Mission Yearbook: For God so loved the Earth, God made the gopher tortoise

PCCCA conference attendees — Camp and conference leaders gather for worship, workshops and keynotes on the theme of “Reframe” for the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association’s annual conference at Zephyr Point Conference Center. (Photo contributed by Miatta Wilson)

“People may not be leaving religion behind as much as they are changing what being religious means,” the Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean told a group of 125 leaders of camp and conference centers affiliated with the Campfire Collective as part of the annual conference of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association (PCCCA). In keeping with the November 2024 event’s theme, “REFRAME: Growing Leaders through Listening, Learning and Responding,” Dean asked if a redefinition of what being religious means is a threat or an opportunity. She also encouraged participants to challenge motivations and ask whether attempts to innovate are to usher in the Kingdom of God or to save an institution.

From Nov. 10–15, directors and staff of camps and conference centers all over the U.S. and Canada gathered at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for Dean’s daily keynote lectures, worship and workshops, which addressed practical, programmatic, and strategic concerns of camps and conference centers. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was a sponsor of the event. Several of its offices participated by hosting workshops, organizing an exhibit hall presence and sponsoring a snack reception. Partner organizations like UKirk Collegiate Ministries, the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network and the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association offered workshops as well.

During her keynote talks, Dean lifted up the story in Acts 28, Luke’s account of Paul encountering the church on the island of Malta after he has been shipwrecked, as a model of hope.

While some workshops trained leaders in the management of land, staff, programs, and fund development, many topics demonstrated visions of ministry and worship that interpreted the change in defining what being religious means as an opportunity rather than a threat as workshop presenters centered the voices of the wilderness into their decision-making and their worship.

“Our primary ministry is to the land, and everything else is secondary to how we care for the space that we're in,” the Rev. Kent Busman, director of Fowler Camp and Retreat Center in the Adirondacks, said during a workshop called “Loving the World.”

A slide from Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean’s presentation (shipwreck: when tht which you thought would hold gives way) by H.Richard Niebuhr — A slide from the Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean’s presentation defines what it means for religious institutions to be shipwrecked. (Miatta Wilson)

Fowler was started by the Reformed Church in America after land that had been logged off was set aside for preservation in 1892. After 38 years as its director, Busman has come to understand the calling of the camp to listen to the land and its needs first. He has been inspired by how well nature has responded to the preservation of the Adirondacks. He noted that the moose, the osprey, and the eagles have come back. Instead of building for people and recreation, he’s centered the needs of the natural environment and created programs around fostering wonder and serenity in the search for God’s love and peace. Taking the asphalt road out of the middle of camp made car and truck access more difficult, but it returned the land to the forest, and the calmer traffic made room for children to freely roam and play.

Protecting these natural spaces and making them accessible to children at camp has restored the wonder and attention of young campers in an increasingly stressful world, Busman explained before asking participants, “Where or when have you made room for something else to thrive in our spaces where you’ve not just bulldozed something down to build a building?” One person replied, “The gopher tortoise!”

“Wow, didn't see them coming. Tell me about gopher tortoises,” Busman said, only to learn from a workshop participant that gopher tortoises, though they are only 9 to 11 inches long, dig burrows of 400 square feet where other species can seek sanctuary during fires. Because of their outsized impact (in this case, positive), gopher tortoises are considered keystone species in wildernesses of the Southeastern United States. The respondent explained how creating a sanctuary for gopher tortoises in her camp had created a safe space for other species as well. In loving the gopher tortoise, their camp could better love the natural world that God had entrusted into the camp’s care.

This year, in lieu of the PCCCA/Campfire Collective annual conference, the Great Gathering of the Outdoor Ministries Connection will be held at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center from Nov. 9–13, 2025.

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Denise Gray, Accountant, General Ledger Office, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Bridgett Green, Vice President/Executive of Publishing & Editorial Director, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Loving God, continue to challenge us to grow in faith, always remembering to be grateful for the firm foundation you provide. May we be ever open to learning and sharing in your work in our world. Amen.

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