Camp 2009 Recap

From July 20-24, Pastor Sherri and an amazing group of 14 leaders took 63 kids to Camp Dixie in Fayetteville, NC. We went to the NC District Kids Camp hosted by Pastor Randy Thompson and his KidzAblaze team. There we were joined by other churches from around North Carolina. In total, there were 310 people at camp this week. Calvary’s group being the largest.

The camp theme was Holy Spirit Musical II: The Time Machine. It was a continuation of last year’s theme and a play off of the popular High School Musical franchise. The class nerd, Tim, built a time machine (out of a porta potty!) and took his history class back to different decades of the 20^th century. Every night they went somewhere new.

So much went on last week that I cannot even begin to describe everything that happened. So in an attempt to give an accurate account of camp, I will give a brief rundown of what we did every day.

Monday:  The bus and vans were loaded by 11:20am and at 11:30 we took off heading down 421 toward Fayetteville. The weather was cloudy but looked promising…until we were about to stop for lunch. Five  minutes away from the park Pastor Sherri looked at me and asked if what just hit the windshield was what she thought it was. Yes, it was a huge raindrop. As we pulled into the park, the sprinkles started and as soon as all the kids were unloaded the heavens opened and it rained the entire time we were there. Have you ever tried to keep 63 kids under a picnic shelter when it’s raining and there are mud puddles to be jumped in? It was tough, but the kids did great. They didn’t want to be wet and muddy for the rest of the drive to Camp Dixie.

Once we got to camp, moved into our cabins, it was off to dinner then service. They wasted no time with entering into the Lord’s presence with the kids. The message was about running back to God and the response was amazing.

Tuesday: Every morning after breakfast, all 310 of us would go to Bible Mania. If there was one word I had to use to describe this it would be “messy”. Think water balloons, Cheetos, shaving cream, and Kool-Aid. Then add in some chocolate syrup and whipped cream. That is Bible Mania. The kids love it. So do the leaders, but more about that in the Thursday recap.

Tuesday evening’s service was about being the person God wants you to be, not who the world wants you to be. Again, the response to this was sensational. To see the children recognize that they need to be who God wants them to be and to not care about what the world says is something we call could learn from.

Wednesday: Wednesday was a big day in camp. Not only did we spend most of the day on the blob but it was what they like to call “Holy Spirit Night” in service. The entire service was about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and teaching the kids what it is. The musical cast went back to the Azusa Street Revival and joined in with the crowd there to feel the presence of God. That night, pretty much every child at camp was down front seeking God for His baptism. It was a sight to see.

Thursday: Bible Mania today was the worst of the week. And by “worst” I mean most fun and most messy. Since it was the last day of Bible Mania, there was a massive shaving cream fight. After getting dirty playing the games, there was a full on battle between every person in camp. Kids after leaders…leaders after kids. It was nuts. People were covered in shaving cream, chocolate syrup, ketchup, mustard, and anything else that would stain. I have never had so much fun in my life. The best part was that the kids had a great time making a mess of their leaders.

Service that night was amazing as well. The worship turned into an altar and prayer time which then turned into a time for the leaders to come up and cry out to the Lord for a deeper and renewed passion to reach the children in our churches and communities. When you get a room full of children’s pastors and workers praying, you had better watch out. They will turn that room upside down. The urgency in their prayers combined with God answering the cry for a renewed passion is still giving me goose bumps thinking about it.

Friday: We woke up, cleaned the rooms, went to one last service and said “good-bye” to Camp Dixie and our new friends. After service, we had a time for everyone to sign each other’s camp shirts. This is another highlight of the week: getting as many signatures on your shirt as possible.

We loaded up, went to McDonald’s and made our way back to Greensboro. The ride back was long for the leaders. Some of us were tired and couldn’t move a muscle while the kids were ready to turn around and go back. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Some final thoughts before I end this recap:

-          When worshipping with kids, be prepared to jump, dance, spin, shout, get on the ground, and just plain sweat. Their endurance and energy is something we could all take note of.

-          Seeing a child fully engage in worship or watching them fall on their face before the Lord will make you cry. No doubt about it. The sincerity combined with seeing it click in them what worship is will stop you in your tracks.

-          Having the cleanest room means first in line for food.

-          Turning your cabin into a pig sty intentionally does not earn you the most creative cabin award…even if it is the most creative.

-          I haven’t skimmed the surface of all that happened at camp. Many memories were made for both the leaders and the children. If you want to know more, ask someone who went. They will be full of stories that will make you laugh, cry,  and be amazed by the power of God

Be on the lookout this fall for information about camp next summer! We want to take as many kids as possible so that they too can experience God like never before!

-April