Thursday Drive
I drove down to Columbia on Thursday morning for a meeting of the Committee that talks about Covenant Point Camp. It doesn’t seem write to call this a ‘camp meeting’ without speaking in tongues or something, but it was a camp committee meeting I guess. I am glad to be a part of this committee because Christian Camping is so very important. Many of us had experiences of God’s grace and love at a camp.
I remember, and perhaps I will share this in a sermon one day, crying into a sock. It was the final night of camp, during worship. The music was going along, and, perhaps after communion, I was praying. I realized, as I would learn later in the words of Paul Tillich, that I was accepted by God. “Accept that you are accepted,” said Tillich in a sermon. Well, at camp that night, I realized that God did love me and accept me. And I began to cry. A lot. I was a little embarrased, so I looked around for a tissue. Nothing. I looked down at my shoes and thought, “Oh well. God accepts me. These people will just have to deal.” I removed my shoe and wiped my nose with my sock.
In the wake of God’s grace, being proper doesn’t count for too much.
Thanks for sharing this. It brings to mind a similar experience in my youth, at a VBS. Ain’t God great?!
Comment by Bookwoman2003 — December 12, 2006 @ 10:20 pm
Great story… it’s true, powerful things HAVE happened at Christian camps, for me too.
But… when gathered around the campfire, did you sing kum-ba-yah?
Comment by Susan from Texas — December 12, 2006 @ 10:27 pm
Hey Mike! This is Beth from Bowling Green, I know kind of weird to be contacting you like this. But I just read your blog and it made me smile to be reading some of your writings again. I was pretty used to getting home from school and reading your monday or tuesday morning emails. Can you send me your new email address mine is lizabethkat@aol.com. I hope your loving it is Kirksville and Merry Christmas!
Comment by Beth — December 14, 2006 @ 9:55 pm
Not only do we know from personal experience, but research shows that camps and and retreats provide life-changing encounters with God.
In a 2002 survey conducted by the Research Services office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), more than 25% of Presbyterian church members and almost 50% of pastors reported having an experience that *significantly* shaped their Christian faith while at a camp, retreat or similar event. (This is double the numbers who said they had a faith-changing experience in church school.)
(As a side note, I’d never advocate taking money from church school, but it does make me think churches should at least consider this when they look at how they spend their Christian ed money. . . . )
We Presbyterians have been blessed with three national conference centers–including Montreat–and 150 regional camps and retreat sites. All three of my daughters have attended camps and retreats at Camp Covenant Point.
And just as prominant, if not more, I witnessed my daughter and her fellow youth group members’ *significant* faith development as a result of attending the Montreat Youth Conference.
Can you tell I am passionate about this?!? Bless your work with this ministry, Mike
Comment by Dana — December 19, 2006 @ 10:09 am
Mike, you are my hero. I will never look at your socks in the same way. In response to Dana: it is good to have folks excited about what we can offer on the national level for our youth. Being a Montreat advocate I am glad to hear that it was a moving experience. Have you ever thought what a MYC would be like with older adults? Can’t for another thought Mike!
JDS Efficiency #109
Comment by John — February 1, 2007 @ 2:13 pm