
Kaitlin (Momentum) Gustafson
