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Brian Frick is the Associate for Camp and Conferences Ministries with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He has been involved in camp and conference ministry since high school. For the past ten years, Brian has served as program director of Johnsonburg Center in New Jersey, Westminster Woods in California, and Heartland Center in Missouri.

Camp and conference ministry compliments and partners with other ministry aspects of our church to foster faith development and reflection. As our communities and our church changes, our ministries need to grow and adapt with creative and emergent programming and leadership to meet new realities.

These blogs entries, though varied, are intended to spur thought and conversation around the opportunities and challenges before us.

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August 24, 2009

Well said....

Brian Frick

Sept08websitepics 002 In some sense (and in one big part of my job) I'm called upon to capture the essence of retreat/camp ministry and share it with others in an inspiring way so more may experience the benefits to their life, faith and well-being.  This is no small task for me but often I find others saying it so well.  Kevin Cullum, Camp Director of Camp Wyoming in Iowa shared their newsletter and it opens with a wonderful article detailing the "why camping" and the benefits.  Here it is for you.  Now if I could be so eloquent 1/2 the time I'd be very happy!   Thanks Kevin for all you are doing and for being able to touch so many lives this summer.

“Camp – This is the Real World!”
For many campers, Camp can feel like the world that God had intended. At camp, everyone is a part of a warm and accepting community where you are free to be yourself. You are immersed in God’s creation where you can feel, see, and hear Him within the nature of the camp setting. Camp also provides young people with the opportunity to explore their faith and learn how others live out their faith. They eat, worship, work, and pray together as a group and come to understand that each person views the world differently. This can help develop their empathy for people and understanding on how to work with people to live in peace and harmony. Camp is just a wonderful place where everyone learns through the experiences they have within a fun atmosphere.
Our theme this summer was “Breakthrough” which detailed how various people in the Bible were transformed by Jesus Christ. Through their Bible Studies, campfires, worships, and various activities, campers learned how a close relationship with Christ can have a transformative impact on their lives. The camp experience shows kids how the “real world” should be and the positive impact they can have on their family and community.
We were blessed to have 695 campers attend Camp Wyoming this summer.

Here is the rest of their newsletter.  Love the spotlights on staff, board members, and others.  What a blessing Camp Wyoming is.  August 2009 Camp Wyoming Newsletter