Michael Perry
Married to Denise Perry, we have four children. I work at SpringHill serving as it's President and CEO. I love my family, reading, cooking, coaching my kids and fishing. I'm also a student of organizations and those who lead them. All of which leaves little time to get into trouble.
Dave Matthews Band and Closing Rallies
Someone once said “music’s the language of a generation”.This is the reason we make music such an integral part of the SpringHill Experience. Our goal’s always to connect with those God’s called us to serve by communicating with them in “their own language.”
This doesn’t mean we’ll use music just because it’s popular. We’re intentional about the music we select so it won’t distract from our mission but instead advance it.
But our intention’s also, if possible, to redeem music and use it to connect with people in a deeper more spiritual way.
One place we’ve been able to do this has been in our closing day rallies. For years we’ve created a drama that depicts the Gospel story and performed it to a recognizable song.
Our goal’s to use the “language of music” to grab the attention of parents, family and friends in attendance so they’ll have a glimpse into the life changing message their kids heard and experienced at camp. The impact of this combination of music and storytelling can be profound.
I remember one summer we performed our drama to Dave Matthews Band’s Ants Marching. It’s a song that engaged many parents and campers and thus gave us an opportunity to present a captivating picture of the Gospel. Almost without exception at the end of each rally we’d have parents and campers asking if we sold this CD in our Trading Post (as you might imagine we don’t carry Dave Matthews Band’s music in our camp stores).
It demonstrated the power of music and the ability to engage and create a new association for people so that every time they heard Ants Marching instead of thinking of Dave Matthews they would once again saw in their mind’s eye the story of the Gospel.
Leading by Seeing and Being Seen
Todd Leinberger, our Great Lakes Region VP, "seeing and being seen" while helping Copper Country kids catch fish Why did I spend 30 days of the past 90 on the road visiting SpringHill sites and SpringHill supporters? Because of something I learned back in the day when I was a volunteer Young Life leader. To do effective “contact work”, that is to build relationships with students, you need “to see and to be seen.”
I’ve continued this “to see and be seen” philosophy in my role at SpringHill. It’s what pushes me to visit as many SpringHill Experiences and be with as many staff, campers, parents and supporters as I can especially during the summer season
“To see” simply means to be in places where I can witness our ministry first hand, seeing our work and the people who do it and at the same time see those who also support it.
“To see” gives me the opportunity to provide real-time feedback to our team as well as share in real-time the great things being done across SpringHill with our staff and supporters. When I speak about impact of SpringHill on the lives of campers and staff I do so from personal experience.
“To be seen” provides accessibility to these same groups of people – staff, campers, parents and supporters. By allowing myself “to be seen” I become available. By being available and accessible I’m able to build relationships and through relationships provide support, encouragement and at the same time hear firsthand the necessary feedback they may have.
As we continue to grow I’ll become more stretched in my ability “to see and be seen” as I was this summer. But thankfully SpringHill has fine leaders who now share this responsibility with me and are carrying out this philosophy of leadership in more places and with more people than ever before.
Inspiration from Our 14-year-old Son’s Game Film Evaluation
“Dad can you take a look at this? I watched our basketball game against McBain and evaluated how I did” said our son Jonathan as he handed me a yellow pad of paper covered with notes about how he played (see photo).As I looked closer it amazed and frankly impressed me that our 14-year-old son had taken the time to evaluate his performance with a level of detail and honesty I rarely see in most adults.
His evaluation included tallying how often he used each hand, charting his shots, keeping track of his “good passes” verses “bad passes”, his “hustle” compared to “lazy” plays and finally my favorite “good defense” verses “bad defense.”
In addition to the fact that Jonathan evaluated his entire game and not just his offensive output he also measured himself against a high performance standard. He’s clearly not satisfied with his play and wants to see where and how he can improve.
Since his game film evaluation Jonathan’s been at the gym every day, he’s watched a number of basketball videos and he’s even read a book about Pistol Pete Maravich. He’s committed to becoming better because he now sees where he can improve and has the vision and energy to do so.
As I’ve watched Jonathan over the last month I couldn’t help but reflect on the importance of regular and thorough self-evaluation in my work, family life, relationships and community involvement.
This reflection led to an evaluation of my own where I ask myself “what more could God do through me if I might only follow the example of my 14-year-old son who simply wants to be a better basketball player?”
John R.W. Stott & Basic Christianity
John Stott died yesterday at age 90. If you haven’t heard of John Stott, he’s been an Anglican pastor and a significant leader in the world-wide Christian church and in particular the Evangelical stream of the Christian faith.I’ve never met Dr. Stott nor ever had the opportunity to hear him speak yet his teachings through his books have had a significant impact on my life and work.
