Refuge, Solace and Community

Summer has past, and we are in a period of hosting weekend retreat groups, and involved in renovations and construction projects.

Last weekend (typical of any weekend) all the groups had arrived, it was dark, there was a coolness to the air, and I was walking around camp. I was contemplating this increasingly dark world we live in, the turmoil of society, and the news of wars across our globe.

As I walked, I was drawn to the porch lights illuminating one of our facilities. Inside, light flooded out from the doors and windows, and there was a room full of men lifting their voices in praise to Christ. I walked further, and there were families entering another lit building, getting ready to worship. Children holding hands with their parents, laughing, engaging with one-another. Around the bend, my attention was captured by the beautiful sight of a well-built campfire, and a group of college students gathering around it’s light and warmth, preparing to worship. Further on, I noticed a glow of light above the trees, and continued to the edge of our Rec Field, flooded with light, and watched as a youth group played 9-square and Ga-Ga Ball. Building community, engaging each other, and enjoying playing together under the lights on this cool evening. Their shouts and laughter made me smile.

What an incredible opportunity we, as camps across our Country, have, to provide a place of refuge, solace, and community. A place where souls are welcome as they temporarily escape from their every day lives, retreat from a dark world, and are able to enter the beautiful light of the love of Christ.

As the night became darker, the lights seemed to pierce the darkness even more, and on this night, the beauty of the light was poignant, and made me thankful for the light of Christ that was being shared throughout this weekend.

I am thankful for the fellowship of camps through the SBCA, and the ministry provided in so many settings. Continue to be a light-bearer.

God never disappoints…

October 25, 2023No comments
Greetings from Pineywoods!

Here we are, in anticipation of the imminent summer that is quickly approaching, working hard to wrap up all the projects, finishing the hiring of our Summer Staff, beginning the myriad of trainings required, already exhausted and excited at the same time…

From the One who gives me the capacity for faith, and the One who has grown my faith because of His faithfulness, I have great hope that in a few weeks, God’s redemptive power will impact hundreds of lives throughout the summer here at Pineywoods.
I am thankful for all the many churches that partner with us in this endeavor, as we utilize summer camp as a tool for the Kingdom of God, increasing the effectiveness of the church’s ministry to these kids and students.

There will be some campers that are so excited to be at camp, anticipating an experience with God. Then there will be those who come here looking for hope in their pain, and looking to God for their answers. Some will show up, and be absolutely surprised and shocked at God’s redemptive power working in their life, having not considered God at all leading up to camp. And, there will be those just daring God to show Himself, skeptical that He can make a difference, but even in their doubt, they are acknowledging God, and God has a way to make Himself known.

We are about to embark on an incredibly important season, where, for some, this is the best shot at redeeming their life. What we do matters. When I consider all the camps across our nation, there will be thousands upon thousands impacted for the cause of Christ this summer. Be your best, set the stage for souls to encounter the redemptive power of Christ.

When you have those rare quiet moments in the course of your busy summer, get your phone out of your pocket and text or call a fellow camp just to let them know you are thinking of them and praying for them.

In my 33 yrs. Here at Pineywoods, and experiencing God’s faithfulness and provisions, one thing I have learned is to never underestimate God. He is really good at what He does.

Serving together,

Eric Small
Director

May 2, 20231 Comment
In Plain Sight

Each February, SBCA camp and conference center leaders are blessed to gather at one of our member camps for our Annual SBCA Conference. It is a phenomenal time of worship, fellowship, and inspiration that gives seasoned and starting directors and staff the encouragement and excitement needed to press on through another year, another challenge, and another busy season. The conference typically has a camp tour where the director and staff of the host camp can showcase God’s blessings and the ministries of the camp. It is a wonderful, insightful time. But, like anything positive, the enemy likes to hit where we are the weakest. While the tours are never intended to be comparisons, more often than we care to admit, directors look at the tour portion and say something akin to “Man, I wish we could do [______], but…” This remark isn’t coming from defeat, or depression, or even dissatisfaction, it is simply human nature.

Let’s face it; when we see God blessing others, it is difficult for us. We wonder why this program works here and not there, or how they can afford to do that. What are we missing?

