Snapshot #1 Being Introduced to Your Father
During our final Sunday morning summer worship service we asked staff to share a “snapshot” (a brief story) of how they saw Christ work in the lives of campers. This is something we do throughout the summer at all our locations. They provide encouragement, inspiration and another reason to worship our God.
After lunch at our Indiana overnight camp. One of our staff shared about a middle school camper who was extremely upset during lunch. He began to swear very loudly and became a bit out of control. No one knew what was bothering him. One of our staff stepped in, took him outside and began to ask him questions.
He asked about his family and discovered that he’d been abandoned by his father when he was young. As a result his mother was not around much because she had to work to provide for the family.
As the story of this young man’s life was unfolding, our staff began to share with him the story of another Father, one who never abandons His children. Then our staff asked “Do you want a different life?” When he said “Yes”, our staff answered “You can have a different life and a new Father by putting your faith in His Son Jesus.”
At that moment this young man accepted Christ into his life and became an adopted child of the King. For the rest of the week this camper was a different person. He was full of joy and had no anger. He called his Mom at the end of the week and told her that he was “coming home a changed person. I’m not going to be angry any more or am I going to do drugs anymore because I’ve given my life to Jesus.”
Our staff called home over the next couple of weeks to encourage this young man in his new commitments and to hear from his mom how he was doing. She said “he is a changed person.” When you meet your Heavenly Father for the first time, even if you are an angry young man, it’s hard to hide the transformation.
The Ministry Behind the Ministry
Mark Olson, our former President, used to say “that our best ministry was not to the campers but to the summer staff who served the campers.” This maybe the best kept secret about our summer camp programs, except if you are a past summer staffer or parent of a summer staffer.
Here is what one parent communicated to us after our summer staff family weekend about her son’s staff experience this summer:
“Thank you for the opportunity to visit Spring Hill as a ‘parent camper’ during Family Camp! We both totally enjoyed our experience. Especially the zip-line ~ woo – hoo !!!!
What an awesome opportunity our son has had to be a part of this community of young people. He has grown in the Lord this summer….serving Him, searching His word and interacting with the counselors and staff. During our visit we were able to get a glimpse of his day-to-day routine as well as a better understanding to what goes on during any given day.
We sent you a young believer in Christ and you have given us a young ‘man of God’…thank you and may God continue to bless the efforts of Spring Hill Camps.”
Staff leading campers in a small group discussion. Why does this intense, transforming experience happen for our summer staff? There are a hand full of reasons that I will cover over the next week or so as I share some of our staff’s stories with you.
But it is safe to say that the foundation of these life transforming experiences are people who have committed themselves to serving a single mission, been trained and prepared to fulfill this mission, work together as a team – a community of people to see the mission achieved and then trust and rely on Christ to do the ultimate mission work.
A tradition in the Michigan Craft House, staff leave their signature each year. Ask any former summer staffer and you will most likely hear that their time on staff at SpringHill was the most transformative experience of their lives. It’s the ministry behind the ministry.
A Bittersweet Day!
It’s the last day of SpringHill’s 2010 summer camp program (although not the summer season). It began in May with the arrival of our summer resident staff (professionals who work for SpringHill for the summer) and it will end today with the closing ceremonies of two of our Day Camp teams and our Michigan overnight camp. In between we’ve had the privilege of serving over 14,000 campers with a team of 750 staff.
Indiana ropes course I have to admit this summer has flown by, it has been as busy as any of I’ve been a part of at SpringHill. Yet, for many reasons, it has been one of the best. That is why I’m a bit sad as I write this post. I’m wishing it wasn’t over yet.
I’ve always said that when we are doing our summer camp ministry we are doing the work God created us to do. We are in our “sweet spot”. It’s been hard at times, busy for sure, draining, stressful but even more it has been full of joy and wonder as we served with people we love and we’ve seen Christ work in and through our efforts to transform young lives for His Kingdom.
