Christian Teaching at Greystone - New Camper Blog Series

Nothing makes me long for camp summer days like warmer weather! We’ve had some beautiful days at camp over the past week, so we know summer is around the corner. As many of our lives are looking a little bit different than they did a few weeks ago, we know that many of you are also longing for camp days during these uncertain times. As we think about all that is in store for the summer, we are especially excited for our new campers! We hope these New Camper blogs will give you a growing excitement as we long for summer days.

This week, we are going to talk a little bit about what our campers learn at camp each summer. We are a Christian camp, and our campers have the opportunity to learn about Jesus in many different ways throughout the summer. Parents always want to know what their daughter will learn; today, we’re going to give you some inside scoop!

Morning Assembly:

Our most organized time of gathering together is our Morning Assembly time. This happens before classes and is our opportunity to start the day together as a group and really focus on what is important. We sing songs and then hear a devotion from our camp minister.

During the summer, Greystone hires ordained ministers to live at camp during each session, and these ministers are a resource for our camp community. These ministers are typically RUF college ministers who come to camp with their families and spend a few weeks with our girls. Our ministers lead our Morning Assembly devotions, taking the girls through a series of talks throughout the session.

If you are interested in hearing what your daughter is learning during her session, check out our recorded Morning Assembly talks each day! We post these for our June, Main, and August sessions, and typically have these posted within 24 hours of the morning devotion time. It is a great way to get a taste of camp; you can then include details or ask questions about each morning’s devotion in your letters.

Theme Verse:

Each summer, we pick a theme verse, and we focus on aspects of that particular verse throughout each session. After taking a break last year for our 100th summer, we are jumping back into our focus on the Fruits of the Spirit, and this year, we are focusing on the word Peace. Our theme verse is:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Phil. 4:6-7

We picked these verses earlier this winter, and we cannot believe how perfect they are for this specific time and for this summer! Our summer ministers will use our theme verse as an outline for their Morning Assembly talks, working through different aspects of the verse in different ways throughout the session.

Church:

On Sundays, we start our day with a church service. This service is a mix of a traditional service and a more contemporary service. We tend to sing popular hymns, do some focused prayers, allow the campers to participate in the offering (through their Store account), and then finish with a sermon from our camp minister. We also post our Sunday Sermons online, so check them during your particular session to know what your daughter is learning.

Nightly Devotions:

Each night, our cabins end the day with a nightly devotion. After the girls get ready for bed, our Lights Out bugle blows, and all of the campers hop in their beds. The cabin counselor will then close the night with a short devotion, ending the day like we started it by focusing on what’s most important.

Counselors can choose what they would like to talk about during their devotion, so these often vary based on the age of the campers and the session. We provide our counselors with resources for these devotions, and many enjoy using the Jesus Storybook Bible. We created a companion guide specifically for camp to go along with this Bible, so it makes for a great uplifting devotion for our campers.

Every night, our devotions include a scripture and end with a prayer. This devotion time is so special in each cabin. Make sure to ask your daughter what she is learning in letters you write to her!

Other opportunities:

We also offer other opportunities for growth in many different ways throughout the summer: we pray as a group multiple times a day, offer optional Bible classes at many of our sessions, give the option to participate in our Prayer Warriors group after dinner, play uplifting music and bring in some amazing Christian artists for live concerts, have praise and worship style singing, share Biblical truths in our Council Fire ceremonies, and so much more.

Final note:

One final thing about all of these opportunities above…we don’t ever push anything on any of our campers; instead, we present the information in what we believe is a fun and inviting way. Since we are a Christian camp, everything we do is informed by the Gospel and is prayerful. We don’t have to preach at the girls all day long; instead, we focus on loving the campers, as we know that the Lord will work in their lives.

We have also found over the years that the very best way for our campers to learn more about Jesus is through the lives of our counselors. There is nothing quite like seeing someone you admire live in a fun, positive, and uplifting way – and that is what our counselors do! What a great example for our campers of what a life with Jesus could be like.

We hope you’ve learned a little bit more about what our campers learn each summer, but if you have any more questions, reach out and let us know. We are happy to help. See you next week for our next New Camper blog!