It Starts Now!

Certification in Camp and Retreat Ministry

It is time to get registered for a fabulous set of courses in the Compass Points Program. This is where your Core Training toward certification starts. All the details for registering for this fall’s event in -- get this --  Oregon, Illinois, are laid out in the sidebar each issue of S’more Mail.

With GBHEM’s (that’s the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry) approval, the Compass Points Program is a core component in the Core Training requirements for para-professional certification in Camp and Retreat Ministry within the United Methodist Church. As a cooperative program with Presbyterian, Lutheran, and United Church of Christ camp and retreat associations, Compass Points stands alone in offering its own unique Certificate of Completion. You will love this low cost program.

Here are the Compass Points details:

• Six Core Courses with 2 offered each Fall and Spring. Each class requires some pre-reading and a related post-class project/paper. (If you start with this Fall’s set of classes, you could be finished with the course work next Fall. That is just one year away.)
• Participate in a Site Visit. You will choose a camp and retreat site to visit and explore all the inner workings of their ministry. You will get to take a look at how they do hospitality, maintenance, food service and much more. This is a directed visit with a follow up report at a site not too familiar to you.
• Enjoy a Capstone Event. You will join with your classmates to participate in an event at the National Gathering or one of the other participating association annual conferences prior to receiving your Compass Points Certificate.

If you choose to go on to complete the Core Training and seek eligibility for United Methodist Certification with the GBHEM, you will have to complete one more component which we will be recommending to all new directors and program directors in UM Camp and Retreat Ministries. We are calling this event the UMCRM IMMERSION EXPERIENCE. This will be a five day, 40-hour program at one of our camp and retreat sites that will help us focus on some of the following subjects unique to United Methodists:

• The Seven Foundations of Camp and Retreat Ministry
• UMC Polity, Doctrine, and History (as it is relevant to Camps and Retreats)
• The Role of Camps and Retreats in Witnessing To and Caring For Creation
• Faith Formation, Best Practices, and more

Yes, your Certification starts now. Get signed up for your first set of classes with the Compass Points Program. All the information you need is in the sidebar of S'more Mail. Just click and begin preparing for your future in camp and retreat ministry. Do it now!

the UMCRM Education Committee