Day Camp Closing Day Rally Now for a another 9 months we will have no more Sunday morning staff worship and staff meetings. No more Opening Days greeting excited campers and nervous moms. No more campfires or polar bear blobbing. No more camp songs in the rain or small groups of sharing and praying. No more closing rallies where we hear the stories of how Christ has impacted the lives of campers. And no more summer staff and the energy they bring to their work. We have to wait for another 9 months to do it all again.
Yet we can step back and thank God for what He has done and the lives He has allowed us to be a part of. And in a few weeks we will begin planning, praying and working on another great summer, the summer of 2011.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing stories from some of our staff and campers’ experiences so you will be able to have a glimpse into the life change that happened this summer (and for me stretch the summer out a bit longer).
Celebrating Colin Ridge Praying In Public
Earlier this week I was giving a tour of our Michigan camp to three officers from our bank, one of which had never been to a SpringHill Camp before. I love giving tours to people who are new to SpringHill. It’s fun watching them take it all in. People usually have in their mind that camp will be a certain way but when they visit SpringHill they see and experience something totally unexpected.
This tour was no different. We watched campers doing unique activities, cabin groups sitting and talking through their lessons, and TSTer’s making the property look great.
At one point we ran into a number of cabins who were getting ready for lunch. They had gathered around the dining hall in Copper Country and were praying together in their groups.
Our first time visitor watched and listened amazed to see all these kids praying together in public. He commented “I have tried for years to get the leadership of our church to make corporate prayer a part of our church life and haven’t been able to do it. Now I’m here and I see all these kids joining together in corporate prayer and it seems so natural.”
One of our summer camp goals is to help campers become more comfortable with both private and community prayer. We want them to see that prayer is a “natural” part of living, just like eating and breathing. We want them to come home able and willing to pray on their own or in a small group be it the family or at church.
Without sounding arrogant, maybe the reason our new friend’s church doesn’t do corporate prayer is not enough of their people have been to SpringHill? The good news? I think we have an opportunity before next summer to change that situation.
“Retro Staff Night”
A group of us were sitting at “the Island” having burgers as we do each Sunday after Opening Day. Except this Sunday was a bit different, as my son MD said, it was “retro staff night.” In other words we had a small, informal resident staff reunion with folks who were on staff in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
We have many former staff who return to camp, dropping off kids, bringing youth groups to a retreat, volunteering in some way or just wanting to see “all the changes at camp.”
What makes this group so special to me is that these people were on staff when I came to SpringHill in 1998. As some of them would say, these are my “peeps”. They are dear friends whom, over the years, we have been in each other’s weddings, experienced births (future campers as we like to call them), suffered through illness together, mourned the loss of friends and celebrated the sovereignty of God which brought us together for a season of ministry.
Every time we see each other I’m reminded how blessed I’ve been to serve with, and more importantly, become friends with these great people.
I tell folks there are two questions you need to answer in deciding if an organization is the kind of place you want to work. The first “Does the mission of the organization aligned with your calling?” (this question requires a future post to cover in detail)
The second criteria is simply “Can you love and enjoy the people you will work with?” We spend most of our waking hours working at our jobs and it doesn’t make sense to do it with people you don’t enjoy, respect and love.
In my 12 years at SpringHill I have been blessed to work with people that I love, starting with this “retro staff”. It has made being a part of a great ministry with a great mission, a true blessing.
Front row: Kenny Grimes, Jenny Weinberg, Krista List-Leinberger, Kerith Ackley-Jelinek, Al Weinberg Middle row: Jeanette Banashak, Todd Leinberger, Jon Ackley-Jelinek Back row: Michael Perry, Denise Germaine- Perry, Leanne Grimes, Staci Swan-Post, Ben Post. Missing for chasing after their kids: Ryan Blackburn and Amy Perkins- Blackburn It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This!
