What? A Wedding?

Hear me out. We’re approaching camp conference and gathering season, and I think we can maximize our experience at these events if we give ourselves a dose of intentionality inspired by an old wedding adage.

Many camp pros absolutely love this season of camp life. Ask any long-time camp leader what they cherish and remember most about their time in outdoor ministry and on the short list will be connecting with others at conferences and gatherings. I’ve been to a dozen or so of these gatherings over the years, sitting in different seats, from year-round staff newbie to director to exhibitor to workshop leader and I agree with the masses that the most important, most valuable, most impactful, most memorable parts of every one of these gatherings is about the ___________________.

You said relationships, didn’t you?

Or friendships, or time with colleagues, or something to that effect. Our professional ministry and our personal best ways of being are formed and given foundation by those we surround ourselves with. This conference season, here’s a call to be thoughtful and intentional about the connections we’re about to make. And, these gatherings are meant to be fun, so let’s have a little fun with it, and frame this up with a popular wedding tradition embraced for decades by brides hoping for good luck on their big day: the inclusion of “something old, something new, something borrow, and something blue.“

For the sake of this people-driven experience, we’ll make a little adjustment to the saying, replacing “something” with “someone,” Now, go make yourself a checklist, note on your mobile device, or whatever helps you lean into some of these intentional connections at your next gathering.

Someone Old

Apologies, seasoned camp professionals, but the term “old” fit in the analogy better. We have so much to learn from those who have gone before us. At most of these conference or gatherings, you can find someone who has been involved in outdoor ministry for a decade or four, and these folks have deep and wide wisdom to share.

They are often incredible storytellers, and if you are looking for someone who may have been through what you’re going through, they probably have. They have been through many rounds of the seasonality of ministry, likely feeling times where they and the camps they serve thrived, while also knowing what it’s like to wade through financial stresses, rough community of staff relationships, or even crisis experiences.

So, when you arrive, take note of folks who have been around the camp community for a long while, think about a couple of questions you could ask them, and get into sponge-mode, ready to listen and wonder how their stories could help you learn valuable lessons.

Someone New

At any conference or gathering like these, it’s not hard to find the first-timers. Their wide-eyed wondering how this all works is a gift to the community, so intentionally seek someone out who is new or new-ish to camp ministry.

They often have fresh ideas and perspectives, gained from years as a camper, counselor, and/or summer season leader. They can help us stay in touch with our most important constituents, how they think, how they communicate, and what they care about. Maybe most valuable, they can help us keep from getting stuck in the potentially dangerous loop of simply doing things because that’s how we’ve done them before.

Find that fresh face and yes, offer them what you’ve learned, and also seek to learn from them.

Someone Borrowed

People often put “camp people” in a big bucket of crazy extroverts, standing up front jumping and yelling and singing. To be clear, there are plenty of us that fit that mold all too well. And, there are also plenty who would be happy to sit in the back of the room with one good friend and dig deep.

Whatever the case, as we think back to our many of our influential relationships, they were at one point someone who was introduced to us. Often, we “borrowed” them from another person, and this is how relational networks are built, on a big system of borrowing and connecting and borrowing again.

Conversations that include, “Let me introduce you to…” and “Would you introduce me to…” can be really powerful in these rooms, so plan to both borrow from someone, and be a connector at an upcoming gathering.

Someone Blue

Like I said, the conferences are supposed to be fun, activity filled, growth experiences for us all. And, sometimes camping ministry is hard.

It can be isolating, overwhelming, exhausting, and lonely. Sometimes bad things happen at the places we serve, just ask a camp director who lost campers or staff members this summer to tragic accidents. Ask a director who is the only year-round team member and who lives on site alone. Ask the camp leader in transition or vocational discernment.

These gatherings can and will include a lot of laughing and deep joy, but pay attention to those who may have hard time smiling, and be a calm presence ready to hear their story.

‘Tis the Season

There you have it, a simple mindset to help maximize your connections this season. Whether you are attending a large conference of camp pros or a small group of leaders, use this quick way of approaching the rooms you’ll enter as you venture to your next gathering. If you fill out your whole old, new, borrowed, blue bingo card, we’d love to hear about it!