In United churches across the country this Sunday, communities of faith will celebrate Camping Sunday. Some churches may decorate the chancel with tents or fake campfires, others may hand out marshmallows to everyone who enters. And a few camp songs will be sung!
This Sunday at Highlands we’re going to join in and explore the formative and joyful thing that happens every summer in this church – Camp Highlands!
I had the privilege of going to camp as a child – day camps and overnight camps. How about you? Was there some form of camp in your summer? Or something equivalent – a sports team or drama troupe?
There are the practical skills of camp like learning to ride a horse, portage a canoe, play an instrument, do math, learn tennis, sing in a musical. And there are the whole-self aspects of camp like learning that whining and crying doesn’t work on folks who aren’t your parents!
I learned a ton of whole-self skills at camp I may not have learned elsewhere: when I was homesick I learned that someone other than my family cared about me. When I got in a fight with a camper I learned how to use my words and work it out. And, when I was scared to try something new, I learned I was capable of so much more than I imagined.
Supporting United Church camps supports the formation of faithful, creative, questioning, skilled, empathetic and community minded humans. Let’s spend a Sunday exploring that!
See you Sunday
Julie