Summer brings out HAPPY CAMPERS

Even though the economic downturn and cultural trends slowed registrations for area church camps during May, most area managers and directors anticipate numbers will pick up and be near normal.

Camps are less costly than other vacation and child-care options, they say, plus most congregations provide “camperships” – camp scholarships – to help cover the costs for children and youths.

“Camp scholarships are key to keeping up participation regardless of campers’ ability to pay,” said Bruce Christensen of Camp MiVoden on Hayden Lake.

The national and regional Seventh-day Adventist Church, he said, provides “strong support” because camp experiences are such “powerful tools” for drawing children and youths to commit to ongoing lives of faith.

The support is similar for other churches.

“Funding should not prevent children from coming,” said Maureen Cosgrove, the new director at Camp Cross, the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane’s camp on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Brian White of Twinlow, the United Methodist Camp at Lower Twin Lake, adds that “families may be able to go to camp even if they can’t afford a vacation.”

Camps are life-changing

“We pray for strong attendance because we are passionate about the impact a week at a Christian camp has in the lives of children and youth,” said Andy Sonneland, director of the Presbyterian Camp Spalding on Davis Lake. He expects numbers to approach the 2008 record of 1,608 campers.

Camp gives youngsters time away from “the culture’s noise” with “fun, young adult role models excited about their faith,” Sonneland said.

Randy Crowe, managing director at N-Sid-Sen on Lake Coeur d’Alene, said he expects a good year for both United Church of Christ campers and other users.

“Camp is an extension of local church Christian education programs in a safe, nurturing environment,” he said, where “every inch of the camp holds memories for returning campers.

“They experience worship, learn and explore surprises in God’s creation. It’s hard not to be moved to faith in a place like this.”

Administrator Jeff Potts said the Salvation Army’s Camp Gifford on Deer Lake offers summer experiences for about 1,000 children – 14 teens each week at a wilderness camp, and 120 7- to 12-year-olds in the youth camp.

“We talk with children about creating a moral platform for making good choices in life and understand that the Creator has a purpose for their lives,” he said. “We also help them understand the consequences of their choices.”

When campers return as volunteers, staff mentor them to “a more profound faith,” said Potts, who has been camp director for 16 years. “In a recent survey, 80 percent of parents said the camp had a positive impact on their children’s behavior.”

Marta Walker, administrative assistant at Ross Point Camp in Post Falls, sees youth coming year after year and stepping into leadership roles, returning because they have become “mission minded” and seek “to reach out to others with God’s love.”

When N-Sid-Sen recently dedicated a new lodge with a large meeting space, the Rev. Dee Eisenhauer, pastor of Eagle Harbor United Church of Christ in Bainbridge Island, Wash., spoke of the influence of multigenerational, lifelong camping on her and her family.

She and her husband, John, have been camping since they were children. Over the years, they brought their now-grown children to family camps.

“Camp is a holy place where we connect with family and friends outside the rat race, share tender moments, connecting with them and with God,” she said. “Even when I’m not at camp, it’s a place I can go in my mind to restore my soul.”

Camps collaborate

The region’s church camps operate collaboratively, rather than as competing businesses.

Inland Northwest camp managers and directors keep connected out of solidarity for their common work. Because each camp has a unique niche, they share planning ideas and resources, even making referrals when space is full on a given date or if they know another camp can better accommodate a group.

“Our unity of purpose trumps any competitive issues of our operations as businesses,” said Camp Spalding’s Sonneland. “We genuinely wish to see each other’s camp ministries flourish.”

In February, he met in Portland with camp representatives from throughout the Northwest. They discussed some dynamics that denominational camps face: 1) a declining pool of potential campers in aging congregations; 2) fewer parents sending children out of denominational loyalty; and 3) a malaise among youth toward church.

The trends are not definitive, said Ross Point’s Walker.

“Generally numbers have been fluctuating and declining as American Baptist members age and there are fewer youth, but recently some aging churches have reached out to their communities,” she said. “They have more families with children coming to camp.”

Camps expand programs

While camps in some areas are closing, Inland Northwest churches continue their commitment to and investment in camping.

Many church camps have broadened their scope to host camps, retreats and conferences for other community groups – inviting young people in churches with no camps, and whose families do not attend church.

For 2009, Camp Zephyr on Liberty Lake is offering two camps for children and youth related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). But it reaches out regularly to fill its lodge and cabins with people in women’s, men’s and youth groups from other denominations.

From early spring through late fall, religious and civic organizations use the grounds for camping, retreats, seminars, reunions, study groups, classes and other activities. Last year, every weekend from April to mid-October was booked.

Camp Cross, which is open seasonally, plans a reunion for alumni and friends, retreats for other groups and family reunions.

Camp MiVoden plans a 10-year building program to expand its capacity by 140 to 390, not just to accommodate large groups, but also to accommodate four to five minicamps, retreats or reunions simultaneously.

It will build 12 duplex cabins for summer campers, upgrade dorms to family-style units, and build a new cafeteria and gym, said Christensen.

N-Sid-Sen recently finished phase two of a 14-year dream, dedicating a new lodge with a large meeting room, a welcome center, offices and a labyrinth painted on the floor.

Camp Lutherhaven on Lake Coeur d’Alene dedicated its newly remodeled Zoerb Chapel on Sunday. Bob Baker, executive director at Lutherhaven Ministries, said the $750,000 project “doubles the size of the historic center for worship and gathering, winterizes the building and adds audio and visual enhancement for the next generation of campers.”

The camp also dedicated its new Shoshone Base Camp, purchased from the U.S. Forest Service, after seven years of negotiation. The $705,000 purchase was made possible by major foundation grants of more than $500,000 and donations from individuals and congregations.