Outdoor and Retreat Ministries
Nurturing Disciples, Transforming Lives!
May/June 2009

Also in this newsletter: Ministry Jubilee   Shirt Photo   Supporting the Ministry

Core Foundations of Camp and Retreat Ministry

United Methodist camp and retreat leaders across the United States have committed ourselves to seven core foundations that undergird our ministry. These values emerged from several grass roots gatherings, with broad and inclusive discussion throughout our United Methodist camp and retreat leaders’ network. There is wide agreement through United Methodist camping that these are important aspects of our ministry that we will seek to implement in an intentional way. This powerful statement of shared values has inspired us, and we would like to share them with you. The seven foundations (not in order of priority) are:

• Nurturing Faith and Discipleship
• Providing Intentional Places Apart:  Sabbath, Silence, Solitude, and Prayer
• Developing Christian Spiritual Leaders
• Extending Genuine Christian Hospitality and Community
• Collaborating with United Methodist Churches and Agencies
• Teaching Creation Care and Appreciation
• Equipping Guests to do Love and Justice

In each newsletter, we will share how we are implementing one of these foundations. This time we focus on “Nurturing Faith and Discipleship.”

Nurturing Faith and Discipleship

One unique gift of Christian camps and retreat centers are specific opportunities to learn from and practice the Christian path taught by Jesus. Camp and retreat ministry has an enduring reputation for frequently inspiriting people to new levels of Christian discipleship. We have the opportunity to move beyond typical classroom conversation to applying Christian faith and principles in our interactions and priorities as a temporary but intentional community of faith while at camp or on retreat. Experiential or active learning draws people to move from concepts to practice, from spiritual thought to decision, from passiveness to action. A significant part of nurturing Christian discipleship through camp and retreat ministry involves very intentionally relating with each and every guest and camper in a way that reflects God’s love for them and God’s active participation in their welfare. It begins in the recognition that no one is outside the embrace of God. Without a doubt, such a level of acceptance and genuine concern for the good of all is healing and helps persons to recognize God’s companionship in ways that call forth responses of love, faith, and a desire to walk with God. Christian discipleship ultimately calls forth lives that embody the love and God and more. We hope you enjoy these of stories of deepening Christian discipleship nurtured in our camp and retreat settings.

The Building Blocks of Faith at Camp

            Each summer we have the privilege of helping our campers build their faith at Judson Collins Center. We make a specific point of interacting with each camper to show them God’s love and how much He cares for each one of them.
            We spend time encouraging them to seek out God, through morning watch, Bible study, and evening worships. During cabin devotion times we talk about being open to what He wants them to learn. One of the counselors from this past summer talked about how she remembers sitting with her Ranch Camp girls, talking to them about faith and questions they had. They got so excited about everything we were talking about that they wanted to stay up extra late and read their Bibles! They were so excited about things they never knew were there, new ideas that had never occurred to them before. “It is memories like that night that rest sweetly in my heart.” Says Eliza.

            We hope that the campers who spend time with us at camp have fun and are safe, but more importantly that they add another building block to the foundation of their faith.

Bringing Families Together in Faith

     Here on the shores of Myers Lake each summer hundreds of families leave their homes and embark on an excursion with their families & friends. Finding this place set apart filled with the natural beauty of God’s creation, plenty of activities for each member of the family to participate in, and bench’s, pathways, and wildlife that caress the soul within as our campers leave the stress of the workplace or classes behind for awhile. While the programming at Myers Lake is offered in an a la carte style, we are intentional in offering a full menu of experiences that include time with God. Morning devotions with other campers and staff are a great way to start your day!
     Church families have been visiting Myers Lake for years and many look forward to their annual family camp weekend as a way to bond and grow with families from their local congregation.  The time around the campfire, or in common meals, worship, and play bring these families together in ways that nurture them as individuals, as a family unit, and as a part of their congregation.
     Come experience great family fun this summer in a place set apart for you and your family on the shoreline of Myers Lake!

It’s a Joy to Share God’s Love

            Everyone at Lake Huron Retreat Center follows Matthew 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” in our ministry. It is especially true in our summer camp program.
            God’s Treasures Camp and Lakeshore Interlude are two programs currently happening each summer at the retreat center. The camp experience includes intentional time for Bible study and discussion. The volunteer counselors for God’s Treasures Camp spend time in daily devotions with campers. Campers are involved in a variety of activities to help them understand God’s love for them. At Lakeshore Interlude, the table discussion is engaging and deliberate as campers are challenged in their faith journey. Times for worship are included in the camp schedule, as well as personal time for reflection, meditation and prayer.