Each summer our sons, MD, Mitch, Jonathan and I have an annual get away to northern Ontario. Last week was the 2010 version and our 11th trip together. We all agreed it was our best one yet.
Now I’ll admit that at the end of each trip the boys will say it was our best one. There is something about getting away together, stepping back from the normal activity of life and being in God’s creation that builds deep relationships. It’s true of camps, it can be true for family outings.
Mitch, MD and Jonathan We go to Camp Anjigami – http://campanjigami.com/ – and stay at one of their fantastic locations. Our friends Craig and Linda Williams, owners of Camp Anjigami, always treat us like family (they even brought me a birthday cake via float plane).
This year we stayed on a long, deep lake called Ogas. It is the third lake south of the main lodge requiring us to boat and walk 2 hours to reach it. The cabin is on a rock island in the middle of the lake. It was our first time staying in this particular place and we agreed it is now our favorite.
We follow a few simple guidelines for our trip.
First, we do what we want to do when we want to do it. No agenda’s, schedules or expectations beyond being together.
Second, the boys drive the decisions of what we will do when.
Third, the boys do all the cooking, cleaning (we really don’t do much of this till the end) and setting up camp.
Fourth, we are going to have fun.
Finally, we have no electronics (no electricity helps).
We always have great discussions about life. We talk about those important issues – faith, relationships, future plans, etc..
The boys said this is their best week of the year. They look forward, with anticipation, to our adventure together. More importantly they committed to making this an annual tradition for the rest of our lives plus adding their own trips with their own kids when the time comes.
As a Dad, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Experiences that Change Lives
Our mission is to create ‘life changing experiences where young people can know and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.” One of the ways we test whether we are achieving our mission is to ask campers the question “how will your life be different when you go home?” Our goal is for a camper to have a change in attitude and behavior that reflects Kingdom values that they heard, saw and experienced at SpringHill.
Camper answering the question at a Indiana closing rally "how will you be different when you go home?" Below is an email we received from a mother of one of our Day Campers. It reflects this life change both in perspective and in action. It also acknowledges the impact a SpringHill Experience can have on a family as the result of a camper going home changed.
“Thanks so much for the amazing camp experience and scholarships for my children, Luke and Cambria. They were so blessed. My daughter made a friend from the Pullman group that was bussed up each day. Her name is Isabella. We are going down to Pullman to take her out for ice cream next week. My daughter, Cambria, has a huge compassionate heart and wants to bring her clothes and shoes, because she doesn’t have any. My daughter and I asked Isabella what she needed. She told Cambria and I what she needed was shoes and clothes. Cambria said “we will get those things you need and bring them to you”. Cambria hugged Isabella and I cried! We are going to take her for ice cream next week and bring her the clothes and shoes she needs because her family is so poor. Thank you God for using your kids to extend your Kingdom here on earth!”
We can never under-estimate the ripple of transformative power upon others when Christ changes a life, especially a life of a child.
Camper at one of our Day Camps climbing "the ladder". The Things that Make Us Laugh!
When ever I am with former SpringHill staff discussion always comes around to those memorable camp moments. Those times where a camper or another staff member did or said something that was so funny that it is repeated over and over for years to come.
As we approach the end of our summer I have begun asking some of our current summer staff to share some of their memorable and funny camp stories with me. Here are a few that I know will be repeated for a long time.
There was the day camper who everyday for water activities would dress up in a Spider Man outfit instead of a swimsuit. After the first day his mom would pack his swimsuit and put away the Spider Man outfit. He would then sneak and take out the swimsuit and put the Spider Man outfit back in his backpack. Nothing like Spider Man coming down the slip and slide.
Spider Man down the slip-n-slide. Then there was the camper who decided to be an expert hamburger chef so spent part of his week thinking of new hamburger recipes. One of the more creative recipes was the “mango burger”. The meat would be venison with Mozzarella cheese in the middle. Then it would be topped with mango. The question this camper had was “How do you eat a hamburger with big chunks of mango on it?” His counselor suggested the mango be thinly sliced. To which the camper exclaimed “Yes, that way I can make more burgers.”
