A Bird's Eye View of Christian Camping

Check out these sweet photos of some kids having a blast at The Wilds of New England.

A Counselors Perspective on the Christian Camping Experience

Christian Camping straight from Counselors

One of the best ways to learn about Christian camping is to ask someone who has been there. By asking a camp director, full-time staff member, a camper, or a counselor, you can gain a whole new perspective on the Christian camping experience. In this post, I have asked five counselors, who worked at different Christian camps, to share a short paragraph about what they have learned through counseling at a Christian camp. I trust that reading this post will be beneficial to you.

Michael Bagin

Michael, third from the right, with some of his campers.

This summer, I had the opportunity to counsel at a small Christian camp in Pennsylvania. (Click here to check out the camp.) As a counselor, my eyes were opened to many things that I may not have noticed. First of all, I saw that I am much more selfish than I thought. Through little experiences each day, I realized that I care about myself much more than I think. Many times I had to give up my desires for the benefit of my campers and the other staff members. Another lesson I learned was to simply enjoy my campers and the people around me. As I ministered to them, they encouraged me and provided many moments of pure fun. Finally, I learned to depend on God for everything I do. In a camp situation, the need to trust God was magnified because of the lives that I impacted every single day. However, these lessons are not just limited to camp. Through working at a camp, I have grown more than I could ever imagine. 

Michael, second from right, and some campers fooling around.

Grace Williquette

Grace, middle, with some of her campers.

My experience at camp taught me to love 

people from all different backgrounds and 

to give myself sacrificially to them. One week, my campers knew when I didn't love them , although I tried to hide it. Even my lead counselor figured it out. Then, I realized that I was one of the most influential people in the lives of these girls in my cabin. I learned the difference between living love and just acting love. As a counselor, and a waitress for two different summers, I learned what it means to sacrifice out of duty and what it meant to sacrifice out of love. God also taught me how to depend completely on His Word when I was counseling and didn't know what to say to a camper.

  

Jonathan Knoedler

Jon, front left, with two of his campers, with another girl counselor and three of her campers

Working as a counselor at a Christian camp is definitely a growing experience. Every week, you encounter 6-8 unique boys who come from different backgrounds and home situations. As a counselor this past summer, I fully realized the importance and power of prayer. Often, young boys came into the week with no desire to participate in the games or listen to the preaching, but by the end of the week their hearts had been changed and they were eager to learn more about the Lord. Because I could do nothing in my power to change these boy's lives, I had to rely on earnest prayer and trust in the Lord to see fruit. Fully trusting in the Lord and consequently seeing His marvelous power is an awesome experience that I desire to behold many more times. 

To learn more about the camp that Jon and Grace worked at, click here.

Brittany Cournoyer

Brittany, far right, enjoying some time with her campers.

Spending a summer at camp was truly an amazing experience. I want to share a few things I learned. First of all, God showed me the importance of His Word. Growing up in a Christian home, I  had a head knowledge of God, but didn't always apply that to my life. His Word was important, but I did not desire it like I should have. This summer really pushed me to His Word. I felt very inadequate to help teen girls and give them counsel on God, His Word, and how they could practically apply it to their lives. Because of this, often I talked to God throughout the day and I really cherished the time in His Word. I grew to love studying His Word and learning more about Him. I definitely still struggle in this area, but through this summer I can see some growth in my time with Him through His Word and prayer. Another thing I learned is that Christ is better. The theme of the summer was based on Hebrews and that whole book discusses the preeminence of God. He is better than the priestly system, the prophets, and the angels. While those are just the main ones Hebrews talks about Christ is better than everything. This really showed me how wrong my priorities are. Christ should be first place in my life. I also was encouraged and challenged by the race analogy in Hebrews 12. God gave us other Christians to help us run this race. It is such a blessing to know that we, as Christians, are a community to help each other in the race.  

To learn more about the camp Brittany worked at click here

Jaimie Flack

Jaimie, back middle, with her campers

Rand (the director of the Wilds of New England) always told us that sometimes we just have to "Love them {campers} to Christ." I had one girl who I knew needed to be saved. She wanted to play with me in the pool, so I did. As I was pulling her on my back, water in my face and all, I just kept thinking, "love her to Christ, love her to Christ!" One day I was able to help her learn a verse. She did it, and after I was able to explain that she had just learned God's Word and give her the gospel. We got to the point of decision, and she was embarrassed to pray out loud. I left her alone, and the next day I found out she had prayed then and asked Christ to save her! I've had the privilege of seeing this girl grow and she was baptized this year. It was such a blessing to be a part of this ministry and see God work in lives!

To learn more about the camp that Jaimie worked at, click here. 

 

Exciting Camp Activities

Check out this photo album with pictures from some of the exciting activities kids are involved in at Christian camps.