            For guest groups at Lake Huron Retreat Center, the staff will often offer prayer support throughout the event schedule. Bibles are located in each guest room and guests are encouraged to take advantage of the surroundings and spend time in devotions and prayer. Over the years, there have been countless opportunities for the staff to share a testimony of God’s presence and to offer words of encouragement.
           Each guest group – regardless of denominational affiliation and including our not-for-profit groups – are invited to spend time in prayer and meditation while here for their retreat experience. We may never know how God has moved in the hearts of our guests during a retreat experience, but we trust that seeds are continually being sewn and watered – all for the Glory of God! 

Listening to the Still, Small Voice

            I look forward to my first trip into Kinawind each year. It is exciting to be back and to see what changes may have occurred over the past six months. And, although I go there to work, I find the peace, the quiet, and the natural beauty of camp to be very relaxing and thought provoking. I find that such a natural setting (away from the phone’s vibration/ring, the internet, the alarms/beeps/buzzes/rattles of household appliances, the noises of traffic, and the general fast pace of the modern world) helps me to listen and to think. The still small voice of the spirit is always there for us but the stuff of this modern world can be very distracting. I feel God’s presence more often and more intensely in natural, quiet settings. I need such a retreat from time to time.

            Today’s youth are bombarded with distractions even more than we adults and they generally have even less understanding of the importance of retreat, of the importance of quiet time to listen. Although camp is an intense, busy time; there is quiet in the woods. There are times set aside for devotions; times for reflection; and times to listen. The program is structured to help campers learn to live as Christians in a small group with caring adult counselors. The curriculum helps them to understand the messages of Jesus. The natural setting helps them to be receptive, to listen, and to think. Our youth need such a retreat from time to time.
            Our adult volunteers more often than not return to camp for two reasons. First, they (like I) found camp to be a meaningful part of their spiritual growth and have a strong desire to guide youth as they struggle to find the way on their journey. Second, they value camp personally as they continue to walk their walk and grow in the faith. We all need such a retreat from time to time.

For several years Judson Collins Center has partnered with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries to provide a special program for Hispanic/Latino families. During the summer months an experience of fun and fellowship, relaxation and rest, campfires and games is experienced by several of our churches Hispanic/Latino congregations.  

During Hispanic Camp families get the chance to worship together, enjoy waterfront activities—such as swimming, boating, and fishing, campfires, games, and Bible study. This is an important opportunity for families to grow together in their faith and be supported by the hospitality and gifts of our connectional church.

Through Ministry Jubilee we ensure that the continued experience of summer camp and faith growth for our Hispanic and Latino congregations are available for all.

Your camp shirt, that is! We want to see photos of you wearing your camp shirt. Send us a photo of you in your camp shirt from Camp Kinawind, Judson Collins Center, Lake Huron Retreat Center, Acorn Camp or Myers Lake. You could be at an interesting vacation spot, working on a service project, or hanging out with friends you met at camp. All submissions with a correctly completed entry form will be posted on our website. Photos with inappropriate content will not be posted. The most interesting submissions will be placed in our newsletter.
Enter your camp shirt photo; for contest rules and form go to http://umccamps.org/shirtcontest.htm

Greyson, from Wyandotte First UMC, at Henry Ford Museum wearing a Camp Kinawind shirt.

Supporting the Camp and Retreat Ministry  

How can you support Outdoor and Retreat Ministries? 

Visit www.umccamps.org and click on “Support Our Ministry” There you will find: 

• On-Line Donations! You can make an on-line donation at www.umccamps.org
   

• Wish lists for each camp site. You can see what items camps would like, or a dollar amount for each item if you wish to donate financially toward a specific item.
   

•  Ministry Jubilee programs. Your church will receive credit from the Detroit Conference if a donation is made through Ministry Jubilee. The website lists the 19 programs offered by ORM in the Ministry Jubilee booklet and tells how donations will be used.
   

•  Volunteering Opportunities. The website lists the opportunities available at each camp site.

 Other ways to support Outdoor and Retreat Ministries:

• Use Goodsearch. When you use the Goodsearch engine for your internet searches you can designate Outdoor and Retreat Ministries to receive donations.  Go to http://www.goodsearch.com.
   

• Attend one of our programs!  For a full listing of events go to www.umccamps.org.
   

• Prayer. Support camp and retreat ministries with your prayers as we endeavor to nurture disciples and transform lives!
   

•  Major gifts.  Did you know...

o        that you can make a planned gift or estate gift to camp and retreat ministries?

o        that good things would result from a gift?

o        that assistance in gift planning is available?

For more information, contact:
Jan Thomas, Director, Outdoor & Retreat Ministries
800-334-0544 or
jthomas@umccamps.org