In particular one little book titled Basic Christianity has influenced my theological perspective and approach to ministry. What makes it so powerful and timeless is the simplicity in which Stott describes, without compromise, the foundational truths of the Christian faith.
I first read it as part of my training to become a volunteer Young Life leader because it framed so well the message we wanted to communicate to kids on a weekly basis.
A couple of years after coming to SpringHill we began evaluating the content of our daily and weekly lessons for summer camp. SpringHill’s a non denominational ministry so we don’t address controversial and “peripheral” doctrinal issues in our work but instead “major on the majors”. But at the time some folks were asking if we needed to expand our list of “majors”.
In stepped John Stott and Basic Christianity. I had our key staff read the book and then we as a team discuss its content. When we finished we all agreed Basic Christianity defined the piece of the Christian message SpringHill’s called to share with kids.
And to this day you’ll see copies of Basic Christianity around SpringHill and more importantly you’ll still see its outline weaving through all our lessons and curriculum and as a result still impacting the lives of 1000’s of SpringHill kids and families each year.
“There’s Just Something About this Place”
“Every time I arrive at camp tears come to my eyes. There’s just something about this place….” one of our long time volunteers said to me Sunday evening as we sat on the porch of SpringHill Indiana’s guest houseI responded that “I totally agree and that even after 12 years of coming here I have the same experience”.
Then I thought to myself if we had a nickel for every time I or one of our staff heard a similar statement we’d be able to build another SpringHill camp somewhere.
One of the common threads between all these statements is the fact that no one’s been able to express just what makes this property so moving.
Yes, it’s incredibly beautiful but most people who come here have seen places at least as beautiful if not more so.
I’ve wondered if it’s driving to the main lodge and having your car pass through the tunnel of trees and then seeing this incredible 55 acre lake suddenly appear and taking your breath away that stirs the heart?
But I’ve seen that same view many, many times as have so many others and yet it still moves us.
So it’s not just the physical property. No there’s more to it than that.
I believe it’s because this property has been slowly and lovingly developed over the years by the Rust family and then SpringHill for the one single purpose it’s now being used – to be a part of life changing experiences where young people and their families and can know and grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ.
And if you think about it when use and created purpose align the result’s always a moving and spiritual experience.
Hydrate or Die
“Hydrate or Die” are simple, direct and memorable words we told our staff this past Sunday in our morning staff meetings. They reminded us all of the importance of assuring that both staff and campers had plenty of water during the incredible heat wave we just experienced.All summer long we remind our staff of the importance of rehydrating themselves and their campers as they go through their active days. But when the temperatures and humidity reach “heat alert” levels then our language becomes stronger and more insistent – we tell our staff “hydrate or die”.
We know it’s a little hyperbole but there’s truth in these words. If you’re exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time without taking in enough water there’s a risk of serious health issues.
So we give our staff a phrase that will stick with them, reminding them of the important job of taking care of themselves and their campers during a heat wave as the one we just had.
Of course there’s more to taking care of staff and campers in a heat wave than just pithy sayings. We made adjustments to the camp schedule to assure campers were in the water as much as possible. Also we made sure drinking water’s available at activity and housing areas so that campers and staff were never far from something to drink. Also small groups met in the shade and in our Indiana overnight camp we made sure campers slept in air conditioning.
But it’s the power of strong and memorable words that stick with us which provide the guidance and motivation to do the right things in any situation. It’s why leaders create, borrow and use such statements while leading others.
So remember “hydrate or die” as you enjoy your summer season.
Wednesday Night Live and Great Staff
Last night I had the opportunity to enjoy our Copper Country leadership staff’s program called “Wednesday Night Live”. The team did an incredible job planning, rehearsing and then providing a fun, purposeful and engaging program for our 4th thru 6th grade Michigan campers.Wednesday Night Live is a series of funny skits and songs perform in our outdoor Copper Country amphitheater – a setting which is just incredibly beautiful and so classic camp like.
The show’s kicked off by singing led by the band performing at our middle school camp and ends with a drama that depicts Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross with the humor sandwiched in between.
As I stood in the back watching and laughing with some of our staff and volunteers I couldn’t help but reflect on the truth that the most important ingredient to any successful team, be it a summer camp, church or business is the quality of people on that team.
We had an incredible show and evening and frankly we’re having an incredible summer in Copper Country and throughout all of SpringHill because of our quality summer staff.