The answer: Perspective.

I have a favorite way I like to start team building. It is a little activity I call In Plain Sight. In this activity, participants stand on designated spaces around a circle filled with random objects. The objective is to find the ink pen I hide inside the circle “in plain sight,” which means that it can be seen, without moving any of the objects, from at least one direction. After a few examples of what that looks like and the assurance that the pen will not leave the circle once the game has started, the participants are instructed to turn around, face outside the circle, and close their eyes while I hide the pen. Once it is hidden, I step out of the circle (to relieve them of the fear of shenanigans) and tell them that they must remain silent while they find the pen. Once they see it, they are to quietly turn and head back to their spot without indicating the pen’s location. Once all have seen it and have returned to their spot, I ask a volunteer to point out or describe where the pen is.

Pretty easy right?

Two more rounds, each progressing in difficulty. With each round, more people are wandering, looking, laughing when they just can’t see it, laughing at people who can’t see it even though they are right in front of it. Then comes the final round. I hide the pen for the last time and tell the unsuspecting victims participants to find it. Same rules as before, but this time, almost no one can find the pen! More wandering and searching. They look at me, they look at the ground. They are baffled. Then, I give them the final instruction: To find it this time, you must change your perspective. At this point, it is often difficult for me to hold in my laughter as I watch educated people look into the sky as if the pen is magically floating above them somehow. Others crouch down and put their face closer to the ground to see if they are just missing it.

This is what we do with our ministries. We look and we look; we have been here before. We’ve seen what success looks like. We know the ins and outs of camp. We’ve found the pen before; it should be right here. But when faced with something that is not obvious, (other’s success in a ministry event you have tried before and failed in, funding from an unknown source, forethought in how their buildings were built, etc.) instead of changing our perspective, we either blame something unrealistic (they just have more “[______]” than we have) or do the exact opposite and further deepen our perspective (our people won’t [_______]) and make excuses.

Pastor Craig Groeschel on his Leadership podcast states that these phrases, and others like them, are what he considers “the Forbidden Phrase.” They keep us from being effective and from making the impact that God has called us to make as camp and conference center professionals. He states that you can only do one of two things: You can make excuses OR you can make a difference, but you can’t do both.

When we compare ourselves to others, and we fail to see God’s blessings in our own lives, it diminishes the gifts and provisions that God has given us. We spend so much time looking up in the air or down at the ground that we fail to see the opportunities that He is placing before us. We must change our perspective. Not deepen it. Not get crazy. Just look for where God is working in a different way. In Romans 12:2, Paul urges us not to be conformed to this world[’s way of thinking] but to be transformed by the RENEWING of our mind [changing our perspective to a Christ-centric view rather than a self-centric view]. This way we can then test and prove what the perfect will of God is [for our lives and, in this context, for our centers]. When my victims participants finally do [eventually] find the pen, they marvel at how right my instructions were. Immediately, they realize that looking up in the air and deeper on the ground were foolish endeavors that had no hope of success. It only served to further frustrate them. And when they do finally see it, even if they needed help, they marvel at how close they were to the truth but were blinded by their own obstinate quest to find it in some other way.

As directors and staff, we cannot be blinded by the forbidden phrase or our own perspective. We must take the opportunity to see what God is doing and ask ourselves, “What does He want to do where I am serving? How does my perspective need to change for me to see it?” When we take our focus off the way things have always been, or what might or might not happen, it allows us to look straight ahead and see where God is already at work. The only difference between those who have found the pen and those who are still searching is the courage to change their perspective, look straight ahead, and see it hanging before them in plain sight.

Go check out the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast the forbidden phrase episode found here:

   https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/the-forbidden-phrase/

Jeff A Yant
Executive Director
Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center

March 25, 20231 Comment
Why Is Summer Camp So Good For Kids?

By Kevin East as Originally Posted at Crosswalk.com

This post is one of many that I wrote last spring on summer camps. Having worked in camps for over 20 years, and now with a full house of kids myself, I hope to equip parents across the country that are looking to send their children to camp.]

