Camp

Yesterday afternoon I drove out to one of the three camps that the diocese has contracted with to use for our camping program.  I was appointed by the bishop to serve on the camp board, and we had a meeting on-site.  This was good news for me because -- HEY -- I didn't have to drive to Eugene or Salem for a change.

The short story here is that the Diocese of Oregon sold their own camp a few years ago because, among other things, it was costing the us vast sums of money to keep it open.  The decision was made to look for a new way of doing camp.  The solution was to enter into an agreement with the Methodists and use their facilities.  There are a few more details to that, but it's not important for this post.

So what we have now are three (four if you count the retreat center) facilities that we contract with for our camping program.  These facilities are spread throughout the diocese; the most southern one being about an hour from here.

Benefit:  Use of the facilities without having to sink money and labor into their upkeep.
Problem:  We seem to be tied to the UMC camp programs and schedules.

Issue:  How do we have an Episcopal-focused camp experience when we are sharing camp space and resources with the Methodists?  And how do we foster a sense of diocesan unity when we have people attending camps at three different locations?

Through discussions with the director of the camp, I learned that this particular camp was the least used of the three facilities, and he was looking for ways to increase its visibility and usage.  And through a discussion with the other board members, I learned that we are looking for both traditional and new ways of getting the people of the diocese involved in a camping ministry.

What came out of this meeting was that, beginning later this year, the camp directer, the camp board chair and I are going begin developing a family camp week which will launch in 2013.  I can't say I'm excited about it; but I can say that we have clearly defined parameters that should get the ball rolling.

I think we found a way to begin the work of a vital camp ministry in the southern part of the state in the face of changing circumstances where everyone is trying to figure out how to make it work.  We are trying a new way of camp ministry as the old ways of doing things have passed away. 

Scary thought:  Can we find new ways of doing church ministry as the old ways and the old society passes away and changes into something different?  And what, exactly, does "finding new ways of doing church ministry" mean?