There’s no more significant and important part of a SpringHill Experience than these great people, working for the right reasons, creating and delivering these great experiences that Christ uses to transform the lives of kids.
They make summer camp a SpringHill Experience.
Click here to see other photo’s from Wednesday Night Live.
From “My dad’s the boss of you” to “I don’t want anyone to know you’re my dad”
Mitch back in the "my dad's the boss of you" days Funny thing happened when we brought our son Mitch to camp this past Sunday. He and his buddy Gabe (whose mom also works at SpringHill) told us not to visit their cabin because they didn’t want anyone to know who their parents were.
What’s so funny about this request? Well it’s a long way from Mitch’s first years as a camper when he’d be sure to tell his counselors early in the week that “my Dad’s the boss of you” even though we told him numerous times never to say such things.
Growing up with a dad whose work includes being a public figure has its ups and downs. Think of people you know who grew up as politicians’ kids or the famous “PK’s – preacher’s kids” and how their parent’s notoriety impacted their childhood. It can be a tremendous blessing but also be a painful experience.
My job, in some ways, is a combination of a politician’s and a preacher’s. So Denise and I have worked hard to make sure our kids didn’t carry around unrealistic or burdensome expectations because of their dad’s work. We wanted our kids to have the blessing of a dad who works at a camp without all the extra baggage that could come along with it.
And based on Mitch’s desire for what he wants his camp experience to be like we’ve accomplished our goal.
So if you see Mitch in the next two weeks act as if you don’t know who his parents are, let him have his first SpringHill Experience that doesn’t include being the President’s son.
“The Island” and “Island Burgers”
SpringHill has an island (actually more like a peninsula) called by traditionalists “The Island” and by more progressive folks “Burger Island.”The debate between the names results from the incredible burgers grilled on “The Island” since the early days of SpringHill. “The Island”, against some people’s wishes, has slowly become “Burger Island” in recognition of these famous sandwiches affectionately known as “Island Burgers”.
One of the earliest Island Burger chiefs (maybe the first) was J.C. Johnson, a Texas size Texan with a Texas size heart that set the standard for Texas quality grilled burgers that have become part of “The Island” legend and experience.
Since those days JC’s high standards passed down through a line of chief’s who continue to provide generations of campers and staff with an outstanding Island Burger with all the fixings. This tradition of great burgers has only continued to feed the great debate of whether it’s “The Island” or “Burger Island”.
Sunday evenings “The Island’s” reserved for staff and volunteers who’ve worked the opening day of camp. These folks gather together at the end of each opening day to enjoy incredible burgers and talk about the week ahead. It’s a fun and festive time where the excitement and anticipation of what God’s going to do at camp’s felt and shared.
Lee and Robert our Island Burger Chiefs So if you’re ever at our Michigan camp on opening day and want to enjoy an “Island Burger” and experience “The Island”, or as some would call it “Burger Island”, ask anyone in a blue SpringHill staff shirt and they’ll make sure there’s a seat at one of the picnic tables reserved for you.
The Legend – Enoch Olson
Today we had the privilege to have Enoch and Joan Olson at SpringHill as they picked up their grandkids from a week of camp. As I watched the closing rally I couldn’t help but feel thankful for the incredible vision and foundation we’ve inherited from Enoch as SpringHill’s founding director.Enoch’s been called by many of our staff the “Legend” because his fingerprints cover almost every facet of SpringHill. Anywhere you turn, whether at our overnight camps in Michigan and Indiana or at our Day Camps, you’ll see Enoch’s influence in our approach to ministry.
Enoch built SpringHill on an innovative and creative approach to summer camp. In addition to his concept for “camps within a camp” (click here for more on this philosophy) Enoch created a camp experience that integrates “faith and fun”.
At SpringHill there’s no “chapel time” and then off to play. No, we bring together both the spiritual and the fun into a powerful combination that makes the biblical themes of the day “stick.”
You see every part of SpringHill, whether an activity, housing area or even meals, become object lessons and teachable moments that point campers to these spiritual themes. So a zipline isn’t just an exciting ride but becomes a tool for reinforcing the Biblical truths being taught.
At the end of the rally, just to affirm Enoch’s continuing influence at SpringHill, a parent said to him “you know you look just like the founder of SpringHill.”
To this Enoch answered “what’s his name?”
The parent answered “I think Enoch Olson”
Enoch then replied, “That’s funny because that’s my name too.”
The next thing I saw was the campers of this parent having their picture taken with a true “Legend.”