My first post in this series was: Is Your Child Safe At Camp? 5 Questions Every Parent Should Ask

Summer camp is almost as American as apple pie and baseball. Movies have tried to document the uniqueness of this experience. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to see one that came close to pinpointing why a healthy week at summer camp is so good for a child.

When I simply take the words “summer” and “camp” and use them in the same sentence, my mind quickly jumps to mosquitos, tents, canoes, smores, and Kumbaya. Sadly, I think most picture the same thing, which falls way short of what a week of summer camp could be.

I realize for many with small kids, the idea of allowing your child to camp can be scary. Over the years, though, I have seen far too many success stories. A child who was scared, fearful or just simply didn’t want to be at camp, often turns into the camper who loves it the most. There’s a reason for this.

February 22, 2017No comments
Anxiety and the Importance of Play: An Interview with Shimi Kang, MD

Originally posted on the American Camping Association Blog

Shimi Kang, MD, is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, researcher, author, and speaker who specializes in adolescence and addiction. She is the author of The Self-Motivated Kid: How to Raise Happy, Healthy Children Who Know What They Want and Go After It (Without Being Told) (2015) and The Dolphin Parent: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy, and Self-Motivated Kids (2014), which is a national best-seller and reflects her drive to promote essential health and wellness information relevant to our daily personal and professional lives in an accessible way. One of her focuses is on the physical and mental health benefits of play — a subject on which the camp community has a resounding voice and an important role.
First off, please tell us a little bit about you — your background, your family, your personal mission and what led you to it.

My personal mission is to spread the message that a balanced lifestyle with enough play, social connection, and downtime is vital for human health. My work as a psychiatrist and research in addiction and motivation combined with my experiences as a mom of three kids — ages six, nine, and 11 — led me to this goal. I’m the current medical director of child and youth mental health for the city of Vancouver, and clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia.
Did you ever attend camp? Have any of your children attended camp?

January 11, 20171 Comment
A Clear Example of the Power of Camp

Originally posted on The Greg Hunter Blog by Tom Beaumont
Photo courtesy of The Firs

Our day camp summer staff are often challenged at the beginning of the summer with the story of Jesus as he welcomed the little children to his knee. Metaphorically, the Fircreek corral (gathering place) would become known as the “Lap of God,” welcoming all kids and parents, loving them and serving them, thus clearing a path to Jesus.

During a recent summer season, the Fircreek kids were being taught the Lord’s Prayer and worked together on memorizing it section by section. As Darell, our Fircreek director, was teaching on the words “give us today our daily bread,” he clarified the difference between asking for what we want and asking for what we need. He made it clear that God answers our prayers of need. At this point in the lesson, Darell gave the campers the opportunity to come onstage in front of everyone and to ask God for what they needed. Six campers were chosen randomly from hands raised. One at a time, they made their way to the front, and with all seriousness and sincerity, brought their need to God.

  1. The first prayer was, “Dear God, please give me a family where I am loved, where I will be safe and where I can stay for a long time. Amen.” (This came from a foster child who recently learned he would never go back to his birth parents).
  2. The second prayer was, “God, please help my Grandfather. He had a heart attack, fell and broke his neck. He needs to live.”
  3. The third prayer was, “God, I pray that my parents would respect me and approve of my life,” (from a sixth-grade girl stuck between parents during a very ugly divorce).

There are very few times at Fircreek Day Camp where it is quiet enough to hear a pin drop … this was one of them. These kids were not simply praying a prayer to be heard by their peers, they were talking to God, and everyone there knew it. Camp is where we get to help them find a solution through hope in Jesus. This story is not only reflective of the needs children are facing today but a clear example of the power of camp.

Tom Beaumont
The Firs

January 11, 2017No comments
Welcome to Our New Site!

We are excited to announce our new website is live! We hope you will find our Association to be a helpful place to connect with like-minded camps and camp directors. Take some time to browse through the site and find a camp near you! We would also invite you to join us for our 2017 Annual Conference coming up soon! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to let us know if you have any questions or suggestions for us.

November 15, 20163 CommentsCamping | Conference Center | SBC | Southern Baptist