Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) blogs

Here I am

Subscribe to this blog feed icon

About this blog

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.

Recent posts

Categories

Archives

See all PC(USA) Blogs →

PC(USA) Home →

August 3, 2009

Something New...

Brian Frick

Westminster Woods in California built their summer program around one powerful verse.

Isaiah 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing!
       Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
       I am making a way in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland.

2009 WW Something New Sign What a verse to focus a summer around!  Something new!  New energy!  New life in Christ!  An opportunity to make yourself into something new at camp - that person you have been as God created you but may have not felt free to totally expose or live into at home - you are free to be that NEW creation at camp!
Through Jesus, all is made new.

OK - now I'm going to jolt and change directions on you - stay with me!

But when I look at Christian camping...it makes me start to wonder...

But when I peel away the themes, curriculum and new activities...

Is there really anything new?

Once the campers are here and the programs are running, camp still meets that human need for nurture, independence, relationships beyond their family and town, time outdoors experiencing God’s creation, and opportunities to learn from the young adults who serve them as counselors.

What makes a week at camp so special?  What is so crucial for faith development?

Great question!

I think faith development and child development are linked at camp in a very unique way.

What do you think?

More on that later but let me know your thoughts about how we help kids grow both as humans and as faithful children of God.