Camp in the City: A Different Perspective

This is my first summer not to be on staff with Pine Cove Camp in the City, but I got to work camp from a different perspective this summer. As GFC’s elementary director, I got to see camp from the eyes of the home church instead of a camp staffer. It was good, because it is always important to change perspectives. I got to see how camp impacts so much more than I could have ever imagined. Emerging from the season of masks and isolation, watching camp from the sidelines was a much needed breath of fresh air for our community, for Grace Kids, and for me!

I have spent four summers working in a variety of different positions at Camp in the City, so it was awesome to see that GFC would be hosting the first week… and my old team! I began to think of ideas and things to help ease the transition for some of the new staffers. As the months turned to weeks, then to just days, my excitement grew. I was expecting to regress into my old patterns as a Pine Cove staffer (which was sometimes the case), but I began to see camp’s impact at a different perspective.

To quote an old saying, “You can count the apples in the trees, and you can count the seeds in the apples, but you can never count the trees in the seeds.” This is a great way to describe how camp can have an impact. I saw the camp counselors open up to the campers. I saw campers open up to their counselors. I saw parents dance to the music as they walked their kids into camp. I saw different generations in fulfilling conversations with each other. I saw GFCers open their homes to host counselors, complete strangers. I saw GFCers preparing and serving lunch. I saw people give generously to help support the camp staff and the kids. I could write several pages, but there is beauty here. I saw all these things, because people believe in the mission of Jesus Christ, so people could better understand who He is. The best thing I saw this week was several campers giving their lives to Christ, who unites us all!

All in all, we continue to be true to our mission to join God in building a community to reach a community and our vision to help broken and vulnerable people find life in Christ. Pine Cove Camp in the City exemplified that! I am already thinking and dreaming of next year!