"Take them to camp." The very first thing I ever did as a pastor was go to camp with a group of kids. Well, that is not entirely true. I wasn’t actually a pastor yet. I was still a month away from my ordination, and about seven weeks from my start date as pastor of...
There are four key ministry spaces that are particularly important for faith formation and call to ministry. I focus a lot of my writing on camping ministries. I do this because camping ministry has gotten surprisingly little scholarly attention over the years. This...
Day Camp is a big umbrella term for diverse, community-based camping models. In faith-based ministries, there is a unique model called Traveling Day Camp. Shared characteristics usually include: camp counselors traveling to local communities in partnership with a...
Traveling Day Camp is a partnership ministry between the camp and congregation in which trained summer camp staff members are deployed to lead interactive programs in the congregational setting. Traveling Day Camp has evolved over the decades and become a staple for...
“Bingo!” a young voice sounded out. The young boy was paired with an elderly woman who was unable to speak up loudly enough to be heard from across the room, but she clearly shared his excitement and enthusiasm on their fourth bingo in as many rounds. A runner dashed...
“He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak!” Nearly 100 elementary-age campers shouted the words in unison, as they first flexed their muscles and then drooped in a bodily display of weakness. They continued without hesitation through the...
In Noblesville, Indiana, an outer suburb north of Indianapolis, the counselors in training (CITs) create a cheering tunnel for more than 120 elementary-aged children and their families to welcome them all to day camp at Genesis Church. Between two campuses, Genesis...
I felt like I was walking into a family reunion. I arrived around 1 pm on a muggy Wednesday afternoon to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Bloomfield Hills is a city of about 4,000, but it appears to be growing quite rapidly. There was nothing...
There was a collective gasp in the crowd, as everyone’s attention focused immediately on our guest. “This is Tulip,” she announced affectionately. Rarely have I seen a presenter so effectively capture their audience, especially when the audience consists primarily of...
“Friends! The rope is ice cream!” shouts a counselor to their campers. The campers are doing the Flying Squirrel together, a high ropes course element that requires the entire cabin group to pull a rope attached to a camper wearing a harness who is then pulled into...
It is an unexpected sight to walk into day camp in July and see a fully decorated Christmas tree with presents underneath and a big screen projecting a Yule log burning. That is how the meeting room at Epiphany United Methodist Church is adorned when SpringHill is on...
2.42 Community Church is unlike any church I’ve ever seen before. It functions as a community center – there’s a soccer field in the center of the church, a CrossFit room, an art school, a café and a variety of indoor activities available to the community seven days a...
This quick, impactful read lays foundation for effective outdoor ministry. Sacred Playgrounds explores the wisdom of camping ministry for Christian education and faith formation, examining its rich history and fundamental characteristics with compelling stories, groundbreaking research, and theological grounding.