Finally there are the staff who created “squirrel fishing.” They tied a cinnamon sugar twist on fishing line then threw it over a tree branch and lowered it to the ground. As the squirrels would come up and try to run off with the twist they would pull on the fishing line raising the twist up with the squirrel hanging on. Not sure how funny it was to the campers but the staff sure seemed to enjoy it.
Camp is many things, one of which is creating memories, some planned, others unplanned. Laughing at funny memories remind us that God gave us life to be enjoyed even in the silliest moments.
Where the Heart Is!
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
The beauty of not – for – profit organizations and ministries like SpringHill are that they are designed to receive resources from others free of charge. It’s beautiful not because the resources are free but because of what it says about the people providing the resources. It says they believe in mission of the organization, the people who are responsible for it, and most importantly, the impact the organization is having on the lives of others.
Dr. Kim Mitcham gives one week each summer as our Michigan camp medical Doctor. There are few other honor’s that an organization can receive then needed resources given as a gift. For an organization like SpringHill these gifts come as gifts of time, talents, prayer focus, services and products, and financial resources. Each enables us to continue to move forward in carrying out our vision and fulfilling our mission.
It’s an honor because the gift implies trust. People entrust us with resources they been entrusted with.
It’s a privilege because gifts provides us an opportunity to work on behalf of others in our common mission and vision.
It’s a responsibility because we now are the new stewards of these resources on behalf of the previous stewards and more importantly on behalf of Christ Himself.
Finally, by receiving people’s gifts we are receiving a part of their hearts (where your treasure is…) and there is nothing more important to a ministry like SpringHill then having the committed hearts of like-minded people involved.
We are blessed beyond what words can adequately express for the 1000’s of gift givers to SpringHill. From the faithful volunteer to the prayer warrior to the benefactor who provides financial resources. We could not exist without them and even if we could, with out their hearts our work would not be all that it should be.
Sally, one of our loyal volunteers who gives of her time and talents to SpringHill. Working registration on Opening Day. 
Dr Joe and Allison Kochan both of whom volunteer for at least a week each summer. 
Long term supporter and volunteer Owen Gussler. Week 1.8
Camps all over the country measure time during the summer by week number. If this is a camp’s sixth week of camp then it’s called “Week 6”. It becomes so ingrained in our language that we can slip into using this camp calendar when talking to people outside of the camping business.
SpringHill was no different until a few years ago when we started to re-think the perspective this calendar comes from and it’s implication to how we approach a week of camp.
We realized that the calendar, and it’s language, is from SpringHill’s perspective not the camper’s. For a camper, even though it may SpringHill’s Week 4, it’s still their first and maybe only week of camp.
Opening day of Week 1.4 in Indiana. Kids are getting ready for a fire engine ride to their cabins. So we decided to change the language of our calendar to better reflect the camper’s perspective. It started with simply saying that every week of camp is Week 1. Implying we should approach every week with as much diligence and enthusiasm as we do that first week of camp.
Unfortunately we still had the need, internally, to know which week of camp we were in. So as good as the language “every week is Week 1 at SpringHill” was from a camper perspective it didn’t help us in managing our weeks of camp.
So by the end of that summer one of our staff figured a better calendar and calendar language. One that communicates both which week of camp we are in and which week of camp it is for our campers.
Thus was born the new calendar that every week is Week 1.camp week. Each week is a new version of Week 1. It captures both the internal need to track which week of camp we are in and also reminds us that this is the first week of camp for our campers.
So yesterday morning at our Michigan overnight camp’s summer staff meeting we ask “What week is it?” And the answer the staff yell back was “It’s week 1.8”. It’s our 8th week of camp, but more importantly for our campers, it’s Week 1.
Opening Day of Week 1.8, a little entertainment for arriving campers.
